Despite playing a little over half the game, Stanford running back Stepfan Taylor was named Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week after racking up 142 yards on 20 carries in the No. 8 Cardinal’s 35-17 victory over UCLA on Saturday.
Taylor’s 21st career 100-yard game was marked by several big runs, including a 49-yard burst to the end zone in the second quarter and a a 40-yard run in the third quarter. The senior from Mansfield, Texas, scored two touchdowns before coach David Shaw pulled him from the game to rest his legs.
He hasn’t looked tired of late, despite going over the 4,000 yard mark for his career on the Card’s opening drive, and is third in the Pac-12 and 16th in the nation in rushing, averaging 113.67 yards per game this season. Stanford has two games remaining this season, and Taylor is now just 36 yards from breaking Darrin Nelson’s Stanford career-record 4,169 yards.
The Cardinal will host UCLA on Friday in the Pac-12 Championship game with a berth in the Rose Bowl on the line.