Six Points: ASU gets beat down at Stanford

Let’s face it. This anticipated matchup of offense vs. defense never materialized. The Stanford Cardinal showed no signs of being a team that had lost two straight, and ran all over Arizona State 33-14.

Toby Gerhart ran for 126 yards and a touchdown, and 4 different Stanford players found the end zone in the win. Freshman quarterback Andrew Luck was nearly flawless, completing 17 of 27 passes for 236 yards, while running for 25 more.

The win pushes Stanford’s record to 5-3 overall and 4-2 in the Pac-10, while the loss drops ASU’s record to 4-3 and 2-2 in conference play.

So, what stood out in the Sun Devils’ worst loss of the season? Plenty–but here’s six points to chew on.

1

So much for a dominant defense. ASU came into Saturday’s ball game as the top overall defense in the Pac-10 and 7th in the nation. They were 2nd in all of college football against the run. Stanford apparently wasn’t impressed. Toby Gerhart ran wild on ASU, becoming the first back to gain 100 or more yards against the Devils’ defense since Arizona’s Nic Grigsby did it in the finale of 2008. But it wasn’t just Gerhart doing the damage. Stepfan Taylor averaged 11 yards per carry and scored on a 33-yard touchdown run in the 4th quarter. Jamal-Rashad Patterson had a 22-yard touchdown run–on only the 2nd touch of his college football career. And the pass defense wasn’t much better. The early season pass rush (or lack thereof) returned for the Sun Devils, as nobody laid a finger on Stanford QB Andrew Luck all night.
In fact, taking things further…ask yourself this question. Did anybody on ASU’s defense make a meaningful play all night long? Outside of linebacker Vontaze Burfict stripping Gerhart on a 4th and goal play in the 3rd quarter, that answer would be a resounding ‘no’.
All in all, it was a dreadful night for ASU’s defense; they allowed 485 yards of offense and Stanford converted on 50% (8 of 16) of their 3rd down conversions.

2

Anybody else get the feeling that the officials are targeting Burfict? After committing 3 personal foul penalties last week in a win over Washington, the freshman got flagged for two more at Stanford. The difference this week is that neither penalty on Burfict was that clear-cut. The first was a “leaping” penalty, as Burfict launched himself high in the air, to try and block a Nate Whitaker field goal attempt. Whitaker missed the field goal, but the flag gave Stanford a first down. Three plays later, Whitaker connected on a 27-yard field goal, giving the Cardinal a 10-0 lead. The second flag came in the 2nd quarter when Burfict tackled Stanford fullback Owen Marecic after a 27-yard gain. As Burfict made the tackle, Marecic’s helmet flew off of his head, drawing an unnecessary roughness penalty. Even Fox Sports Net color commentator Petros Papadakis asked the question “what is he supposed to do?” After the 15 yards were tacked on, Stanford had the ball first and goal at the ASU 9-yard line. Two plays later, Gerhart scored to make the score 17-0.
Two things are for certain. One, any close or questionable play by Burfict is going to draw a flag from the officials. Secondly, Burfict’s penalties tonight directly led to 10 Stanford points, and until he can control himself on the football field, maybe he should be watching from the sidelines. ASU’s defense, despite their performance on Saturday, is good. But the Sun Devil offense is not nearly good enough to overcome ten gift points.

3

The offensive problems are not all on the quarterback. Don’t get me wrong–ASU’s quarterbacks are below average at best. Danny Sullivan missed a number of open receivers, and Brock Osweiler struggled as well (although he didn’t get much help from an offensive line that stopped blocking and a receiving corps that stopped catching). But the play calling mixed with a conservative approach, and a lack of playmakers make this year’s Sun Devil offense about as interesting to watch as paint drying.

4

The Devils aren’t exactly helping themselves on kickoff returns. If you take away Omar Bolden’s 89-yard kickoff return for a touchdown against Idaho State, the Sun Devils are averaging 19.4 yards per kickoff return in 2009. Freshman Jamal Miles got plenty of opportunities (7 to be exact) on Saturday, and averaged just over 20 yards per kickoff return.

5

“Zoinks, Danny!” Danny Sullivan was actually pretty effective on the scramble on Saturday (although he slid short of a first down on a second half run). Sullivan gained 23 yards on 2 carries, including a 16-yard scamper in the 2nd quarter. But honestly, have you ever seen a more awkward running style from a quarterback? He’s almost completely hunched over, bringing to mind visions of Norville “Shaggy” Rogers running away from ghosts at the haunted amusement park.

6

Yuck. That’s all.

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