Stanford’s offense is too much for Arizona
STANFORD, Calif. — The final test for K.J. Costello came in the pregame warmups. If he could show he could hold and throw the football, he was a go.
Being forced to stand on the sidelines for the past three weeks took its toll on the senior quarterback, who returned to Stanford’s starting lineup and led the Cardinal to a 41-31 victory over visiting Arizona on Saturday.
“It doesn’t feel good. It’s awful,” Costello said of being sidelined. “Not playing a few weeks I have to challenge myself in terms of energy.”
An energized Costello threw for 312 yards and three touchdowns after missing three games with
STAN: 4-4 overall ARI 4-4 overall
a thumb injury. He was 30 of 43 passing with no interceptions. Back-up Davis Mills, out with a calf injury, was unavailable.
“I feel a whole lot different playing than not playing. It’s everything,” Costello said. “When our offense plays the way we know we can, when we’re able to run the ball, you can see the full complexion of the offense and what
PASADENA, Calif. — Joshua Kelley scored a career-high four touchdowns and rushed for 164 yards to lead UCLA to a 42-32 victory over No. 24 Arizona State on Saturday night.
Kelley has rushed for over 100 yards in three of the past four games. The Bruins scored on five of their first six drives, including four consecutive possessions from late in the first quarter to midway in the third after it was tied at 7.
“I think when everyone in the stadium knows you are going to run it and you are still able to do it, that’s a credit to the whole group,” coach Chip Kelly said. “When Josh plays well I think we have a shot and obviously Josh played well tonight.”
Dorian Thompson-Robinson completed 16 of 23 passes for 176 yards and two touchdowns. The sophomore injured his left leg after being hit on a scramble during the fourth quarter and did not return. Coach Chip Kelly didn’t have an update on the injury after the game.
UCLA (3-5, 3-2 Pac-12) has won consecutive games for only the second time in Kelly’s two-year tenure.
“The best thing I can say is that the Baby Bruins are growing up and it’s fun to see,” Kelly said. “We still have a lot of things to work on, but they’ve gotten better week by week.”
Jayden Daniels had 338 all-purpose yards and accounted for all four touchdowns for Arizona State (5-3, 2-3). He threw for 271 yards and three fourth-quarter touchdowns, completing 20 of 29. Daniels also rushed for 67 yards, including a 1-yard sneak during the first quarter that tied it.
Eno Benjamin, who came into the game second in the Pac-12 in rushing average, was held to 46 yards on 13 carries.
“Obviously, the game didn’t start out like we anticipated,” Arizona State coach Herm Edwards said. “We fell behind and faced a big deficit, but for me it was more than just the score. It was our emotions. We didn’t handle them very good. I just felt like we had no energy early in the game.”
Kelley is averaging 135.3 yards in his last four games after mustering just 52 per game in his first three. He opened the scoring with 10:53 remaining in the first quarter on a leap over the middle from 1 yard. The touchdown came five plays after Elisha Guidry recovered Benjamin’s fumble at the Sun Devils 42.
The senior had 100 yards