(Tempe, AZ) #22 ASU came into tonight’s matchup with Stanford having both the top rated offense and defense in the PAC-12.
Meanwhile, Stanford’s run defense was at the bottom half of the conference but had knocked off two Top 15 ranked teams this season (USC, Oregon).
The Sun Devils sported a helmet with Mayan designs in the Devil Tail on the top of the lid.
Photo – Twitter
The south end zone featured the words, “Los Diablos” to honor Hispanic Heritage Month.
This series has been very even with the Sun Devils maintaining a 17-15 lead, but the guys from Palo Alto have won the last two and seven of the last eight games.
Stanford took the opening kickoff and reeled off two first downs and thirty six yards as they ventured into Sun Devil territory before the defense held and forced a punt.
Devils’ quarterback Jayden Daniels did a good job mixing the run with the pass moving the team down the field.
The damn broke on the Cardinal defense when Daniels called his own number and burst fifty one yards for a touchdown. Eighty seven yards took nine plays and 4:20 off the clock, ASU 7-0. The run represented Daniels’ career long rush since becoming a Sun Devil.
After converting an early third down on their second drive, Stanford drove the ball to the Devil’s six yards where quarterback Tanner McKee hit wideout Elijah Higgins on a fade route to the back corner of the end zone to tie the score at 7-7, with 4:09 left in the first quarter.
The Cardinal went seventy five yards in seven plays and only took 3:03. Both teams showed they could move the ball quickly and pick up big chunks of yardage.
Not fazed by the quick score, Arizona State came right back and in two plays were back in Cardinal territory.
Tailback Rachaad White went twenty nine yards hurdling a defender up the right sideline down to the five yard line. The next play, White finished up the drive with a touchdown. The Sun Devils took one second longer than Stanford on their scoring drive 3:04 covering seventy five yards.
Both offenses were showing their strengths in the opening quarter. ASU lead in total yards 162-136 and had an impressive 119 yards on the ground. Stanford countered with 109 yards through the air.
With Daniels TD run and White’s setup TD run they covered 80 of the 119 yards in two plays.
Photo – Waller Cronkite Broadcast School
Stanford continued to exploit the Devils’ secondary moving the ball through the air. Facing a third down and six yards from the thirty yard line, McKee’s pass was incomplete. The field goal from forty eight yards was good, but a holding penalty nullified the play, taking them out of field goal range.
With ASU’s ruining game dominating in the first half, that opened up the pass and Daniels’ too advantage of it with two big plays.
Back to their bread and butter, Z-back Elijah Badger went off tackle for a twenty two yard touchdown run to put the Devils up by two touchdowns 21-14 at the 10:24 mark. That drive only took 2:14 to go eighty yards in six plays.
The big play ASU offense was on full display and the defense had begun to flex their muscles.
Stanford got a break when they recovered DeaMonte Trayanum fumble at the ASU forty yard line but couldn’t capitalize and the Devils got the ball back.
ASU ended the first half ended on a Keon Markham interception with just seconds left and the Devils went into the locker room up 21-7.
After receiving the second half kickoff, ASU went three and out. A stark difference than the first half.
The Cardinal drove the ball down the field, often times having to convert third downs to the ASU fourteen but couldn’t covert and kicked a thirty two yard field goal to make it 21-10 Arizona State.
The Devils next possession, Herm Edwards had the offense open up a bit with the run and the pass that picked up big yards on single plays.
Photo – Walter Cronkite Broadcast School
On a fourth down White was hemmed up for no gain and the ASU drive fizzled and Stanford took over at the Devils’ eleven yard line.
Had to wonder why they didn’t attempt the chip shot field goal to get the three points back that Stanford had scored the possession prior?
Then some razzle-dazzle happened. Tanner’s pass was intercepted by Jack Jones who lateraled it to Deandre Pierce for to twenty seven yard return for the score. Arizona State now was up 28-10 with under three minutes left in the third quarter.
With the success from the interception, the Sun Devil defense was amped up and once again stopped a Stanford drive to end the third quarter up 28-10.
Through three quarters, both teams had over three hundred yards in total offense with the Sun Devils leading 381-314. With that stat alone, you would have thought the game was much closer.
Arizona State now just had to keep the ball on the ground to shorten the fourth quarter. With their 228 rushing yards through three quarters, it was impossible to the Cardinal to stop the rushing game.
Stanford got a break when a thirty five yard Cristian Zendejas field goal attempt sailed wide to keep the score at 28-10 ASU.
Stanford tried to get something going with little time to do it, but the Sun Devils thwarted a fourth and eight from from the forty three yard line when Anthonie Cooper sacked McKee and ASU took over on downs.
With under eight minutes left in the game, the Sun Devils just had to run out the string but a three and out would give the Cardinal another chance to get on the board.
With a fourth and four from the Devils’ sixteen, Stanford got a twenty one yard completion Higgins, but they were still on life support.
Two consecutive personal foul penalties took the ball all the way to the ASU thirty nine. A third penalty for pass interference continued the Cardinal drive and now they had a first and ten at the Sun Devil thirty one.
That’s where the Arizona State pulled the plug on the Cardinal life support machine. Jordan Clark intercepted a McKee pass and this game was a rap.
Each team had twenty first downs, with Stanford moving the ball between the twenties, but it was the Devils that put the ball in the end zone and won going away 28-10.
With Stanford’s 365 total yards, one would have thought the Cardinal would have mustered more than ten points. With 356 yards that came via the pass, Stanford was relegated to a one dimensional team and that won’t do in the PAC-12.
The takeaway was that the Sun Devils were getting on tract on both sides of the ball in spite of the 365 yards they gave up. The more important stat was the paltry ten points they gave up. The offense can run the ball down your throat, but can also strike quickly through the air and now the conference is aware of the fast break offense ASU displayed.
Attendance was 46,192 and the Sun Devils were now 3-0 in conference and 5-1 overall.
Arizona State should crack the Top 20 on Monday and will gear up for a trip to Salt Lake City Utah to face the Utes next Saturday.
