Sun Devils dominate Stanford, improve to 5-0

PALO ALTO, Calif. - The Arizona State football team sported a new look on Saturday, and not just with the maroon pants that the Sun Devils have not worn in at least three years.

SLIDESHOW: View photos from the game

A 41-3 victory at Stanford gave this ASU squad the appearance of a winner in a setting — a Pac-10 game in the state of California — where it had been ugly since 1999.

“Coach (Dennis) Erickson saw a picture on the wall of one of our guys in maroon pants a few years ago,” quarterback Rudy Carpenter said. “He felt they looked really good. We didn’t even know we were going to wear them until we saw them in our lockers.”

A 14-game losing streak in conference contests played west of the Colorado River came to a satisfying end.

How satisfying? College football’s tectonic plates shifted this weekend, with five top-10 schools losing, and No. 1 Southern California getting a scare at Washington. Circumstances dictated that the Sun Devils, ranked 23rd by the Associated Press and 25th by USA Today (coaches), could be ripe for an upset.

Not a chance.

“We’re 5-0,” defensive end Dexter Davis said. “You can’t complain.”

The Sun Devils (5-0 overall, 2-0 Pac-10) limited the Cardinal to minus-2 net rushing yards, ASU's best effort since 1996 (** NOTE: This story has been corrected. An earlier published version said .... etc. The minus-2 net rushing yards is the Sun Devils’ best only since 1996. ASU held San Jose State to minus-107 rushing yards in 1968, and there are at least four other game totals lower than what it surrendered on Saturday).

. Their offense, confused in the early going by Stanford’s daring variety of blitzes, wore down the opposing defense to the tune of 440 total yards.

Receiver Rudy Burgess accounted for 137 of the yards on seven catches, including a 62-yard touchdown reception in the second quarter that shifted the momentum permanently in ASU’s favor.

Up to that point, the Sun Devils could only manage two field goals by Thomas Weber, but the Burgess score (and a two-point conversion) gave them a 14-0 lead. On the next offensive play for Stanford (1-3, 0-3), true freshman Omar Bolden returned an interception 29 yards for a touchdown, and that was that.

“We played great on defense, what can you say?” Erickson said. “When you hold somebody to minus-2 rushing, although there were some sacks involved in that, you can’t ask for much more. (The defense) gave us opportunities early, when we weren’t moving the ball well.”

The Cardinal came into Saturday with a productive offense, thanks in part to running back Anthony Kimble. However, the Sun Devils turned Stanford into a one-dimensional offense, holding Kimble to 20 yards.

The minus-2 team total is the first time an ASU squad has left an opponent in the rushing red. The previous low was 5 yards allowed against California on Nov. 9, 1996.

“They did an excellent job of shutting down our run,” Cardinal coach Jim Harbaugh said. “I thought it was overall ineffectiveness on our part. We did not execute very well and perform the way we know we can.”

Stanford quarterback T.C. Ostrander completed 20 passes for 237 yards but was sacked five times.

Carpenter was sacked six times, five in the first half as the Cardinal blitzed.

“We didn’t think they would blitz as much as they did,” Carpenter said. “I was a little confused.”

But Stanford’s defensive success was fleeting as fatigue set in.

ASU running back Ryan Torain had 103 yards rushing, reaching triple digits for the second time this season. Carpenter completed 20 of 27 passes for 259 yards with a touchdown and interception.

Running backs Dimitri Nance and Keegan Herring had fourth-quarter scoring runs; Weber four field goals.