Stanford Football: 5 reasons the Cardinal will beat Arizona State in Week 5

Stanford football will look to record its second Pac-12 victory of the season against Arizona State on Saturday afternoon.

Coming off a big win over UCLA, Stanford football needs to carry that momentum into a road contest on Saturday afternoon against Arizona State. The Sun Devils aren’t the toughest of foes, but playing on the road in Tempe could provide some challenges.

However, Stanford is up to the task and the Cardinal will take care of business just like they did against the Bruins in Week 4. This game might be close early on, but the Cardinal are going to pull away, and here are five reasons for that.

5. Manny Wilkins hasn’t faced tough defense yet

Through four games, Manny Wilkins hasn’t exactly faced the toughest defenses in college football. In fact, he’s gone up against the likes of New Mexico State, San Diego State, Texas Tech and Oregon. None of those programs have been known for their defense in recent memory.

I’m not saying Stanford’s defense is leaps and bounds better than the others named above, since the Cardinal have struggled this year, but it is more effective than most the Sun Devils will face this season.

Stanford’s defense is going to come around, there’s no doubt about that, but it will start to do so against Wilkins and Co. on Saturday evening. The Sun Devils’ starting quarterback will have a rough time trying to pass the ball like he had been through four games. He will complete just over 50 percent of his throws for 185 yards and a touchdown with his first two picks of the year.

The Cardinal will make Wilkins uncomfortable all day long.