House of Sparky - ASU vs. Stanford: Crush the CardinalFluently Speaking Victoryhttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/47079/fave.png2014-10-19T17:40:57-07:00http://www.houseofsparky.com/rss/stream/67438162014-10-19T17:40:57-07:002014-10-19T17:40:57-07:00ASU Football: Positional grades vs. Stanford
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<figcaption>Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>How did the Sun Devils grade out?</p> <p>While last night might have been less of surprise last season, it was a welcome sight for the 2014 Sun Devils. It was the most complete game this team has put together this season and that's reflected in the high grades below. Here is how each position group graded out against Stanford.</p>
<p><b>Quarterbacks: A-</b></p>
<p>Let's put aside any controversy of who deserves to or should start and just focus in on the game <span>Mike Bercovici</span> had Saturday. He was 23 of 33 for 245 yards and a touchdown. This isn't anywhere close to the production from his first two games, but that's a positive because it means the Sun Devils also found more balance in the ground game. He missed <span>Jaelen Strong</span> late in the game on what would have been another touchdown and overthrew <span>Cameron Smith</span> on a throw that could have gained a huge chunk of yards which is why he gets downgraded slightly. Anytime a quarterback doesn't turn the ball over is huge, he clearly learned his lesson from the UCLA game and made some impressive reads and progressions on certain passes.</p>
<p>If Bercovici needs to work on anything its keeping his heart rate down a little more when he sees a big play developing. Whether it was the overthrow or something further down the field, he got happy feet a few times because he saw what was coming. When he gets excited in the pocket, he tends to lose some of that fundamental throwing ability which may hurt him going forward</p>
<p><b>Running backs: B</b></p>
<p>It was better, but far from perfect. Remember that this was against what was widely regarded as the best defense in the country. Averaging 2.5 yards per carry for 114 yards and a touchdown between <span>D.J. Foster</span> and <span>Deantre Lewis</span> is a stat line most people probably would have taken before the game started. Still, Foster has the ability to get himself up over 100 yards and there were times when he just couldn't hit the hole quick enough. For such a stout defense, this group did what they could and had a valiant effort.</p>
<p><b>Wide receivers: B+</b></p>
<p>When Alex Carter and <span>Wayne Lyons</span> are covering you, it's not going to be easy to get open. Jaelen Strong still managed to make two spectacular grabs and finish with eight receptions for 75 yards and a touchdown. Foster had more receiving yards (92) on fewer catches (7) and did a solid job making something out of nothing on a few crossing routes and catches out of the backfield. This group took what Stanford gave them when they could get it and that's part of why they had some success.</p>
<p><b>Offensive line: B</b></p>
<p>Allowing three sacks isn't exactly the best, but it's definitely a solid performance against Stanford. They were having some trouble early in the game with the run blocking and getting pushed back at the line, but as the game progressed, they gave Bercovici plenty of time to throw when it mattered the most.</p>
<p><b>Defensive line: B-</b></p>
<p>They got some pressure on <span>Kevin Hogan</span>, but it was mediocre at best, most of the tackles for loss and all of the sacks came from pressure provided by the secondary or linebackers. Hogan was hurried a few times, but the Stanford offense was still pretty awful to begin with. This groups jump into the "B" range because they only allowed 76 yards on the ground which was their best performance of the season against a Pac-12 team. It wasn't incredible, but the line play wasn't awful either. With that being said, if Saturday's performance can be a baseline for the rest of the season for them to improve upon, then they can only go up from here.</p>
<p><b>Linebackers: A- </b></p>
<p>The starters combined for 18 tackles with 2.5 tackles for loss and a forced fumble against the Cardinal. Antonio Longino had his best game of the season and the Sun Devils were able to recognize anything the Cardinal threw their way. Laiu Moeakiola and <span>Salamo Fiso</span> both had some beautiful pursuits and wrap ups from behind and Todd Graham mixed up the blitzes enough to help this group have success.</p>
<p><b>Secondary: A</b></p>
