Stanford’s Keller Chryst takes center stage

Recommended Video:

Keller Chryst is trying to pull a Kevin Hogan, that is, taking over at quarterback at midseason and guiding a Stanford winning streak that ends in a bowl victory.

In 2012, Hogan took the reins early in the Colorado game and then helped deliver five straight wins as the starter, including a Rose Bowl triumph over Wisconsin. Nobody is putting Chryst in Hogan’s league at this point, but if Stanford runs the table with Chryst, that would make him 6-0.

The Cardinal won’t be in the Rose Bowl, of course, but they’ll get a bowl invitation as a nice consolation prize.

First, though, they want to keep another prize, the Axe. Saturday’s 119th Big Game in Berkeley will be only the fourth Cal-Stanford game Chryst has seen in person, even though he’s the only former Bay Area prep player on Stanford’s two-deep roster.

The redshirt sophomore didn’t make the trip to Berkeley as a freshman in 2014. He was on the sideline last year and had seen a couple of Big Games while attending Palo Alto High School, across the street from Stanford Stadium.

He might be excited inside, but he didn’t show it to the media this week. He was all business.

“For us as a team, we’re going to treat it like any other game week and focus on what’s important,” he said. “That being said, you can feel the atmosphere throughout campus. You’ve got the horn blowing every hour.”

PALO ALTO, CA - NOVEMBER 05: Keller Chryst #10 of the Stanford Cardinal drops back to pass against the Oregon State Beavers during the first quarter of their NCAA football game at Stanford Stadium on November 5, 2016 in Palo Alto, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) less PALO ALTO, CA - NOVEMBER 05: Keller Chryst #10 of the Stanford Cardinal drops back to pass against the Oregon State Beavers during the first quarter of their NCAA football game at Stanford Stadium on November ... more Photo: Thearon W. Henderson, Getty Images Photo: Thearon W. Henderson, Getty Images Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Stanford’s Keller Chryst takes center stage 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

The horn? Every year during Big Game Week, Stanford’s Axe Committee camps in White Plaza and marks the hours until kickoff by blowing a loud horn that sounds like a train whistle on the hour, day and night.

Chryst is coming off his best performance, throwing for 258 yards and three touchdowns in a 52-27 wrecking of Oregon in Eugene. The crowd there prepared him for what’s coming in Berkeley, he said, and handling the lion’s share of the game snaps is helping his confidence.

“You can simulate it in practice as much as you can, but nothing really compares to actual game speed.”

Not only does he have two standout running backs, Christian McCaffrey and Bryce Love, who are fully healthy heading into the homestretch, but Chryst’s offensive line is on the upswing. It has surrendered just one sack in each of the past two games and has opened holes for the backs to rush for 884 yards in the past three games.

The offensive linemen took their share of criticism for Stanford’s three losses, but, Chryst said, “They’ve been phenomenal the last few games and getting better.”

Chryst has been around football his whole life. His father, Geep, is the former offensive coordinator of the 49ers, and his uncle, Paul, is head coach at Wisconsin.

Asked if his father critiques his play after games, Chryst said, “Not really. He’s not too serious on postgame analysis. If there’s a question I’ll have, I’ll go to him, and he’s more than happy to help.”

His dad’s best advice to him this year?

“Have fun and trust yourself,” Chryst said. “It’s a long process, the season in general. Stay high on your teammates, and be positive overall.”

As head coach David Shaw sees it, Chryst showed “incremental improvements” in his first two starts, against Arizona and Oregon State, before his breakout game at Oregon.

“Nobody’s working harder,” he said. “Nobody wants it more. Nobody’s pushing himself harder.”

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