After a week off to revel in its Hail Mary win over USC, Arizona State returns to action vs. Stanford on Saturday night. The Sun Devils enjoyed their bye while the Cardinal enjoyed a strong defensive performance in a win over Washington State and its vaunted Air Raid offense. It all sets up an enticing Pac-12 matchup for Saturday.
How to watch Stanford vs. Arizona State: Game guide, TV schedule, streaming, odds
After a week off, the Sun Devils look to continue their Pac-12 magic vs. the Cardinal.
At the forefront of the matchup is Stanford's defense, which remains tops in scoring defense with just 10.0 points allowed per game, against Arizona State's aerial attack, which ranks ninth with 340.4 passing yards per game. ASU quarterback Taylor Kelly could play for the first time since Sept. 13, when he went down with a right foot injury. Mike Bercovici has been a fine replacement, throwing for 488 yards vs. UCLA and 510 vs. USC, tossing eight touchdowns to two interceptions along the way. It seems like that Bercovici will start once again, but that's not yet official -- and likely won't be before kickoff -- so Stanford will have to prepare for two different quarterbacks.
Stanford’s offense should also enter the weekend confident considering it outgained that Wazzu air attack 477-266 last weekend. Quarterback Kevin Hogan rebounded nicely from a two-interception performance in a loss to Notre Dame, going 23-of-35 for 284 yards, three touchdowns and zero picks. If Stanford can continue getting just enough from its rushing attack, this game should be very close.
How to watch, listen, and stream
Game time: 10:30 p.m. ET
TV: ESPN
Radio: Arizona State, Stanford
Online streaming: WatchESPN
Our sites on these teams
The numbers
Rankings and records: Arizona State is 4-1 (2-1 Pac-12), and ranked No. 17 in the AP Top 25 and No. 18 in the USA Today Coaches Poll. Stanford is 4-2 (2-1 Pac-12), and ranked No. 23 in the AP and No. 20 in the Coaches Poll.
Vegas: Stanford opened as a 4.5-point favorite and is now a three-point favorite. The over/under is set at 53.5.
Weather forecast: Mostly sunny, high of 90 and low of 65.
Two things at stake
In a deep Pac-12 where no team remains undefeated, obviously neither team can afford conference losses at this point. Stanford’s tied with Oregon atop the North Division at 2-1, while Arizona State and Arizona are both also 2-1 and one half-game behind USC.
One big matchup
Arizona State’s passing game vs. Stanford’s defense. If Bercovici and, likely, Kelly are able to crack that Cardinal defense, the potential for a Sun Devils upset is ripe. Again, that won’t be easy: Stanford’s passing defense ranks fourth with 138.2 yards allowed per game and has forced as many interceptions as it has allowed touchdowns (five). Regarding pass rush, Arizona State is only allowing 1.4 sacks per game, while Stanford averages 2.8 per. Whichever unit breaks could decide the game.
Further reading
For more on Arizona State, head over to House of Sparky. For more on Stanford, check out Rule of Tree.
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