Not surprisingly, Stanford will be without its most potent offensive weapon for its annual grudge match with Notre Dame.
In the third quarter of Stanford’s 52-16 loss to Washington State, Christian McCaffrey sustained an unspecified injury that knocked him out for the remainder of the game. In the run-up to the Irish game, David Shaw described the multi-dimensional running back as “pretty beaten up” and said a final decision on McCaffrey’s availability likely won’t be made until Friday or Saturday.
As it’s Saturday, and kickoff is less than an hour away, a decision has been made.Just spoke to @StanfordFball Coach David Shaw - confirmed Christian McCaffrey is OUT for tonight’s game vs. @NDFootball #NDonNBC @nbcsports
— Kathryn Tappen (@KathrynTappen) October 15, 2016
A finalist for the 2015 Heisman Trophy, McCaffrey currently leads the Cardinal in rushing (520 yards), rushing touchdowns (three), yards per carry (5.3), receptions (18), punt returns (8.0 average) and kick returns (22.8 average).
His 188.2 all-purpose yards per game is third nationally, but he has not scored a touchdown since Week 2 and has just 84 rushing yards total the last two weeks.