<p>Damarious Randall, <span>Lloyd Carrington</span>, <span>Kweishi Brown</span> and <span>Jordan Simone</span> were all over the field on Saturday. Randall had a sack, a tackle for loss as well as the forced fumble and recovery on the muffed punt. Brown had six tackles and five pass break ups, Carrington had three tackles and a monster sack and Simone had five tackles and a hit to remember too. They created a ton of pressure on Hogan off the edge and held <span>Ty Montgomery</span> to 82 yards receiving with no other Cardinal connecting with Kevin Hogan for more than 25 yards</p>
<p><b>Special teams: A-</b></p>
<p>Maat Haack had two punts totaling 90 yards and Bercovici even deadened one of his two punts at the 1-yard line. Ty Montgomery was held to 57 yards on three kickoff returns and <span>Kyle Middlebrooks</span> returned his only kickoff 32 yards. The Sun Devils couldn't have won the game without the consistency of field goal kicker <span>Zane Gonzalez</span>, who made four of five field goals, his longest coming from 47 yards out.</p>
https://www.houseofsparky.com/2014/10/19/7009757/asu-football-positional-grades-vs-stanfordNick Krueger2014-10-19T14:00:05-07:002014-10-19T14:00:05-07:005 takeaways from the ASU win over Stanford
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<figcaption>Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>What stood out in Arizona State's victory over Stanford? </p> <p>The <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.houseofsparky.com/">Arizona State Sun Devils</a> were finally able to get over the mountain last night (or tree I guess). After four straight losses, the Sun Devils topped the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.ruleoftree.com/">Stanford Cardinal</a> 26-10 in a dominating performance in Tempe. Here were my takeaways from from the game.</p>
<p><b>1. The young Arizona State defense is hitting its stride: </b>For the first time all season, the Arizona State defense led the way in a Sun Devi victory. Stanford mustered just 288 total yards and only 76 on the ground. This after giving up 143 yards to Buck Allen alone against USC two weeks ago.</p>
<p>The Sun Devil defensive line played its best game of the season, especially against the run. While both sacks came from the back seven, the defensive line applied pressure to <span>Kevin Hogan</span> in big situations and held the Stanford run game in check.</p>
<p><span>Antonio Longino</span> collected eight tackles, Damarious Randall finished with seven tackles, one sack and one fumble recovery and <span>Kweishi Brown</span> tallied five pass breakups.</p>
<p><b>2. <span>Mike Bercovici</span> is a better passer than <span>Taylor Kelly</span>: </b>"Passer" not "quarterback". Kelly is more mobile and better on the run. However, in his last two games Bercovici is completing 77-percent of his passes for 755 yards and six touchdowns. Most importantly, Bercovici hasn't thrown an interception since his first start against UCLA.</p>
<p>Bercovici goes through his progressions very well and does not make a lot of mistakes. He has a stronger arm than Kelly isn't afraid to check the ball down or even take a sack when he has to. At this point, Bercovici is the better pure passer.</p>
<p><b>3. <span>Deantre Lewis</span> is the No. 2 back for the Sun Devils: </b>Deantre Lewis is like that 40-something pitcher who just keeps getting outs. He may have been passed up by younger players on the depth chart, but he is still very reliable when called upon. Lewis actually received the first carry of the game against Stanford and has put together three quality games in a row.</p>
<p>He averaged 4.7 yards per carry against Stanford, totaling 47 yards on 10 carries. The redshirt senior has surpassed freshman Damario Richard and <span>Kalen Ballage</span> as the team's No. 2 running back.</p>
<p><b>4. Laiu Moeakiola is the best player on the defense: </b>The redshirt sophomore was all over the field Saturday night, collecting five tackles. Moeakiola set the tone for the night when he broke up a pass intended for <span>Ty Montgomery</span> on Stanford's first play from scrimmage.</p>
<p>Moeakiola is asked to do so much in the Arizona State defense. He covers wide receivers and tight ends and he is asked to help in running game. He is the most versatile defense player on the Arizona State defense and has been their best defender thus far this season.</p>
<p><b>5. Stanford is not the same team it was in 2013: </b>Not to take anything away from Arizona State, but Stanford did not look like the team we saw in 2013, or years prior. The Cardinal had five penalties and committed numerous mental mistakes, including Montgomery's costly decision to field a punt over his shoulder.</p>
<p>Kevin Hogan was a pedestrian 19 of 39 Saturday night and the normally dominant Stanford offensive line struggled to open holes for the running game. The Cardinal fell out of the AP top 25 for the first time in four years on Sunday as it looks to be a bit of a rebuilding year for Stanford.</p>
