Pac 12 Championship: Stanford @ ASU

[AZ Native]

We are just being outplayed. Everyone on defense was in the middle and that is just where we went. UGGGGHHHH!!!

 

[Broseph]

Stanford is just the better team and deserves to be in the Rose Bowl. ASU is almost there as a program, but not quite yet. They are still a step below the Stanfords and the Oregons.

 

[AZ Native]

Wide receiver on a linebacker with no safety help, turn out the lights, the party's over.

 

[Broseph]

ASU getting severely out coached big time, especially on defense.

 

[Absolute Zero]

Great performance by Stanford. Outcoached and outplayed us. I thought we had a chance in the 2nd half, until Foster went out injured. Tough loss for sure.

Totally burned our blitz packages. We just didn't get to the QB anywhere near enough and Stanford made us pay over and over again.

 

[Broseph]

I am pretty surprised they got killed. I was expecting a much closer game, and I really liked ASU's chances in this game. Bottom line is ASU is still a step below the Stanfords and the Oregons, not quite there yet.

 

[Brian]

I am pretty surprised they got killed. I was expecting a much closer game, and I really liked ASU's chances in this game. Bottom line is ASU is still a step below the Stanfords and the Oregons, not quite there yet.

I agree for this year, but I think Stanford is going to come crashing down to earth next year. They lose 4/5's of that o-line, and a bunch on defense.

 

[Broseph]

I agree for this year, but I think Stanford is going to come crashing down to earth next year. They lose 4/5's of that o-line, and a bunch on defense.

Perhaps, but they have been able to reload for the past couple of seasons. ASU is losing some beasts on defense too.

 

[Covert Rain]

Standford was just a match up nightmare for ASU. There are some teams you don't match up well with and Standford had ASU's number this year.

DAMN that was a massive disappointment.

 

[82CardsGrad]

Just got back from the game. What a let-down... However, it was an amazing experience nonetheless. Got to chat with ASU alumni Michael Haynes! Very cool dude!!

The stadium was jammed and electric! It was cold, which added to the atmosphere!
When DJ broke off that long TD run to answer the long run by Gafney, the stadium blew its' top!!
However, in the end, Stanford has more talent and is far better coached. ASU was completely and utterly outclassed in every possible way - particularly coaching.
Add to that so many of our key guys had their worst games of the season. Kelly was horrendous. Strong was putrid. Our o-line as a whole was pathetic. Our secondary was pitiful. Our front 7/8 made Hogan look like Andrew Luck.
With both Grice and then Foster going out, we really never had a shot... But even if they were in, I still don't think the outcome would've been much different...
Gotta bounce back next year. Personally, I don't believe Kelly is the right QB and a proper solution for this team. I just don't...
We lack speed and talent at the WR position. Our o-line isn't big, strong or physical enough...
On defense, our d-line needs some beef and attitude, particularly with Sutton leaving...
Lots of gaps and Graham and Company will need to re-tool bigtime! Stanford will be back again - they always are... We need to find a way to match their physicality, or else...

 

[Jay Cardinal]

The game was brutal no better than the first outing in Palo Alto. But I have to say the experience was quite fun. Huge tailgate parties almost all day, just a great football atmosphere.

It will be interesting to see next year's team for both ASU and Stanford. Both have a ton of people graduating (especially from the defense). Should be wide open especially in the South.

 

[coyoteshockeyfan]

Rough night but still a great season. Time to focus on the bowl game. Go Devils

 

[Absolute Zero]

Sorry, still need to vent a bit here.

I couldn't understand why there was absolutely no containment set up on our defense on some of those Stanford runs.

All of our risk taking blitzes seemed premised upon the false premise that they were going to make a stop in the backfield. The barn door was left open though. Someone has to stay home and make sure we don't get burned, which we were again and again on pass and run plays.

Our defense did better in the second half and gave us a chance, had our offense not fallen apart. Kelly seemed very tentative all night. Sure, he didn't throw any int's, but he didn't make many plays either. Our receivers, including Strong, didn't help out with their drops and not agressively going for the ball in the air at times.

