Stanford is once again making a change under center, although this time it doesn’t involve an injury.
Keller Chryst started the first four games of the season at quarterback for the Cardinal, but an injury in the Week 4 win over UCLA opened the door for K.J. Costello to start the following week against Arizona State. Chryst returned in Week 6 and started the next three games.
Given his ineffectiveness statistically, and despite winning each of those starts, David Shaw has decided to pull the trigger on a change ahead of the Washington State game this weekend.
.@CoachDavidShaw has announced that @kj_costello will start at quarterback Saturday at Washington State.#GoStanford pic.twitter.com/dJLZ530Kuu
— Stanford Football (@StanfordFball) November 3, 2017
In his last three starts, Chryst, who has started 13 of the last 14 games overall, completed just under 57 percent of his passes for 453 yards, four touchdowns and two interceptions. In two of those last three starts, the Cardinal won by a combined score of 38-34. In fairness, the last of those starts came without the services of Bryce Love, the nation’s leading rusher.
In his first career start, the redshirt freshman Costello completed 15-of-24 passes for 173 yards and a touchdown in a 34-24 win over Arizona State. Love, incidentally, ran for a school-record 301 yards and three touchdowns in that win.