STANFORD, Calif. - Bryce Love continues to show he is one of the elite running backs in the country.
The speedy junior from Wake Forest, North Carolina, turned in another dazzling performance Saturday night in Stanford's 20-17 loss at San Diego State. He carried 13 times for 184 yards and produced scoring bursts of 53 and 51. Love also set up a field goal with a 47-yard burst.
He has now run for more than 100 yards and tallied a rushing or receiving touchdown in five consecutive contests.
Through three games, Love has amassed 524 yards rushing, second-most in the nation. He ranks No. 2 in yards per game (174.7) and No. 8 in all-purpose yards (175.67).
As promised, David Shaw, the Bradford M. Freeman Director of Football, tweaked his offensive line for San Diego State. Senior center Jesse Burkett was the only player to stay in position after the USC game.
Freshman Walker Little received his first collegiate start at left tackle; fifth-year senior David Bright shifted to left guard; sophomore Nate Herbig moved to right guard; and senior A.T. Hall started at right tackle.
Walker became the first frosh starter at left tackle since Kirk Chambers in 2000 and fourth first-year starter on the offensive line since then, joining Joshua Garnett (2012) and Herbig (2016).
Senior Keller Chryst played most of the way at quarterback, but fifth-year senior Ryan Burns saw spot duty, completing his only pass attempt for eight yards.
For the second straight week, Chryst was under pressure much of the game and was sacked four times. He was intercepted twice and fumbled after a blindside hit.
The Cardinal collected only 64 passing yards, with junior Trenton Irwin leading the way with six catches for 49 yards.
"We need him to play better and a lot of guys to play better for us to beat a team we want to beat," Shaw said of Chryst.
Stanford went three-and-out on its first three possessions, managed nine first downs, and converted only three of 11 times on third down.
Defensively, Stanford improved after surrendering 623 yards against USC. The Cardinal allowed 358, with San Diego State running back Rashaad Penny providing 175 on a career-high 32 carries. Ten points resulted from turnovers.
For the second straight game, senior defensive tackle Harrison Phillips led all defenders with 10 stops and recorded one of six team sacks. Senior inside linebacker Bobby Okereke had nine stops, including a sack.
The problem was, San Diego State ran 78 plays to Stanford's 42 and finished with a 41:14 to 18:46 time of possession advantage. The Aztecs controlled the ball for nearly 13 minutes in the first quarter and nearly 11 in the fourth.
"We didn't get enough stops," said Shaw. "They had way too many second and shorts and a couple explosive plays on first down."
While Penny leads the nation in rushing, the Cardinal was also hurt by the play of quarterback Christian Chapman. He completed 21 of 29 passes -- both career-highs -- and did not commit a turnover.
"It's disappointing," junior cornerback Quenton Meeks said. "We just didn't play to our standard or execute the way we wanted."
The game featured the highly-anticipated matchup between Stanford senior cornerback Alijah Holder and San Diego State wide receiver Mikah Holder, identical twins. Competing head-to-head for the first time, the local products from Oceanside, California, each had their moments.
Alijah made several plays against his brother, knocking down a pass, while Mikah caught a career-high seven passes for 85 yards and made a key third-down reception on the game-winning drive.
"I'm proud of what he did," Alijah said. "I think he did awesome."
Added Mikah, "It was a lot of pressure, but something I wanted to embrace. Being a twin, he's like my soul mate, just growing up together, just being 13 years in the same bed, 18 years in the same room. We got a bond that you just can't break."
Their mother, Angela, had T-shirts made for family and friends that said, "Holders -- Twice as Nice."
With 3:58 remaining in the game and Stanford leading, 17-13, the lights went out in San Diego Stadium with the Aztecs on the Cardinal 42-yard line. After a 22-minute delay, play resumed and San Diego State scored six plays later with 54 seconds remaining.
Asked if the delay affected his team, Shaw said, "Our guys were ready to go."
After starting the season with three road games, the Cardinal begins its home slate Saturday against UCLA at 7:30 p.m. PT. The game will be televised live on ESPN.
Most students will be back on campus and classes start Sept. 25.
Last year, Stanford rallied for a 22-13 victory against the Bruins in Pasadena to earn its ninth straight victory over UCLA, the longest streak by either school since the series began in 1925. UCLA leads overall, 45-40-3.
The Bruins (2-1), led by junior quarterback Josh Rosen, earned wins against Texas A&M (45-44) and Hawaii (56-23) before falling Saturday in a shootout at Memphis (48-45). He passed for 463 yards and four touchdowns.
Rosen leads the country in passing yards (1,283) and scoring passes (13).
Cardinal Live debuts today (Sunday) at 5 p.m. PT. Host Scott Reiss will talk to Shaw on the official Facebook page of Stanford football. Fans can ask questions by posting their comments on the live video. A Facebook account is not required to watch Cardinal Live. Following the broadcast, the entire show will be available for viewing on the Stanford football Facebook page accessible on GoStanford.com. Future Cardinal Live shows are scheduled on Oct. 8 and Nov. 12 at 5 p.m. PT.
Extra Points ... The San Diego State defeat snapped a streak of nine consecutive nonconference wins for Stanford. The last loss came at Northwestern in 2015 … After going six games without a turnover, the Cardinal committed three … Junior inside linebacker Sean Barton made a key fourth-down stop in the first quarter, but left the game with an injury in the second … Stanford will open the 2018 season by hosting San Diego State on Sept. 1 … UCLA defensive tackle Osa Odighizawa, a redshirt freshman, was penalized for targeting against Memphis and must sit out the first half against Stanford ... Former Cardinal baseball standout Carlos Quentin served as the team's honorary captain. He played professionally with Arizona, the Chicago White Sox and San Diego.
Quotable ... "We can't look back on what could have been, we need to focus on what will be." - Alijah Holder
