USC happy Christian McCaffrey is gone but slowing Stanford is still no cinch

Christian McCaffrey torpedoed USC’s defense the last two seasons.

As Stanford upended the Trojans three times in 2016 and 2015, McCaffrey tallied 970 all-purpose yards.

How tough was it to bring down the elusive running back?

Reporters covering the Pac-12 championship game in 2015 overheard then-USC defensive coordinator Justin Wilcox and other coaches swearing in an adjacent press box booth at Levi’s Stadium.

Few players in the FBS compiled more yards against one school than McCaffrey did against USC.

The Trojans will no longer face McCaffrey, who bypassed his final season of eligibility for the NFL, when they play host to Stanford on Saturday night. But as they look to snap a three-game losing streak against their Pac-12 North rival and jumpstart a run toward a national championship, the challenge remains the same.

“I’ve been playing Stanford for going on four years now,” said Chris Hawkins, a redshirt senior safety. “I know what they are going to come do. We all know what they are going to do. They’re going to run the football.”

Stanford has turned to two running backs to replace McCaffrey, junior Bryce Love and redshirt sophomore Cameron Scarlett.

“That two-headed monster is really carrying forth what Christian was,” USC coach Clay Helton said.

Will USC fare better?

It would certainly help its effort. In the past nine matchups in the series, the team that had the most rushing yards won.

Another grudge match beckons.

When USC has the ball

In the Trojans’ season opener, quarterback Sam Darnold was held without a touchdown pass for the first time since his debut start last September at Utah.

Darnold called it his worst performance since taking over for Max Browne as the starter last season. He also threw two interceptions against Western Michigan.

Some of it was jitters after a long offseason.

“My emotions kind of got the best of me there in the beginning,” Darnold said.

But to aid Darnold, the Trojans are also looking for reliable targets beyond receiver Deontay Burnett.

After Burnett, no USC receiver caught more than three passes, and four of Darnold’s 10 incompletions were dropped.

Some of it is due to health. The offense is hoping that tight end Daniel Imatorbhebhe, who has been limited with a sore hip flexor, is closer to 100 percent. Imatorbhebhe can be a threat in the passing game.

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Helton and offensive coordinator Tee Martin also hinted that Joseph Lewis, a 6-foot-2, 205-pound freshman receiver, could carve out a larger role.

It helps that USC has a formidable ground game, led by junior Ronald Jones and freshman Stephen Carr, who combined for 228 yards and five touchdowns on the opening Saturday.

Jones accounted for 159 of those yards, along with three touchdowns.

“You look at the arm tackles he’s running through right now,” Helton said, “he’s a very powerful runner.”

In its season-opening win over Rice two weeks ago in Australia, Stanford’s defense allowed 241 total yards and one touchdown.

When Stanford has the ball

The Cardinal’s tandem of Love and Scarlett offers different challenges for USC’s defense.

Love is speedy.

He ran an electronically timed 4.4 seconds in the 40-yard dash in high school and was also a national record holder in track and field for the 100 meters as a young teenager.

“He’s got great running form,” Stanford coach David Shaw said. “He’s extremely explosive.”

But Shaw cautioned that doesn’t illustrate the entire picture, recounting conversations from when he recruited Love to Palo Alto.

“He let us know that he’s a football player who runs track,” Shaw said. “He’s not a track guy learning how to play football.”

Love ran for 180 yards against Rice.

Scarlett, who is listed at 220 pounds, is often used in short-yardage situations. He ran for three touchdowns against Rice.

In the win over the Owls, the Cardinal gained 656 total yards, the most for the program since 1999, with 287 of those on the ground.

USC allowed 263 yards against Western Michigan last week with linebacker Cameron Smith suspended for the first half because of a targeting penalty.

Keller Chryst is back at quarterback for Stanford after he underwent ACL surgery following the Sun Bowl.

“He’s a coach’s son, too,” Helton said, “so I have a lot of respect for that.”

Chryst is alert in the pocket. Last season, he threw 10 touchdown passes to two interceptions while splitting snaps with then-senior passer Ryan Burns.

“He’s really managing their offense extremely well,” Helton said, “and he doesn’t make a lot of mistakes.”