(Photo: Nicholas Badders/WCSN)
Stanford running back Bryce Love entered Saturday afternoon’s game against Arizona State as the nation’s leader in rushing yards.
In the first half he added to it, helping Stanford take a 24-17 lead into the locker room.
On the Cardinal’s opening drive Love broke off a 63-yard touchdown run, accelerating through a hole on the left side of Stanford’s offensive line before breaking a Chad Adam’s tackle on his way to the end zone. In the second quarter, Love struck again, going 43-yards on a carbon copy play. Again finding space over the left end of line, Love slipped another Adam’s tackle as he trotted down the sideline and to the house to put Stanford ahead 14-3.
The senior tailback tallied 158 yards on just 9 carries in the opening two quarters.
The Sun Devils responded however, countering with 14 play, 75 yard drive on the next possession to cut their deficit to just four points. On the drive, ASU ran the ball for 57 yards, including three third down conversions on the ground and the possession-capping 3-yard touchdown for running back Demario Richard.
The Sun Devils finished the half with 161 yards rushing, good for an average of 5.6 yards per carry.
But the collective ASU production couldn’t keep up with the big play ability of Love.
After ASU’s touchdown, Love started Stanford’s next possession with a 39-yard run. That set the Cardinal up in ASU territory, where they would take advantage with a 12-yard KJ Costello touchdown pass to JJ Arcega-Whiteside, making the score 21-10 with just over 4 minutes left in the half.
Costello, a redshirt freshman stepping in for injured Keller Chryst, was effective through the air, completing 12 of his 18 throws for 155 yards and no turnovers.
The Sun Devils made it a one-score game once again late in the half when receiver N’Keal Harry, as he had done a few times in the opening 30 minutes, took a direct snap out of the backfield; but instead of running the ball like normal, the sophomore receiver dropped back and passed, finding a wide open Ceejhay French-Love for a 14-yard touchdown with 1:33 left in the second quarter.
Wilkins suffered an apparent ankle injury during ASU’s final possession of the half, but stayed in the game to finish the scoring drive. He went 8-for-12 passing for 93 yards in the half, but also suffered his first interception of the season on a tipped throw over the middle.
ASU couldn’t make the 21-17 scoreline stand however. Stanford moved the ball quickly in a two-minute offense, highlighted by a 40-yard pass to Arcega-Whiteside that put the Cardinal inside ASU’s 5-yard line. Stanford kicker Jet Toner hit a 21-yard field goal on the final play of the half to make it a seven point game.
ASU’s defense came up with a takeaway of its own in the first quarter, when SPUR linebacker J’Marcus Rhodes stripped a Stanford receiver of the ball and jumped on the recovery inside the ASU five, negating a clear-cut Cardinal scoring opportunity with the score at 7-0.
ASU will get the ball to start the second half.