https://www.houseofsparky.com/2014/10/19/7003709/asu-football-stanford-strong-bercoviciRyan Bafaloukos2014-10-19T12:00:05-07:002014-10-19T12:00:05-07:00ASU Football: Game balls vs Stanford
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<figcaption>Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>Arizona State's win over Stanford on Saturday was chock full of noteworthy performances. We give out our Game Balls to three Sun Devils who made the biggest contributions in Arizona State's victory.</p> <p>Arizona State put together a complete performance Saturday night in its 26-10 over Stanford, and in doing so shed the Cardinal-colored monkey off of its back. The victory ends a six-year drought without a win over the Cardinal, and it serves as revenge for those who played in the two blowout losses to Stanford last season. In their domination of the two-time defending Pac-12 champs, the Sun Devils controlled all three phases of the game. But which Arizona State players shined the most Saturday? Here are our game balls.</p>
<p><b><span>Mike Bercovici</span></b></p>
<p>The redshirt junior quarterback didn't know until Saturday whether he was going to make his third career start or if <span>Taylor Kelly</span> was going to return, but Bercovici didn't let the uncertainty rattle him. Bercovici showed complete control of the offense, and even showed his growth as a quarterback in a couple of read-option keepers that would've made Kelly proud. He didn't put up numbers like the ones he did in the USC and UCLA games, but his 23 of 33 clip and 245 yards were more than enough for an efficient Arizona State offense. Bercovici orchestrated four drives of at least ten plays, and the 26 points Arizona State put up on the Cardinal was the most they've allowed all season. Bercovici also contributed on special teams, making a perfect pooch punt that pinned Stanford at their 1-yard line.</p>
<p><b><span>D.J. Foster</span></b></p>
<p>Saturday surely wasn't Foster's best statistical day, but the junior running back broke out of his two-game slump against the Cardinal. Foster only accumulated 59 rushing yards on the night, but he scored his first rushing touchdown since the Colorado game. As he always does, Foster's contributions were not limited to rushing, as he was also the Sun Devils' leading receiver, with seven grabs for 92 yards. Foster worked both out of the slot and out of the backfield, and his 27-yard catch on 3rd & 11 kept a fourth quarter drive alive and helped to ice the win. Foster may not have amassed the statistics that he put up in the first three games, but his game elevated on Saturday and is worthy of a game ball.</p>
<p><b>Arizona State Special Teams</b></p>
<p>A unit that has struggled in each of Todd Graham's three seasons, the Sun Devil special teamers made multiple game-changing plays against Stanford. Facing Ty Montgomery, who was named a consensus All-<a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/college-football/teams/american">American</a> as a return specialist in 2013, the Arizona State kickoff and punt coverage teams shut down the Cardinal star. Montgomery returned three kickoffs for 57 yards, and his only punt return ended in disaster for Stanford. Matt Haack's booming punt sent Montgomery into a back peddle and he wasn't able to corral it, allowing Arizona State's Damarious Randall to pounce on the ball deep in Stanford territory. Arizona State punched in the touchdown and took a 14-0 lead that would prove to be insurmountable.</p>
<p>Placekicker Zane Gonzalez missed a 48-yarder in his first field goal attempt, but he made his next four to slowly close out the Cardinal. Bercovici's pooch punt to the 1-yard line led to an Stanford 3-and-out, and the Sun Devils recovered another Cardinal fumble late in the fourth, this time on a kickoff return. The Sun Devil return teams didn't make any mistakes, and <span>Kyle Middlebrooks</span> had a 32-yard runback on his only kickoff return. All in all, it was the best performance that Todd Graham has gotten out of his special teams this season.</p>
https://www.houseofsparky.com/2014/10/19/7003523/asu-football-Mike-Bercovici-game-balls-Stanford-scoreShane Theodore2014-10-19T11:01:39-07:002014-10-19T11:01:39-07:00AP top 25: Sun Devils rise in polls with win
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<figcaption>Christian Petersen</figcaption>
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<p>See where the Sun Devils landed this week!</p> <p>Arizona State came into Saturday ranked No. 17 in AP Poll and No. 18 in the Amway Coaches Poll. After a commanding win over the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.ruleoftree.com/">Stanford Cardinal</a>, the Sun Devils have now moved up to No. 14 in the AP Poll and No. 14 in the Coaches Poll.</p>
