Keller Chryst to replace Ryan Burns at QB for Stanford vs. Arizona

Keller Chryst will get his first start of 2016 on Saturday. (Getty)
Keller Chryst will get his first start of 2016 on Saturday. (Getty)

Stanford is making a quarterback change before Saturday’s game against Arizona.

Coach David Shaw said Tuesday that Keller Chryst would get the start under center. Ryan Burns, who won the job before the season, had started every game so far in 2016 for the Cardinal.

Shaw noted, however, that the offense as a whole has struggled.

“It would be really easy if it were just the quarterback,” Shaw said via the San Jose Mercury News.

Burns is 95-152 passing for 1,058 yards, five touchdowns and seven interceptions through seven games this season. Chryst, who replaced Burns for a spell during the second half of the Cardinal’s blowout loss to Washington State, is 7-18 passing for 63 yards and an interception.

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The pick came vs. the Cougars. He was 2-9 passing for 13 yards in that game.

Stanford’s offensive line has been jumbled throughout its 4-3 start and the running game is not nearly what it was a year ago. Star running back Christian McCaffrey has 120 carries for 612 yards and three touchdowns. He’s averaging nearly a yard less per carry (5.1) than he did in 2015 (6.0).

Chryst, a junior and a native of Palo Alto, was considered by some to be the favorite for the starting job before the season began. He was a four-star recruit in the class of 2014 and the No. 2 pro-style quarterback according to Rivals.

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Nick Bromberg is the assistant editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!