Prove It: Does Bryce Love, Heisman candidate, still exist?

Bryce Love was an explosive force for the Stanford Cardinal last season as he finished second in Heisman Trophy voting, but is he still that player?

There was no stopping Bryce Love last season. It seemed as if every touch that the Stanford Cardinal running back got was liable to go to the house. At the end of the day, he finished the season as an obvious Heisman Trophy candidate and, though he ultimately ended up second in the voting behind Baker Mayfield, his merits were undeniable.

In only one game last season did Love fail to eclipse 100 yards (vs. Washington State, 69 yards), and similarly didn’t score a touchdown in just one game as well (vs. Notre Dame, 125 yards). He was the picture of explosive plays sure, but also of consistently. The Cardinal had a weapon that they could unleash on anyone they faced, and they did so often as Love ended the year with 2,118 yards and 19 touchdowns.

As Love elected to return for his senior season at Stanford, the assumption was that nothing would change. He found himself atop many preseason Heisman Trophy rankings and seemed poised to live up to those expectations. This was all the case and near written in stone — until the Cardinal and Bryce Love took the field for their Week 1 matchup against the San Diego State Aztecs.

To call Love’s performance in the season-opener disappointing would be an injustice. The running back was given plenty of work and opportunity to show up and make big plays, but there were none to be found. Though Stanford was able to find success through the air to secure a 31-10 victory, Love ended the game with 18 carries for a mere 29 yards to go with three receptions for 18 yards. Some would call it a forgettable night, but for a possible Heisman candidate, it’s hard to forget it.

Putting forth such an abysmal performance to open the season against a team that, in truth, Stanford and Love should’ve comfortably handled is troublesome in regards to Heisman Trophy candidacy. These are the games where players should pad their stats, come up with 200-yard, two-touchdown games, not failing to rush for 30 yards.

In regards to his Heisman candidacy, Love has put himself behind the 8-ball now after just one week of action. It’s far too early in the season to say that he’s completely out of the running — that we be far too much of an overreaction. Where he is left, however, is in a position where he must prove that the San Diego State performance was a blip on the radar.

Luckily for Love, the opportunity for him to start doing that presents itself in their Week 2 matchup against the USC Trojans. As important as stat-padding against subpar competition is for a Heisman candidate establishing themselves, it’s perhaps more critical for such players to rise to the occasion in the biggest games of his team’s season. And with USC and Stanford arguably being the two best teams in the Pac-12, this certainly qualifies.

Truly before Love had earned the right to be the feature back for the Cardinal last season — coincidentally in Week 2 as well — he only had 17 carries against USC last year, but made the most of them. The then-junior ran for 160 yards and a touchdown, albeit in a losing effort for Stanford. Even still, Love looked like one of the best players on the field whenever he was given the ball.

Now with him likely to receive even more touches, he needs to display the same type of productivity in a true breakout performance. His 9.4 yards per carry average from the last meeting with USC if given 25 carries would put him just shy of 250 yards rushing. That’s a pretty great way of going about making voters dismiss what happened in Week 1.

We’ve seen Love at his best last season, and it’s truly amazing to behold with his speed and quickness. And, in truth, it’s hard to pinpoint one reason why the Stanford running back was unable to put that on display against the Aztecs last week. What’s clear, however, is that, if he wants to again be in the Heisman Trophy conversation this season, he must put forth a special performance against USC this week.