Bryce Love‘s injury issues are back to adding intrigue for his availability this coming weekend.
A concussion-related issue last month sidelined the Stanford running back in Week 3. Love returned for the Week 4 game against Oregon, but then suffered an injury to his left ankle -- the same ankle that bothered him in the latter half of the 2017 season -- in this past weekend’s loss to Notre Dame.
With a Saturday home game against Utah looming in Week 6, Love is essentially day-to-day as David Shaw said Wednesday the back’s playing status will be determined later on in the week.
“It’s not as severe as last year,” the head coach added in offering up an optimistic slant to Love’s potential availability this weekend and, presumably, beyond.
Love, second to winner Baker Mayfield in the Heisman Trophy voting last season, was the favorite entering this season to claim the 2018 version of the award. The chase for the Heisman got off to a rough start for Love as he was held to 29 yards on 18 carries in a 21-point win over San Diego State in the opener, but he bounced back in Week 2 with a 136-yard effort in the Cardinal’s 17-3 win over the Trojans. After sitting out the Week 3 game, he ran for 89 and 73 yards the past two weeks and now has 327 yards and three touchdowns on the season.
Through the first five games in 2017, Love had rushed for 1,088 yards and eight touchdowns. He averaged 11.1 yards per carry in that span; this year, he’s at 4.3 ypc.