Stanford Football: 3 takeaways from win over Arizona State

Stanford football won its second consecutive game in the PAC-12, with a 10-point victory over the Arizona State Sun Devils at home.

The Stanford Cardinal have had some confusing trends so far in the 2017 college football season. A convincing defeat at the hands of the USC Trojans and an upset at the hands of the San Diego State Aztecs are puzzling for this team.

Meanwhile, the Arizona State Sun Devils are coming off an upset win over the Oregon Ducks. A win would have put Arizona State’s winning streak at two games and would have put them in good position to at least make some noise in the PAC-12 South.

However, Stanford’s 34-24 win allows them to get back on track after a quality win before they take on Utah in Week 6. As long as Stanford wins out in the PAC-12, they would still have a chance to win the North division. Washington is the favorite to win the division title, though.

One of the more impressive parts of this performance from Stanford is the way the defense played. Arizona State quarterback Manny Wilkins struggled to get anything going as he tossed two picks and was held without a passing touchdown.

Arizona State running back Demario Richard led the way on offense for the Sun Devils with 80 yards and two scores. Yet, Stanford held all other ASU running backs without a touchdown and to less than 5.0 yards per carry.

Junior wide receiver J.J. Arcega-Whiteside is quickly emerging as the top target for Stanford. He caught four passes for 63 yards and one touchdown (the only passing touchdown for the Cardinal on the day). Every game that Arcega-Whiteside has played in has seen him amass at least 62 receiving yards.

Now, let’s take a look at three takeaways from Stanford’s win over the Arizona State Sun Devils in Week 5.