Bryce Love Out vs. Oregon State with Ankle Injury

Stanford Cardinal running back Bryce Love will miss Thursday night's game against the Oregon State Beavers as he nurses an ankle injury, according to ESPN's Laura Rutledge.

Stanford head coach David Shaw told Rutledge he was worried Love wouldn't be effective at less than 100 percent.

Love leads FBS with 1,387 rushing yards, while his 11 rushing touchdowns are also tied for seventh. Bleacher Report's Adam Kramer highlighted how Love's numbers look even more impressive when laid out game by game:

The junior likely would've feasted against an Oregon State defense that's allowing 200.1 yards per game on the ground (101st).

The Beavers porous defense should at least give the Cardinal some optimism about Love's replacement, Cameron Scarlett. Scarlett has carried the ball 41 times for 217 yards and six touchdowns. His best performance came in the 58-34 win over the UCLA Bruins when he ran for 86 yards and three touchdowns on 10 carries.

Oregon State is also allowing an opponent passer rating of 166.2 (124th) and 278.1 passing yards per game (121st). The Cardinal can lean more heavily on the passing game and should expect to consistently move the ball in Love's absence.