Another thing on Kelly, he didn't seem to mix up his snap counts enough. Stanford was through the line on several plays before Kelly even took a step.

Of course, it didn't help at all to lose Foster in the second half. Lewis had some good runs and hung onto the ball, but then it looked like he got banged up too.

Just a bad bad night. That score should have been a lot closer. Hats off to Stanford, they are a beast. Now they will go to the Rose Bowl and play another beastly physical team. ASU will limp into their bowl game and hopefully have enough left to finish on a positive note.

 

[Gaddabout]

Stanford's tackles vs. ASU ends was a matchup nightmare. It was one-on-one and Stanford's tackles were CRUSHING our guys, getting seal inside. They could bounce outside and get five yards downfield before seeing any ASU defender. Instead of moving the ends from 5 techniques to 7 techniques, ASU tried to bring DBs off the edge. Hogan would just audible and change sides or call max protect and go deep.

ASU has hidden weaknesses all year with the scheme. Finally caught up to them against a really smart, really physical team.

 

[Broseph]

Too bad we couldn't of gone to the Rose Bowl, I personally liked our chances against Michigan State for some reason.

 

[MaoTosiFanClub]

Just a bad bad night. That score should have been a lot closer. Hats off to Stanford, they are a beast. Now they will go to the Rose Bowl and play another beastly physical team. ASU will limp into their bowl game and hopefully have enough left to finish on a positive note.

Well you're getting a pretty bad Texas Tech team so you should grab those 11 wins. The Pac-12 bowl situation is fortunately being revamped, the matchups the conference got this year outside of the Rose are pretty bad.

Stanford is just a matchup nightmare for ASU and many other spread teams that recruit defensively more for speed than bulk. I think you guys would have had a better shot against Oregon in Eugene. And of course Stanford is really really good too. They've only lost by more than a TD three times since the end of the 2008 season. An elite program right now no doubt.

 

[82CardsGrad]

The reality is that this current ASU team, while good, does not possess near enough talent across the field. And as I've been saying all year, we lack a pure, home-run threat who can turn the game around from anywhere on the field. DJ Foster has the potential to be that guy (though, he's not nearly as fast as true game-changers you'll see on Oregon and on virtually every team in the SEC).
But that's it... Without anywhere near the physicality to match up with Stanford, our only hope was to string together a bunch of big plays - which Foster did twice! And when he went down with the knee injury on the first place of the 3rd quarter, the game was essentially iced at the very moment.

I think it actually speaks well to the job Graham did this year. IMHO, this team over-achieved. We got a break by not having to face Oregon too... but, I believe Graham got this team to play at a level pretty far above their talent level.
Kelly is a marginal at best QB. He is a fair at best pocket QB and an average to good runner. Though, in this game he put up 36 yards on 21 carries!! Ugghhh...

We don't have any "great" talent at the wideout positions. None. Strong is average to good. Foster in the slot is a very good threat. But I'd stop short of calling him anything better than "very good".
I think Coyle could've been a very good TE and remain shocked as to why he was never used more throughout the season.

Since the goal for ASU will have to be to develop a team that can compete and ultimately beat Stanford, Graham will have to find a way to beef up the O-Line (the D-Line as well), so that we don't get as destroyed at the point of attack... Stanford OWNED the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball in both games.

On defense, aside from Sutton (who got better as the season progressed) and Bradford, our front 7 is, at best, good. Coleman was decent...
But man does this area of our defense need to be re-stacked, BIGTIME, if we are ever to pose a serious threat to Stanford... Somehow, we need to be able to put up a better defense against their run without having to drop virtually our entire secondary down in the box...

Anyway, all in all it's been an incredibly successful season for the Devils by just about any measure.
The early returns on Graham's recruiting ability seem to be much more positive than negative, which hopefully leads to steady, year over year improvement.
I really don't see Stanford slowing down anytime soon. I think we're looking at a prolonged period of greatness with them... Shaw and his staff are that good. Even the strength and conditioning coach is being talked about as a genius.
So - Coach Todd Graham... Find the talent and the coaching that will get your team in a position to kick some Palo Alto butt!!!

Go Devils!!