Love a gametime decision for No. 20 Stanford against Beavers

No. 20 Stanford (5-2, 4-1 Pac-12) at Oregon State (1-6, 0-4), Thursday at 9 p.m. ET (ESPN).

Line: Stanford by 20.

Series record: Stanford leads 55-25-3.

WHAT’S AT STAKE

Bryce Love’s Heisman campaign may be off and running, but the Stanford running back may be sitting out Thursday night against Oregon State. Love tweaked his ankle against Oregon his last time out and is a game-time decision for the Cardinal. Stanford has won seven straight in the series against the Beavers. Oregon State, playing under interim coach Cory Hall after the school parted ways with Gary Andersen, is still looking for a first conference win.

KEY MATCHUP

Bryce Love against Oregon State’s run defense. Love is the nation’s top running back, averaging 198.1 yards a game. He has 1,387 total rushing yards this season. He’ll face a Beaver rushing defense that is ranked second-to-last in the league, allowing an average of 200.1 yards a game. In Oregon State’s last game, Colorado’s Phillip Lindsay scored on a 74-yard run.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Stanford: Love, for obvious reasons. In each of the past nine consecutive games Love has more than 100 yards, scored at least one touchdown, and had a carry for 50 yards or more.

Oregon State: RB Ryan Nall. Love’s counterpart at Oregon State is coming off his best game of the season. He had 24 carries for 172 yards and three touchdowns against Colorado.

FACTS & FIGURES

Stanford is Oregon State’s fourth ranked team this season. … Cardinal safety Justin Reid has five interceptions this season, tying him for the national lead. … Nall needs 29 yards rushing to crack Oregon State’s all-time top 10 list. … The Beavers are 7-3 when coming off a bye since 2010. … Stanford has more than 500 yards of total offense in each of its last 11 games. … Stanford is ranked No. 15 nationally for rushing offense with 258.7 yards.

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