One major conclusion from Stanford’s Cardinal and White Spring Game on Saturday is that, unless things change dramatically in training camp in August, picking a starting quarterback is going to be very difficult.

Keller Chryst and Ryan Burns each threw an early interception, but rallied to throw two touchdown passes and generally played well.

“I was excited to see both guys come back and make some big-time throws,” head coach David Shaw said. “They’re two big quarterbacks that have strong arms and are athletic. … There were a lot of positives for both guys.’’

In contrast with the defense-dominated spring games of recent years, the Cardinal offense beat the White defense 42-31. As a light rain fell early in the afternoon, the game was played for the first time at Cagan Stadium, the soccer/lacrosse venue. An estimated 2,500 people watched in the cozier venue, and Shaw said he hopes to keep the game there in the future unless there’s a schedule conflict.

There were no kickoffs. The offense started each series at its 35-yard line. The defense was given points for stopping the offense at various points on the field.

Christian McCaffrey had only a cameo role, fielding a couple of punts. Like the quarterbacks, the punt returners were untouchable for the tacklers. Shaw said that after more than 400 touches last season, the Heisman Trophy runner-up needs more time to get back to 100 percent.

“For me it’s a mileage thing,” Shaw said. “We want to have him completely recuperated before we start beating him up again.”

In the meantime, Bryce Love showed how nimble and elusive he is at tailback. On one play, he was hit but regained his balance by pushing off with his hand on the ground and went 16 yards. On the next play, he danced around the right side for a 6-yard touchdown. He later went 24 yards for another score, and Chryst signaled touchdown as soon as Love turned the corner.

Leah Millis/The Chronicle

Love rushed for 48 yards in 11 carries. He also had a 35-yard touchdown run called back by a penalty.

“Once we got our rhythm we started to roll,” said Chryst, who completed 16 of 25 passes for 156 yards, including TD passes of 24 yards to tight end Greg Taboada and 10 to Michael Rector. He also hit Francis Owusu for 30 yards on a flea-flicker.

Burns was 17-for-23 for 153 yards, throwing scoring passes to tight end Dalton Schultz (who made a one-hand catch) for 4 yards and Trent Irwin for 27.

“Since spring ball started, things have been clicking a little more,” Burns said. “The guys have gotten behind me a little bit, and it helps with your confidence and your overall play tremendously.”

Inside linebacker Noor Davis picked off an underthrown ball on Chryst’s third pass attempt. A short time later, cornerback Quenton Meeks intercepted a Burns pass. The No. 1 defense played less than half the game, which explains why the leading tacklers were backups, cornerback Frank Buncom with eight and linebacker Sean Barton with seven.

Lineman Solomon Thomas had a sack and a deflection. “We didn’t block him for the first five plays of the scrimmage, and we tried to,” Shaw said.

Tom FitzGerald is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: tfitzgerald@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @tomgfitzgerald