STANFORD, Calif. -- Stanford tight end Dalton Schultz saw Christian McCaffrey run the football earlier than most. Their high school teams played twice, and Schultz said he and his teammates were helpless to stop McCaffrey.Our entire defensive game plan was structured around him. He tore our defense up, Schultz said. I remember one play he broke like six tackles and went 99 yards.Stanford fans hope to see something memorable Saturday when the Cardinal (8-3) face Rice (3-8) in what could be McCaffreys final home game. When asked this week if he expects to enter the 2017 NFL draft, the junior running back said only: Im just focused on Rice right now, bringing the juice and sending the seniors out the right way.Cardinal coach David Shaw said the two plan to discuss the matter after Stanfords bowl game.Whatever McCaffrey decides wont be soon enough to help Rice. The Owls have won their past two games, but coach David Bailiff knows a serious challenge awaits at Stanford Stadium.We better tackle well this week. Hes an amazing back. Weve all seen him on TV, Bailiff said. Hes not just an amazing back. He catches the ball well. Everything he does hes incredible at. Kick returns, punt returns; he can do it all.McCaffrey, the 2015 Heisman Trophy runner-up after rushing for more than 2,000 yards and setting an FBS record for all-purpose yards, is coming off a 284-yard performance against rival Cal. He has rushed for 807 yards the past four games.Schultz said blocking for McCaffrey is much more fun than trying to tackle him. He particularly enjoyed McCaffreys 90-yard TD run against Cal during which he eluded three would-be tacklers at the line of scrimmage.Just knowing if you stay on that block an extra half a second something goods going to come out of it, Schultz said. You dont have to be perfect, he gives you a little leeway.Things to watch for when Stanford faces Rice:LASTING MOTIVATIONShaw said Stanfords early-season stumbles continue to provide fuel and should motivate the Cardinal even as a heavy favorite against Rice.Hopefully we have that feeling of still trying to make up for lost time, said Shaw, whose team has won its past four games after a 4-3 start. The real opponent for us is making sure we play better this week than we did last week.RICE DEFENSE RISES UPBailiff is hoping for a repeat of the Owls defensive efforts the past two weeks, when they allowed just 21 and 24 points in wins over Charlotte and UTEP. He was especially excited that Rice held Miners running back Aaron Jones to 75 rushing yards after hed topped 200 each of his two previous games.Defensively, I think it was the finest defensive performance that Ive seen maybe since Ive been here, he said. We only had four missed tackles on the day so we tackled exceptionally well.TOUGH AT HOMENot much tilts in Rices direction in this one. Stanford is 10-0 in non-conference home games under Shaw and has won 15 straight games at home outside the Pac-12 dating to a 2007 loss to Notre Dame. Then theres this: After struggling on offense for much of the season, the Cardinal have found their groove. With junior Keller Chryst now playing quarterback and McCaffrey fully healthy, Stanford has totaled more than 500 yards of offense in three straight games for the first time since 2011.TYNERS TURNRice freshman quarterback Jackson Tyner, who had thrown just five passes all season before starting last week, now faces one of the nations most physical defenses. Tyner was thrust into action when starter Tyler Stehling went down with a knee injury. Tyner responded by going 18 for 25 for 196 yards with two touchdowns and an interception against UTEP.Jackson Tyner stepped in and did an incredible job, Bailiff said. It was a great, great effort by him. He had an interception, but he made wise decisions with the football.WHY THIS GAME ON THIS DATEStanford customarily faces Notre Dame in the final regular-season game in odd-numbered years, but that leaves the Cardinal with scheduling issues in the even-numbered years. The contract between the schools called for the game to be played in Week 2, but Rice agreed to move it to the end of the schedule so Stanford wouldnt finish a week earlier than everyone else. The move also created an early bye that prevented the Cardinal from having to play 12 consecutive weeks. Kris Bryant Jersey . The Redskins announced Monday that the quarterback who led the team to the Super Bowl championship in the 1987 season will serve as a personnel executive. Kyle Hendricks Jersey . Miller reached right to deflect Mikhail Grabovskis attempt with just over 2 minutes remaining in regulation, and then made two more saves in the shootout Sunday to give the Sabres a 2-1 win over the Washington Capitals. http://www.thecubsteamshop.com/Cubs-Albert-Almora-Jr-Kids-Jersey/ . Takahashi, who had a 10-point lead after the short program, received 268.31 points after the free skate to finish 15 points ahead of second-place Nobunari Oda. Sammy Sosa Jersey . But when it comes to determining if Raymond will find a place on the Leafs roster when training camp concludes in a week, well, that decision will ultimately fall to the head coach. Steve Cishek Jersey . Irving scored 23 points, Tristan Thompson had 20 points and 10 rebounds and the Cavaliers beat the Denver Nuggets 117-109 on Friday night. Through four weeks, the Tennessee Titans were tied for the fewest points in the NFL. Since then, coach Mike Mularkeys vision of exotic smashmouth has played out before everyones eyes.Last weeks 47-25 clobbering of the Green Bay Packers marked the most points for Tennessee in a single game since 2009 and also capped a six-week stretch in which it has averaged 34 points per contest. Whats more, the Titans have scored at least 35 points in each of the last three games.Were making less mistakes, Mularkey said. Weve been very good in the red zone and I think the biggest thing weve done is our third down. Weve been very good on third down which has allowed us to put some of these drives together.We feel like were very hard to defend based on all the things we do and when it comes time to put points up, were putting points up.Tennessee (5-5) will try to keep lighting up the scoreboard at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis on Sunday, when it will play the Colts in a key AFC South matchup. The winner will at least temporarily gain ground on first place Houston (6-3), which plays the Monday night game against Oakland in Mexico City.Indianapolis (4-5) had last week off after dumping Green Bay 31-26 two weeks ago at Lambeau Field, leading wire-to-wire in probably its best performance of the year. The Colts second-best outing this year might have been the first time they played the Titans.With three offensive starters sidelined, Indianapolis established a 17-6 second-quarter advantage, saw Tennessee rally to take a fourth-quarter lead and then scored two touchdowns in an eight-second span inside the last two minutes for a 34-26 win.It was the 10th consecutive victory for the Colts over the Titans, dating back to the 2011 season. And with everyone healthy after the bye week, Indianapolis is in theory fortified to keep its string of dominance going against its division rival.It still comes down to making plays against a good defense, Colts quarterback Andrew Luck said.Despite absorbing 33 sacks and being under siege at times behind a leaky offensive line, Luck is enjoying one of his best seasons, averaging 285 yards per game passing witth a 17-to-7 touchdown-to-interception ratio.dddddddddddduck dominated the Tennessee back seven last month, piling up 353 yards on 27-of-39 passing. Tight end Jack Doyle and wide receiver T.Y. Hilton took turns whipping defensive backs and linebackers in coverage, combining for 16 grabs and 211 yards. Doyle had the go-ahead touchdown catch on the first play after the two-minute warning in the fourth quarter.It was one of the few games this year in which Luck hasnt been continually hassled by the opponents pass rush. The Titans sacked him only twice and on most plays, Luck could have counted to four Mississippi, five Mississippi before throwing.That was in stark contrast to last week, when Tennessee didnt have to worry about the threat of a run after roaring out to leads of 21-0 and 35-10 in the first half against Green Bay. It sacked Aaron Rodgers five times and hit him six others.Coach Mularkey has that team playing at a high, high level, Indianapolis coach Chuck Pagano said. Just like we do, Tennessee knows the best way to get into the tournament is to win your division. It comes down to being efficient and executing in all three phases.There was concern prior to last weeks game that a turf toe was slowing down Titans running back DeMarco Murray, but he showed on the first carry that wasnt the case. His 75-yard touchdown run set the stage for another big game, as he rushed for 123 yards on 17 carries while adding the first touchdown pass of his career on a 10-yard halfback option toss to Delanie Walker.Making Tennessees offensive showing even better was that it occurred despite the ejection of left tackle Taylor Lewan less than five minutes into the game. Lewan was tossed for contacting an official during a scuffle after Green Bays Letroy Guion drilled quarterback Marcus Mariota.Mariota went on to throw for 295 yards and four touchdowns, earning AFC Offensive Player of the Week honors.A similar performance Sunday could enhance the Titans chances at their first division title in eight years. ' ' '