5Sep/0811:45 AM

Sun Devils open up Pac-10 play vs. Stanford

By Vince Marotta

There was only a very small tuneup period for Dennis Erickson’s Arizona State Sun Devils before jumping right into Pac-10 play. The Devils had a Jekyll and Hyde-performance a week ago in beating NAU 30-13. The Devils dominated the first half, and built a 30-0 lead in the 3rd quarter. But when the starters took a seat and the reserves came into the contest, the intensity level dropped significantly, and it was ASU that was getting pushed around.

This week, the level of competition rises considerably, as Jim Harbaugh’s Stanford Cardinal come to Tempe. The Cardinal were picked by most (including the Pac-10 media) to finish at or near the bottom of the conference once again. But Stanford came out in week one and looked impressive in beating Oregon State 36-28, in what many considered a surprise. Stanford tailback Toby Gerhart, who missed almost all of 2007 with a knee injury, exploded for 147 yards and 2 touchdowns in the Oregon State game.

But defensively, the Cardinal showed some holes. Oregon State gained 490 yards on offense, including 404 through the air. Stanford’s secondary had a hard time dealing with Beaver receivers Sammie Stroughter and Shane Morales, who combined for 25 catches, 308 yards and three touchdowns. Look for Arizona State’s Rudy Carpenter to spread the ball out to his deep receiving corps against a suspect Stanford defensive backfield.

The Sun Devils wanted to run the ball better against NAU, but their running backs (Dimitri Nance, Jarrell Woods and Ryan Bass) combined for only 54 yards on 18 carries in the ballgame. ASU could have the services of starter Keegan Herring back on Saturday, and he gives the Devils big play capability.

Series history: ASU leads the all-time series 15-9, and is 9-3 vs. the Cardinal in Tempe. The Sun Devils have won 2 in a row against Stanford, and three out of the last 4 meetings. The last two games have seen the Devils win by a combined score of 79-6.

Prediction: Stanford is on the right track under Harbaugh, but the Sun Devils feel like they didn’t play their best game last week. Look for ASU to roll in this one, 38-17.