Stanford’s Barry Sanders Jr. simply trying to follow his Hall of Fame father’s approach

 

That’s no different for his son, Barry Sanders Jr., a sophomore running back at Stanford who is preparing to face Michigan State in the Rose Bowl on Wednesday.

 

“I remember watching one game up in San Francisco,” the younger Sanders said on Sunday. “It was maybe his last year before he retired and I was like 4 or 5. That was the only time I remember watching him play.”

 

Instead, he checks out the old footage, not only to admire his Hall of Fame father, but to pick up a few pointers.

 

“He was one of the best ever and as a player, that’s all you can do is try to do something that has been done before,” he said. “I look at him and try to at last do some of the things he did because he was the best.”

 

Arguing who the best running back ever is a fun debate, but Sanders sure has his credentials.

 

He finished his 10-year NFL career with Detroit with more than 15,000 yards rushing and gained more than 1,000 in each of his seasons. The 1988 Heisman Trophy winner was also just the third person to gain more than 2,000 yards in a season, a feat he accomplished in 1997, when he was named the league MVP.

 

But all that is normal for the Stanford sophomore, who has just five carries for 42 yards and one touchdown this season.

 

“It’s something I’ve been dealing with since grade school,” he said. “I feel like I’ve been doing a good job handling it up to this point and don’t feel like it’s gotten to me too much.”

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