Bruins know they face a tough task in stopping Christian McCaffrey

A McCaffrey has flustered UCLA defensive coordinator Tom Bradley going back to the mid-1980s.

Ed McCaffrey grew up in Allentown, Pa., giving Bradley hope that he might be able to lure the standout wide receiver to Penn State when Bradley coached there. But McCaffrey picked Stanford in something of a family tradition before going on to win three Super Bowls with the San Francisco 49ers and Denver Broncos.

Three decades later, his son Christian has proved just as elusive.

Asked about the challenges presented by the Stanford All-American, Bradley ticked off a list of Heisman Trophy-winning running backs he has faced, including Tony Dorsett, Herschel Walker, Marcus Allen and Ron Dayne. One thing sets Christian McCaffrey apart.

“I don’t think anybody does all the things he does all-purpose — catch it, block, run, ‘Wildcat’ it, punt returns, kickoffs,” Bradley said Tuesday. “He’s such an explosive runner.”

Bradley saw that for himself last October during his first season with the Bruins. McCaffrey ran for a school-record 243 yards and four touchdowns during the Cardinal’s 56-35 rout, their eighth consecutive victory over UCLA.

The only thing that has changed this season is that McCaffrey might actually win the Heisman. He’s averaging 235 all-purpose yards per game heading into the Bruins’ showdown against No. 7 Stanford on Saturday evening at the Rose Bowl. UCLA Coach Jim Mora labeled him the best college football player in the country.

“He is the ultimate playmaker, he is the ultimate player and he is the ultimate competitor,” Mora said. “You can’t really find anything he doesn’t do well.”

The McCaffrey praise among the Bruins was universal.

Defensive line coach Angus McClure said part of McCaffrey’s success comes from his ability to patiently wait for the blocks from his stout offensive line before finding the hole to dart upfield. Tailback Bolu Olorunfunmi said McCaffrey ran with the physicality of someone bigger than his 6-foot, 197-pound frame while retaining the explosiveness of a tailback his size.

UCLA received a needed confidence boost in its ability to stop the run last week against Brigham Young, holding the Cougars to 23 yards rushing. Bradley said there were only three missed tackles in the game — down from 11 against Nevada Las Vegas and nine against Texas A&M, according to Pro Football Focus.

“We wanted to prove to the nation and to ourselves that we were the defense that we wanted to be,” defensive end Matt Dickerson said.

Injury updates

McKinley, who has nine tackles in two games, did not practice Tuesday but is expected to be available against Stanford after aggravating his groin last week, defensive line coach Angus McClure said. There was less certainty surrounding defensive tackle Boss Tagaloa, who practiced Tuesday after sitting out against Brigham Young because of an ankle injury. “We’ll see how it goes throughout the week,” McClure said of Tagaloa.

ben.bolch@latimes.com

Twitter: @latbbolch