ASU football

“Arizona State’s challenge is to get Stanford into as many third-and-5-plusses as possible,” Pac-12 Networks analyst Rick Neuheisel said.

Four times this season — in victories over San Jose State, Oregon, California and Notre Dame — Stanford converted 60 percent of its third downs.

Its four worst performances on third down: vs. Washington (28.6), at Utah (46.1), at Oregon State (22.2) and USC(33.3). The Cardinal lost two of those contests — Utah and USC — and had to hold on in the fourth quarter to win the other two.

When things go right for Stanford, this is how it unfolds: In the Cardinal’s Nov. 7 victory over Oregon, quarterback Kevin Hogan threw just13 times, a season low. Instead, they controlled the line of scrimmage. Stanford lined up 21 times on third down. It needed 3 or fewer yards on 11 of those plays. The Cardinal converted eight of those chances and 66.7 percent of their total third downs.

When things go wrong, it looks more like this: In the second half of Stanford’s Oct. 12 loss at Utah, the Cardinal lined up on third down seven times. Only once did they need 3 or fewer yards for a first down. In their Nov. 21loss at USC, it was just as bad. Stanford faced five third-down situations in the second half. Four times, the Cardinal needed 5 or more yards for a first down. They converted just once.

“What they’re going to do is pound and pound and pound, and they’re going to find ways to get angles and advantages, putting big guys on smaller guys by virtue of (switching) formations and unbalanced sets,” Neuheisel said. “… In a phone booth, which is where they want you to play, they’re as good as anybody.”

This was a challenge for ASU in its Sept. 21 loss at Stanford, and it likely will be again Saturday. Through 12 games, the Sun Devils rank 31st nationally in third-down defense, allowing opponents to convert 35.7 percent. In the teams’ first meeting, Stanford converted 7 of 15, but that’s misleading. Entering the fourth quarter, the Cardinal were 7 of 11.

“They’re just a force in the run game,” ASU coach Todd Graham said. “Their offensive line is really good, and (running back) Tyler Gaffney is just a workhorse.”

Gaffney, a senior, averaged 18 carries in Stanford’s first six games, the sixth being the Utah loss. In the final six, he averaged 29. That’s not an accident.

“It’s what all coaches do,” Neuheisel said. “When things go awry they go back to what they know. They go back to the basics, their fundamentals. And that is exactly what Stanford has done.”