STANFORD – Expect Bryce Love to be back on the football field Saturday when No. 7 Stanford hosts USC in the teams’ Pac-12 Conference opener.

Stanford coach David Shaw said Tuesday at his weekly press conference that the sophomore running back is close to 100 percent after missing the Cardinal’s season-opening win over Kansas State due to an injury.

“He’s still got some hurdles to clear,” Shaw said. “But once he gets over the next hump, which we completely expect him to, he’s likely going to play.”

Christian McCaffrey, for one, will be thrilled to have Love back. Stopping McCaffrey, the Heisman Trophy candidate who set the NCAA’s single-season record for all-purpose yardage a year ago, will be a focal point for a USC defense that is undoubtedly eager to redeem itself for the 52-6 shellacking it took against top-ranked Alabama on Sept. 3.

With Love in the backfield, the Trojans won’t be able to focus exclusively on McCaffrey.

“We’ve got a lot of weapons in our offense,” McCaffrey said. “He makes my job easier. Having a running back who does what Bryce does spreads things out and challenges defenses.”

Love rushed for 226 yards and two touchdowns on 29 carries in 2015. He also caught 15 passes for 250 yards and another TD.

While those numbers might not be eye-popping, bear in mind how much of the offensive load McCaffrey bore last season. Shaw said Love could easily be a featured back if he didn’t already have McCaffrey in that role.

“He has that kind of ability,” Shaw said. “I’m excited for his first game. He’ll continue to build his resumé, and at some point he could be a featured back here.”

Still, Shaw will try to limit Love’s workload against USC.

“He’s a dynamic football player,” the coach said. “We want to put the ball in his hands. At the same time, we don’t want to wear him out in his first game.”

Shaw would not rule out junior defensive lineman Harrison Phillips returning from a knee injury to play in Saturday’s game. However, the coach said that the likelihood is “probably 60-40 against.”

“We’ll see in the next couple of days,” Shaw said. “It’s hard to say until he goes through rehab and we see him at practice.”

Senior strong safety Dallas Lloyd said Stanford’s defense is definitely not the same without Phillips up front.

“Harrison brings an energy to our defense that you can’t really replace,” Lloyd said. “He’s so big and strong.

“But our philosophy here is that the next man up is the best man up. We know if he’s here, he’ll play awesome. If not, there’s another group of guys that will step up and play big and physical.”