(Photo: Christian Coates/WCSN)
The No. 17 Arizona State Sun Devils did absolutely everything right and dominated in every facet against the defending Pac-12 champion Stanford Cardinal to win, 26-10.
ASU won in every statistical category, as they accumulated 356 yards of total offense against No. 23 Stanford, a team that entered the game with the No. 2 total defense and No. 1 scoring defense. The Sun Devils also became the first team to eclipse 17 points against the Cardinal.
While the offense found plenty of success with Mike Bercovici as its starter, the story of the game was the performance of the Sun Devils defense. After a streak of 18 consecutive games with at least 13 points allowed, ASU gave up 10 points to a Stanford offense that was never able to find a rhythm.
Player of the game: Antonio Longino
There were plenty of offensive players that could’ve earned the distinction on Saturday night, but with the defense in the spotlight, it was junior linebacker, Antonio Longino, that shined brightest. In his first game since transitioning to WILL linebacker from Devil-backer, Longino led the team in total tackles and was credited with a forced fumble and tackle for loss. Todd Graham shuffled the front seven some, and went with a heavier, more veteran lineup and it can only be considered a success after Saturday.
Biggest concern:
Any complaint is nit-picking in a game that was full of positives for ASU, but D.J. Foster once again struggled to find running room. The star running back finished with fewer than three yards per carry for a third-consecutive week, but the problem may have more to do with his usage. Deantre Lewis is used on designed interior run plays while Foster has been used more as a read option back. With Taylor Kelly out, it’s the read option that needs fixing, not Foster.
Unsung hero: Matt Haack
Stanford has the most dangerous returner in the nation, Ty Montgomery, but you wouldn’t know that after Saturday. Montgomery was a complete non-factor on special teams, and while the ASU coverage units deserve a lot of credit for that, Matt Haack stepped up his game big time on Saturday. Perhaps the most game-changing moment of the game was a blast of a punt that went over 60 yards in the air with plenty of spin and went off the hands of Montgomery to set the Sun Devils up in the red zone.
Stat of the game: Stanford 6-16 on third down.
ASU’s defense allowed a few big chunks of yardage and it wasn’t always perfect on Saturday night, but when the unit forced third-and-long situations, it got off the field consistently. Stanford’s punter made seven appearances and the ASU defense did enough to keep the Cardinal offense off the scoreboard until it was too late.
What’s next?
With the big victory, ASU will certainly climb the rankings some, but the team has a tough road test against Washington. While unranked, the Huskies are a tough task for the Sun Devils who could climb into the AP top 10 with another big game. ASU is 3-0 on the road so far in 2014.
You can reach Adam Stites on Twitter @AdamStitesASU or by email arstites@asu.edu
