Stanford was riding high after a huge overtime win over No. 3 Oregon in Week 5, but Arizona State football brought the Cardinal right back down to earth with a 28-10 win on Friday night.
Herm Edwards’ team came out prepared and shut down Tanner McKee and the Cardinal to improve to 5-1 on the season and there’s a decent shot the Sun Devils will sneak into the top 20 when the new rankings come out on Sunday afternoon.
What did we learn from the Sun Devils’ big win against Stanford?
3. Arizona State may have the best rushing attack in the Pac-12
I know the numbers indicate that Arizona State had the No. 3 rushing offense in the Pac-12 heading into Friday’s game, averaging about 203 yards per game on the ground, but the return of DeaMonte Trayanum has changed things drastically.
Arizona State now has three capable running backs who could all go off for 100 yards on any given night along with a dual-threat quarterback who is also capable of big gains with his legs.
Stanford had a really tough time with the Sun Devils’ rushing attack on Friday as they put up 255 yards and three touchdowns on 44 carries, averaging 5.8 yards per touch. Rachaad White led the way with 96 yards and a touchdown on just 13 carries and Trayanum had 50 yards on nine carries. Jayden Daniels chipped in with 76 yards and a touchdown on 13 touches while Daniyel Ngata had 21 yards on five carries.
When healthy, the Sun Devils may have the most dangerous backfield in the Pac-12.
2. The defense deserves a ton of credit
After the first quarter, it felt like Friday night’s game was going to be a shootout. The Sun Devils were up 14-7 and both teams were having no trouble moving the ball, but that quickly changed as Arizona State’s defense stepped up and put the clamps on Stanford through the final three quarters.
Sure, Tanner McKee put up some passing yards, finishing with 356 yards, but after his first-quarter touchdown, he wasn’t nearly as effective. Along with his 356 yards, he also threw three touchdowns after going through the first five weeks of the season with no picks. How’s that for defense?
Antonio Pierce deserves major props for adjusting and holding McKee to 7.9 yards per attempt and keeping him out of the end zone in the final three quarters. He was also sacked five times and he was probably seeing ghosts in the final 45 minutes.
Plus, that run defense did a number on Stanford and the otherwise red-hot Nathaniel Peat. The Sun Devils had just 13 yards on 20 carries.
1. Arizona State might just be the Pac-12’s best team
A month into the 2021 season, we really have no idea who the Pac-12’s best team is.
Is it Oregon? It’s hard to say after the Ducks lost to this Stanford team last weekend. Is it UCLA? Hard to say after the Bruins have lost two games that they probably should have won. Is it Arizona State? It’d be really hard to argue against it.
The Ducks may be the most talented team, on paper. UCLA may be the biggest surprise. Arizona State may be the best collective team and the Sun Devils are getting hot.
Jayden Daniels is playing really well right now and the backfield is finally healthy with DeaMonte Trayanum back and in the rotation. The defense is also clicking behind Antonio Pierce.
Herm Edwards’ squad looked dead in the water after a loss to BYU, but that has all changed over the past couple of weeks. This may just be the new Pac-12 title favorite.