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

3. Tight ends will exploit Arizona State secondary/linebackers

Believe it or not, tight ends can be a quarterback’s best friend. Well, tight ends along with a solid offensive line and an effective run game. But for the purpose of this reasoning, tight ends could become the best friend for potential Stanford starter KJ Costello.

If Shaw gives him the nod on Saturday, he’s likely to rely on his big guys on the edges to be there for check-down passes and to dump it when he’s feeling rushed. For a first-time starter, tight ends are like gold. They don’t run deep routes, they’re usually short, quick curl routes or outs, which gives the quarterback plenty of time to find them when nothing opens up down field.

For Costello, there will be no shortage of talent at the tight end position against Arizona State. In fact, the Cardinal have some of the most talented pass-catching tight ends in the country with guys like Dalton Schultz, Kaden Smith and Colby Parkinson.

Stanford likes to utilize the tight ends and it will be evident on Saturday evening, no matter the starter. Arizona State will struggle to defend the quick routes to the tight ends and when the Sun Devils do catch on, that will leave guys like Trenton Irwin, JJ Arcega-Whiteside and Connor Wedington open down field.