<p>The defense stepped up in a big way for the Sun Devils in their route of Stanford that wasn't as close as the 26-10 final score indicated. A muffed punt by <span>Ty Montgomery</span> and some much improved defense helped Arizona State win.</p>
<p>Oregon scored three touchdowns in the second quarter on their way to a 45-20 victory over the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.uwdawgpound.com/">Washington Huskies</a>. Marcus Mariota threw for 336 yards and two touchdowns in the win which moved the Ducks up to No. 6 in the AP Poll.</p>
<p>Utah barely squeaked by Oregon State in Corvallis Thursday with a 29-23 win in double overtime. A <span>Devontae Booker</span> touchdown in each of the overtime periods helped the Utes to the win, which now rank No. 19. USC throttled Colorado 56-28. The Trojans were already up 28-0 at halftime and rose to No. 20 in the poll</p>
<p>Arizona didn't play this week, but still moved up in the AP Poll to No. 15 while Stanford was No. 23 before the game with Arizona State but dropped out of the poll. UCLA jumped back into the AP Poll at No. 25 after beating Cal. Arizona State heads to Washington next weekend to play the Huskies.</p>
https://www.houseofsparky.com/2014/10/19/7003511/ap-top-25-where-is-ASU-ranked-AP-poll-week-9Nick Krueger2014-10-19T00:56:48-07:002014-10-19T00:56:48-07:00ASU Football: Defense rises to occasion in victory
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<figcaption>Damarious Randall celebrating after fielding the muffed punt. | Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>Coming in to Saturday, Arizona State was giving up 27.8 points per game and 185.3 yards per game on the ground. The last game at Sun Devil Stadium saw an abysmal tackling performance by the maroon and gold and coverages were blown with regularity. They allowed five plays of 80 yards or more that night against UCLA and were run out of the building in an embarrassing 62-27 defeat.</p>
<p>Now who would have guessed this Sun Devil team would be where they are, just three weeks removed from that night. Sure, Arizona State was wearing different colored uniforms, but it hardly even looked like the same team against Stanford Saturday.</p>
<p>"It's just mental focus," senior safety Damarious Randall said. "Basically, the only way people can score on us is if we make mental errors. Coach Graham and the coaching staff put us in a great position to make a lot of great, great plays, so the only way that teams can get yardage and score on us is if we have mental errors and mental breakdowns."</p>
<p>The mental errors were few and far between against the Cardinal. Randall had a monster sack of <span>Kevin Hogan</span> and finished second on the team with seven tackles. He even had the presence of mind to recover a muffed punt by Stanford punt returner <span>Ty Montgomery</span> in the second quarter, which Arizona State was able to take advantage of and score a touchdown to put the Sun Devils up 14-0.</p>
<p>"I actually released off the gunner," Randall said. "I saw him going back. I saw that it was a deep, deep punt. Normally, whenever it's a left-footed punter, and I actually have trouble feeling <span>Matt Haack</span> in practice, but I was going to make the tackle. I saw that he had muffed it, so I ended up pushing him out of the way and ended up getting the turnover."</p>
<p>Stanford managed just 288 total yards, and 3.5 yards per carry with no one Cardinal gaining more than 43 yards on the ground. It's only the second time in 31 games that Stanford has been held under 100 yards rushing in a game. The Sun Devils also forced seven Stanford punts. On top of that, Arizona State had eight pass break ups, three forced fumbles and five tackles for loss.</p>
<p>"It had something to do with our focus," redshirt junior defensive back <span>Lloyd Carrington</span> said. "I really just think we came out playing our game. We're an attacking-style defense. For a couple of weeks, we tried to make different adjustments for certain teams, but Coach Graham put his foot forward and said, 'Be us. We're going to play our style of defense and attack Stanford no matter what they run.' He just had the confidence in us to make plays."</p>
<p>Among the other standouts was junior college transfer and corner Kweishi Brown. He didn't earn his first start until the UCLA game and didn't look good that night or all that great against USC either. Against the Cardinal he had five pass break-ups and six tackles.</p>
