Stanford Football: 3 takeaways from win over Arizona State

3. Starting K.J. Costello is the right move

Stanford looked have somewhat of a sure thing at quarterback to start the year with senior Keller Chryst. Not only was Chryst efficient with the football last year, he helped the Cardinal dominate the Rice Owls in the season opener.

We are now seeing that Rice is not that good of a team after the way they lost to the Pitt Panthers in Week 5. The pattern that Chryst had against quality opponents would not have meant a successful season for Stanford.

Chryst tossed two touchdowns and two interceptions against San Diego State and USC. However, Chryst would not see anymore action after three passing attempts against the UCLA Bruins. That is when sophomore quarterback K.J. Costello took over.

Both Costello and Ryan Burns got some reps during the first few weeks. Costello would ultimately win the starting job. And, it’s not like head coach David Shaw had much of an option with Chryst going through concussion protocol.