Week 7 proved to be a forgettable point on the college football schedule for some of the nation's top running backs, both for those who played, and those who couldn't. Stanford running back Christian McCaffrey won't play against Notre Dame Saturday with an undisclosed injury, Cardinal coach David Shaw told NBC, and LSU's Leonard Fournette was ruled out for the Tigers game against Southern Miss with an ankle injury.
Shaw was vague about McCaffrey's chance to play against the Irish during the practice week, after the junior was injured in the second half of a 42-16 win over Washington State last week. McCaffrey, a Heisman Trophy finalist last year, has been held under 100 yards rushing in Stanford's last two games against Washington and WSU.
Tigers coach Ed Orgeron cast doubt earlier this week on whether the Tigers' star rusher would play, and the school made his status official prior to kickoff. Fournette addressed his injury frustration via Twitter before the game.
Two other top running backs who played Saturday were sidelined with injuries.
Oklahoma's Samaje Perinepulled a muscle after just three carries against Kansas State, and didn't return in the Sooners' 38-17 win. Clemson's Wayne Gallman was removed from the Tigers' game against North Carolina State for a concussion evaluation following a head-to-head collision in the first half. Gallman had just two carries for 14 yards.
Also injured Saturday was USC WR JuJu Smith-Schuster, who left the Trojans win over Arizona with a back injury. USC coach Clay Helton said X-rays on Smith-Schuster were negative.
UCLA QB Josh Rosendid not start on Saturday vs. Washington State but did dress out for the game after suffering injuries last week.
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