<p>"At the end of the game he (Brown) was about to fall down and kept looking to me like I was going to take him out," Arizona State head coach Todd Graham said. "That didn't cross my mind. I think he's really grown up...he's such a solid person."</p>
<p>The Sun Devils also finally did their part on special teams. Montgomery was held to just 57 yards on kick return and actually had negative 14 yards on punt return. Matt Haack booted two punts an average of 45 yards and <span>Mike Bercovici</span> punted twice as well, deadening one punt at the 1-yard line. <span>Kyle Middlebrooks</span> returned his only kickoff 32 yards.</p>
<p>"He is a monster," Graham said of Middlebrooks. "As a coach you try to find heart and will and he wants to be that player so bad. He does such a great job and now the other 10 guys feed off that. With that they want to block for him. He did a great job doing all the returning of us. We needed to win special teams and have ball security and we did that tonight."</p>
<p>Part of what allowed the Sun Devils to have success is the way in which they practiced. The team does tackling for 15 minutes every practice, but according to Graham the team focused more on the fundamentals again last week during the bye.</p>
<p>"We spent a lot of hours on it," Graham said. "Coach Patterson and I got a couple gray hairs from it. We worked on it and our guys executed it. They did a great job tonight with making adjustments."</p>
<p>The Sun Devils also entered some very rare air when it comes to holding the Stanford offense at bay. It was the first time Stanford had been shut out in the first quarter in 87 games, the last time it happened was against Washington State in 2007. It was also the first time Arizona State had held a defense scoreless in the first quarter since last season against Notre Dame.</p>
<p>It was the most complete game by a Sun Devil defense this season without a doubt. It may have taken this group half the season to figure themselves out, but they developed an identity between the USC and Stanford games and it showed Saturday.</p>
<p>"That is our gameplan as an attacking style defense," Randall said. "That's just what we do. We like to put pressure on the quarterback so he forces turnovers, TFLs and sacks."</p>
<p>The Sun Devils were well prepared by the coaching staff with numerous blitz packages off the edge, up the middle and from any given player at any given time. Now the only question left is whether or not Arizona State can keep up this level of defense with any marked consistency, a task that is easier said than done given the parity in the Pac-12 this season.</p>
https://www.houseofsparky.com/2014/10/19/7001997/asu-football-defense-special-teams-rise-to-the-occasion-in-victoryNick Krueger2014-10-19T00:36:34-07:002014-10-19T00:36:34-07:00ASU Football: Sun Devils get revenge in 26-10 win
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<figcaption>Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>Raise your hand if you saw that coming. If you raised your hand, you're a liar.</p> <p>It was less than a calendar year ago that Stanford celebrated a Pac-12 Championship on Arizona State's turf, blowing out the Sun Devils and emptying the student section by the end of the third quarter. But on Saturday night the tides turned in Tempe, and Arizona State put together its first complete performance of the year against a quality opponent, dominating the Cardinal in a 26-10 victory.</p>
<p>The Sun Devils controlled the game in ways they haven't been able to this season, as a disciplined defense and mistake-free special teams neutralized the Stanford attack.</p>
<p>"It's just taking the time to perfect our craft in every phase of the game," cornerback Lloyd Carrington said. "We came out here and were playing with a chip on our shoulder. Our motto this year is unfinished business, and we came out and did just that."</p>
<p>The victory over the Cardinal is Arizona State's first since 2008, when Jim Harbaugh was coach of Stanford and Dennis Erickson led the Sun Devils.</p>
<p>"The phrase that we have used is 'taking that crown from them'," quarterback <span>Mike Bercovici</span> said. "We respect them as an opponent. They are once of the most disciplined, smartest, toughest opponents in the conference; they proved this over the last two years. We had a salty taste in our mouth when we walked down the tunnel; it had been lingered since last September. The crown is ours now. We need to move forward from here. Hats off to Stanford they are a quality opponent."</p>
<p>There were many questions surrounding the No. 17 Sun Devils headed into Saturday's game, with most centering around who would be under center for Arizona State. Taylor Kelly was in uniform and warmed up with the team, but coach Graham wasn't comfortable putting his captain out there and opted to stick with Bercovici. Facing a Cardinal defense that had allowed only 9.5 points per game headed into the contest, the redshirt junior performed admirably.</p>
