Keller Chryst Named Stanford Starting QB Over Ryan Burns vs. Arizona

The Stanford Cardinal announced Tuesday that Keller Chryst will replace Ryan Burns as the team's starting quarterback Saturday at Arizona, according to Jon Wilner of the Mercury News. 

The Cardinal (4-3) have struggled this year, losing three of their last four games. Burns, a senior, has played a role in those struggles, as he's completed 62.5 percent of his passes, throwing for 1,058 yards, five touchdowns and seven interceptions.

And in the last four games, Stanford has posted just three offensive touchdowns. That was magnified this past Saturday, when Stanford scored a meager five points in a loss to Colorado.

"You hate to get to this point," said head coach David Shaw on making the switch, per Wilner. "We need more production from the position."

Wilner provided more details:

Chryst has appeared in six games for Stanford this season, completing seven of 18 passes for 63 yards and an interception. Last season, he completed five passes in nine attempts, throwing for one touchdown.

Certainly, the junior presents more of a danger in the run game than Burns. Chryst has been rotated into games this season, primarily as a run threat, though he's accumulated just 11 yards and 11 carries. And he has a collection of nice weapons, including superstar Christian McCaffrey along with Bryce Love, Michael Rector, Trenton Irwin and Dalton Schultz.

But the offensive line has been poor, which has led to a sputtering run game averaging just 139.0 yards per game on the ground, 104th in the nation. That's unheard of for a Shaw team, which has traditionally relied on a ground-and-pound rushing attack and sturdy defense. 

The hope for Stanford will be that Chryst can energize a passing attack averaging just 160.1 yards per game (117th in the nation) to keep defenses from stacking the box to slow down McCaffrey. If he isn't an upgrade over Burns, however, Stanford's offense seems unlikely to play out of its current funk.

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