Christian McCaffrey Injury Update: Stanford RB To Miss Notre Dame Game


Stanford star running back Christian McCaffrey will not play on Saturday night against Notre Dame in South Bend.


Stanford running back Christian McCaffrey will not be in uniform on Saturday night when Stanford faces Notre Dame at Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend.

According to Tim Prister of Irish Illustrated, McCaffrey has been ruled out for the showdown with the Fighting Irish. The do-everything Heisman Trophy finalist from last season suffered an undisclosed injury during the second half of Stanford’s loss to Washington State last week. His status had been in question all week, with head coach David Shaw describing him as being “pretty beaten up” when asked about his status earlier in the week.

After getting blown out by Washington, Stanford struggled once again last week against the Cougars. The Cardinal offense could not do much of anything, as the O-Line was dominated by the Wazzu defensive front. McCaffrey was held to 35 yards on eight carries and one catch for five yards. Without No. 5 on the field, this offense could be in for a long night against the Irish, as he has the ability to hurt the opposition as a rusher, receiver and returner. However, the entire offense has been in a funk, and McCaffrey hasn’t reached the end zone in each of the last three contests.

The junior joins LSU’s Leonard Fournette as preseason Heisman Trophy favorites who have been battling injuries throughout the year. Fournette will not play for LSU against Southern Miss on Saturday night, which will be the third game he’s missed this fall.

McCaffrey is averaging 188.2 yards per game this season after averaging 276 yards per contest in his incredible 2015 campaign. Look for Bryce Love, who rushed three times for 33 yards versus the Irish last season, to get the majority of the carries in McCaffrey’s absence.

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