<p>Arizona State didn't have trouble moving the ball early against the Cardinal, securing at least one first down on all three of their first quarter drives. But all three drives stalled, and Zane Gonzalez's missed 48-yard field goal was the closest either team came to scoring in the period, as the two squads entered the second quarter scoreless.</p>
<p>While Arizona State's defense continued to stymy the Cardinal offense, it was the Sun Devil attack that broke through in the second quarter. Bercovici orchestrated a 13-play, 81-yard drive that ended with a <span>D.J. Foster</span> short plunge into the end zone. Bercovici completed passes to three different receivers and <span>Deantre Lewis</span> had a pair of solid rushes as Arizona State's multi-faceted offense took a 7-0 lead.</p>
<p>Looking to respond, Stanford used a 30-yard catch by <span>Greg Taboada</span> to set itself up at the Sun Devil 35-yard line, but a <span>Lloyd Carrington</span> sack of <span>Kevin Hogan</span> pushed the Cardinal back ten yards and forced a Stanford punt.</p>
<p>Arizona State went 3-and-out on its next drive, but the special teams unit that has struggled all season made its first big play of the night. <span>Matt Haack</span> sent a booming punt 54 yards that sent Ty Montegomery into a backpeddle, and the Stanford star wasn't able to corral it correctly, allowing Arizona State's Damarious Randall to fall on the ball at the Stanford 12-yard line.</p>
<p>An 11-yard catch-and-run by Foster moved the Sun Devils closer to paydirt, and a 3-yard pass to <span>Jaelen Strong</span> in the back of the end zone upped Arizona State's lead to 14-0. The Arizona State defense forced another Stanford punt, and for the first time since 2011, Stanford trailed by two touchdowns at halftime.</p>
<p>"I actually released off the gunner. I saw him going back," Randall said of the game-changing fumble recovery. "I saw that it was a deep, deep punt. Normally, whenever it's a left-footed punter, and I actually have trouble feeling Matt Haack in practice, but I was going to make the tackle. I saw that he had muffed it, so I ended up pushing him out of the way and ended up getting the turnover."</p>
<p>Stanford received the ball to start the second half, and sustained a drive deep into Arizona State territory. The Cardinal ran 12 plays and worked their way to the Arizona State 22-yard line, but a crucial third-down stop from the Sun Devils forced a Stanford field goal. Arizona State answered with a field goal of its own, and held a 17-3 advantage after three quarters</p>
<p>Continuing a drive from the third quarter, Arizona State's Gonzalez tacked on another Sun Devil field goal, which extended the home team's lead back to two touchdowns.</p>
<p>Before they could close the book on its most impressive win this season, Arizona State needed to endure some sort of adversity. That adversity came in the fourth quarter, as Stanford took its first drive of the period 63 yards down the field, scoring its first touchdown on a one-yard <span>Patrick Skov</span> run that cut Arizona State's lead to 20-10.</p>
<p>Arizona State earned a pair of first downs on its ensuing drive, but the drive sputtered and Graham had Bercovici pooch punt it back to the Cardinal. Bercovici, whose pooch punt early in the game bounced into the end zone for a touchback, but his second attempt at the pooch was jumped on by a slew of Sun Devils at the Stanford 1-yard line to pin the Cardinal's backs against the wall.</p>
<p>With a ten-point lead, 8:45 left to play and 99 yards of field between them and their end zone, the Sun Devil defense came out for its next series looking to close out the No. 23 Cardinal. That's exactly what they did, forcing yet another Stanford 3-and-out. The Cardinal totaled four such drives on the night, and the Sun Devils allowed only six 3rd down conversions out of Stanford's 16 attempts. Adding nothing but extra cushioning for Sun Devil fans to feel comfortable with, Gonzalez booted two more field goals and Arizona State completed its best victory of the 2014 campaign.</p>
<p>Against the consesus best defensive unit in the nation, Bercovici passed for 245 yards and the one touchdown to Strong, who had 8 grabs for 75 yards and the score. Arizona State made a concerted effort to get Foster carries, as the tailback had only 19 carries for 43 yards on the ground in the USC/UCLA games.</p>
