ASU Football: Stanford players to watch

As the Arizona State Sun Devils prepare for the week night matchup against the Stanford Cardinal, they know remaining perfect at home will be a challenge.

The Cardinal defeated ASU last season in Palo Alto by a score of 34-24, as the Sun Devil defense struggled to contain the high-powered Stanford offense.

Here are some Stanford players to keep your eye on this Thursday.

Senior running back Bryce Love — The Sun Devils are more than aware of what Love is capable of doing on the football field. Love ran for 301 rushing yards against ASU last season, as the Sun Devil defense had a really difficult time trying to contain Stanford’s speedy running back. Love has dealt with injuries this season and hasn’t put up his typical stats. He will look to use the national spotlight on Thursday to try and get back on track.

Senior wide receiver JJ Arcega-Whiteside — As Love has dealt with injuries, the Cardinal offense has turned to their dynamic wide receiver to move the ball on offense. Arcega-Whiteside has been great this year for Stanford as he’s caught 30 passes over the first six games and has scored eight touchdowns. He’s a big target for quarterback K.J. Costello and will pose some challenges for Chase Lucas and the ASU secondary.

Redshirt senior linebacker Bobby Okereke — The Stanford defense hasn’t been as dominant this season as they have in previous seasons, but it hasn’t been because of the play of Okereke. He’s Stanford’s leading tackler with 43 so far this season and two sacks. He’s a dynamic linebacker that’s very adept at the finding the ball and finishing plays. Okereke is someone the Sun Devil offense will focus on to limit his playmaking abilities.