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Stanford controlled the ball on the offensive, preventing big games in defense. The Cardinal has set up two score keys and limited the chances of a return to the Arizona State.
It's just the way Stanford wins the matches – and what the Cardinal needed after two consecutive defeats.
K.J. Costello racked up 231 yards and a touchdown, and Stanford remained in the heat of the North Division Pac-12 action with a 20-13 win over Arizona State on Thursday night.
"We could have played better, obviously, but for us, that's the way we needed to win this football game," said Stanford coach David Shaw. "What we have done in the last two games has not been a chance, we have given ourselves a chance today."
Stanford dropped the playoffs and the Pac-12 North lead to defeat against Notre Dame and Utah, No. 4.
Arizona State may not have been a match to win, but the cardinal could certainly have used it after being beaten by a combined score of 68-38 in the previous two games.
Stanford (5-2, 3-1) needed a half-time to get his attack off the pace of the break, scoring two goals in the first half. In the third quarter, the cardinal made an impressive pass and had a 16-minute advantage over the possession of the ball to equalize the 14th in Washington at the top of the Pac-12 North.
Arizona State (3-4, 1-3) scored a goal in the first half before Manny Wilkins rushed for a 10-yard touchdown in the fourth to shoot the Sun Devils at 20-13.
Arizona State recovered the ball on its own 16-yard line with 2:20 to go, but failed to break away from a last game against 20 at Stanford after a short win.
Wilkins racked up 353 yards, but the Sun Devils returned three times, including one on a missing crease, to lose for the fourth time in five games.
"We were in a position to score points and the turnarounds hurt us," said Arizona State coach Herm Edwards. "We can not do that against a good football team and Stanford is a good football team, there is no doubt about it."
Neither of the two offensives could gain much traction in the first half.
Arizona State had a good late strike, but failed in the attack when receiver Keal Harry failed to reverse the back of his hand and was intercepted at 11 am at Stanford.
The cardinal appeared to have hit a goal when Cameron Scarlett turned a screen pass into a 59-yard score, but he was recalled on a penalty penalty.
Jet Toner scored its second goal in the game, starting 31 yards in the final half game to give Stanford a 6-2 lead.
"The three points we gave them, the interception in the red zone, you pick up those games, you get an investment or touchdown, it's a different ball game," Wilkins said.
Arizona State opened the second half with Brandon Ruiz's second goal.
Stanford began by dominating the Sun Devils on a pair of long drives to take control.
Costello hit JJ Arcega-Whiteside on a 28-yard touchdown pass in the first practice, and Scarlett scored on a 1-meter dive to give the Cardinal a 20-6 lead.
"We ran the ball against a team that was really tough, but we pitched the ball when we needed it and made big plays," Shaw said.
L & # 39; boarding
Stanford still has control of the Pac-12 North with an impressive victory on the road that prevented the cardinal from winning his first three-game losing streak in eight seasons with his coach Shaw.
The Sun Devils have now won three of their last six games to become eligible for the cup in their first season under Edwards. It will not be easy, there are still games on the road against USC, Oregon and Arizona.
LOVE RETURNS
Stanford's offensive midfielder Bryce Love returned after missing Utah's match due to an injury to his left ankle. He was not in full health against the Sun Devils, but he showed explosions before Shaw decided to take him out in the second half.
Love finished with 21 yards in 11 races.
"Once it got warm, it cleared, there were some really impressive 4 or 5 yard races," Shaw said. "The explosiveness in the short areas was impressive."
FOLLOWING
Stanford hosts Washington state next Saturday.
Arizona State plays in southern California next Saturday.
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