<p>Foster got the ball 24 times, but only ran for 30 yards. He did score his first rushing touchdown since the Colorado game, and hauled in six catches for 63 yards. Even though they settled for five field goal attempts, Bercovici and the Sun Devils were happy with how they performed against an elite Stanford defense.</p>
<p>"The bye-week helped form an idea of how we wanted to attack this game," Bercovici said. "We were very simple with what we decided to do as far as attacking Stanford's defense. We knew what we had to do. We trusted the schemes and executed. Once that run game is going we are very effective."</p>
<p>With losses on Saturday by No. 15 Oklahoma State, No. 11 Oklahoma and a pair of top-5 teams, Arizona State is primed to jump up in the AP top 25 in the next rankings.. With UCLA boasting two conference losses, the Sun Devils will have the opportunity to repeat as Pac-12 South champions. Tonight was a big step, but there are more to be taken.</p>
<p>"(Stanford is) a quality team to play, but like I said earlier, our motto this year is unfinished business," redshirt junior <span>Carrington</span> said. "We came out tonight with a chip on our shoulder and got the job done. Now, it's time to just move forward and accomplish our goal of winning a Pac-12 Championship."</p>
https://www.houseofsparky.com/2014/10/19/7001837/asu-football-sun-devils-exorcise-their-cardinal-demonsShane Theodore2014-10-18T22:40:44-07:002014-10-18T22:40:44-07:00Instant recap: Sun Devils beat Stanford 26-10
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<figcaption>Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>How did the game go down?</p> <p><b>Eds. This is the second half recap on top of the first half recap. Stay tuned to HoS after the game for another recap with full quotes and analysis</b></p>
<p>20-yard run by Remound Wright moves Stanford to midfield and pounded their way to the 30-yard line. Kevin Hogan through a ball toward the end zone which was dropped by Arizona State safety Damarious Randall. Stanford settled for a 40-yard field goal by Jordan Williamson and were on the board, but still down 14-3.</p>
<p>DJ Foster finally got his legs moving on a 17-yard run out to the Sun Devils 42-yard line. Bercovici used his arm later in the drive delivering a 14-yard strike to Cammeron Smith and another 11-yard gainer to Foster, but the Sun Devils got stuck there. Zane Gonzalez knocked a 40-yard field goal through the uprights and Arizona State had responded to move the lead to 17-3.</p>
<p>Kevin Hogan found Greg Taboada on a 23-yard completion out to midfield but the Sun Devils stuffed Stanford again, forcing a Cardinal punt down to the Arizona State 4-yard line.</p>
<p>As the Sun Devils began their final drive of the third quarter, Bercovici found De'Marieya Nelson on a 26-yard completion and then Jaelen Strong down to the Stanford 31-yard line. The Sun Devils advanced no further, but Zane Gonzalez came through again with a 47-yard field goal to put the maroon and gold up 20-3.</p>
<p>Stanford finally put a drive together thanks to a long Kevin Hogan run of 31 yards down to the Sun Devil 28-yard line followed by a 22-yard completion to Ty Montgomery. Patrick Skov then found the end zone from a yard out to put the Cardinal back within two scores 20-10.</p>
<p>The Sun Devils next drive stalled in no-mans-land at the Stanford 39-yard line with 8:45 left to play in the game, but a Bercovici pooch punt put Stanford at the 1-yard line. The Arizona State defense stopped Stanford on three straight plays and got the ball back on the Stanford 36-yard line. Gonzalez put another 25-yard field goal through the uprights to put Arizona State up 23-10. Stanford fumbled the ensuing kickoff return allowing Gonzalez to put another field goal through the uprights and give the Sun Devils a 26-10 lead with 3:29 to play.</p>
<p>Stanford wasn't finished though as Hogan completed passes of 24 and 13 yards respectively to Ty Montgomery and moving the Cardinal deep into Sun Devil territory but to no avail and the Sun Devils ran out the clock after Hogan couldn't complete a fourth down pass.</p>
<p><b>First half</b></p>
<p>It took awhile to get going, but some luck on special teams and another long drive helped the Sun Devils to a 14-0 lead over Stanford at halftime.</p>
<p>Mike Bercovici came trotting out onto the field and led Arizona State across midfield with a 20-yard run by Deantre Lewis and a 13-yard completion across the middle to D.J. Foster down to the Stanford 37-yard line, but couldn't advance the ball any further. The maroon and gold forced a Stanford 3 and out on the next drive and got the ball at their own 46-yard line.</p>
<p>The Sun Devils looked dead in the water on their next drive after a false start by center Nick Kelly, but then got the ball moving, converting a fourth and one in Stanford territory. After being stopped on the next set of downs, Zane Gonzalez came out for a field goal try and missed from 48 yards out.</p>
<p>Stanford was stopped again by Arizona State on the next drive and quickly forced the Cardinal to punt again, taking over at their own 32-yard line with 3:23 left to play in the first quarter. The Sun Devils punted it right back after their first three and out of the night. Stanford finally moved over midfield on their next drive before the first quarter came to an end with no score.</p>
<p>Penalties hurt the Cardinal on the rest of the drive and they couldn't advance the ball any further and were forced to punt again for the third time. Arizona State started their next series on their own 19-yard line. The Sun Devils moved the ball well down the field which ended in a DJ Foster touchdown from one yard out to take the lead 7-0 with 8:28 left in the first half. The drive was highlighted by an impressive 20-yard catch by Ellis Jefferson and another 11-yard reception by Jaelen Strong who barely stayed in bounds.</p>
<p>Stanford did their best to respond as Kevin Hogan completed 30-yard pass to Greg Taboada that moved the Cardinal across midfield. On third and five from their own 30-yard line, Lloyd Carrington sacked Kevin Hogan to force another Stanford punt.</p>
<p>The Sun Devils were stuffed on their next drive, but Matt Haack boomed a punt down the field that was mishandled by Ty Montgomery and recovered by Damarious Randall at the Stanford 12-yard line. Four plays later Bercovici found Strong on a 2-yard pass for a touchdown to give the Sun Devils a 14-0 lead with 1:58 remaining. As the clock wound down, Arizona State stopped Stanford again and ran out the clock.</p>
https://www.houseofsparky.com/2014/10/18/7001777/instant-recap-sun-devils-take-down-stanford-26-10Nick Krueger2014-10-18T20:57:38-07:002014-10-18T20:57:38-07:00First half recap: ASU leads Stanford 14-0 at half
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<figcaption>Christian Petersen</figcaption>
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<p>It took awhile to get going, but some luck on special teams and another long drive helped the Sun Devils to a 14-0 lead over Stanford at halftime.</p>
<p><span>Mike Bercovici</span> came trotting out onto the field and led Arizona State across midfield with a 20-yard run by <span>Deantre Lewis</span> and a 13-yard completion across the middle to <span>D.J. Foster</span> down to the Stanford 37-yard line, but couldn't advance the ball any further. The maroon and gold forced a Stanford 3 and out on the next drive and got the ball at their own 46-yard line.</p>
<p>The Sun Devils looked dead in the water on their next drive after a false start by center <span>Nick Kelly</span>, but then got the ball moving, converting a fourth and one in Stanford territory. After being stopped on the next set of downs, <span>Zane Gonzalez</span> came out for a field goal try and missed from 48 yards out.</p>
<p>Stanford was stopped again by Arizona State on the next drive and quickly forced the Cardinal to punt again, taking over at their own 32-yard line with 3:23 left to play in the first quarter. The Sun Devils punted it right back after their first three and out of the night. Stanford finally moved over midfield on their next drive before the first quarter came to an end with no score.</p>
<p>Penalties hurt the Cardinal on the rest of the drive and they couldn't advance the ball any further and were forced to punt again for the third time. Arizona State started their next series on their own 19-yard line. The Sun Devils moved the ball well down the field which ended in a DJ Foster touchdown from one yard out to take the lead 7-0 with 8:28 left in the first half. The drive was highlighted by an impressive 20-yard catch by <span>Ellis Jefferson</span> and another 11-yard reception by <span>Jaelen Strong</span> who barely stayed in bounds.</p>
<p>Stanford did their best to respond as <span>Kevin Hogan</span> completed 30-yard pass to <span>Greg Taboada</span> that moved the Cardinal across midfield. On third and five from their own 30-yard line, <span>Lloyd Carrington</span> sacked Kevin Hogan to force another Stanford punt.</p>
<p>The Sun Devils were stuffed on their next drive, but <span>Matt Haack</span> boomed a punt down the field that was mishandled by <span>Ty Montgomery</span> and recovered by Damarious Randall at the Stanford 12-yard line. Four plays later Bercovici found Strong on a 2-yard pass for a touchdown to give the Sun Devils a 14-0 lead with 1:58 remaining. As the clock wound down, Arizona State stopped Stanford again and ran out the clock.</p>
https://www.houseofsparky.com/2014/10/18/7001507/asu-football-sun-devils-lead-stanford-14-0-after-one-half-of-playNick Krueger