ASU prevailed 41-3 in last year's contest but expect to see a much different
Stanford team, one that's found a mojo, this weekend in Tempe.
2008 Record: 1-0 (1-0 Pac-10)
Head Coach: Jim Harbaugh
OFFENSE
*Projected Starters
WR Richard Sherman, JR
LT Ben Muth, SR
LG Chase Beeler, JR
C Alex Fletcher, SR
RG Andrew Phillips, JR
RT Chris Marinelli, SR
TE Austin Gunder, SR
QB Tavita Pritchard, SR
RB Toby Gerhart, JR
FB Owen Marecic, SO
WR Doug Baldwin, SO
Highlighting last week's win over the Beavers was an impressive
147-yard rushing performance by Toby Gerhart. The junior running back
has registered 292 yards and three touchdowns in his last two games
played. Gerhart, whose younger brother Garth plays center for the Sun
Devils, was on his way toward a promising season in 2007 before a knee
injury sidelined him for the year. Joining him in the backfield will be
Anthony Kimble, a fifth-year senior. Kimble has led the team in rushing
in each of the last two seasons and gives the Cardinal an experienced
option to pair with Gerhart's strong running style. Kimble
gained 49 yards and one touchdown last week against Oregon State.
The battle at quarterback was among the hottest topics in Palo Alto
during spring drills and on into fall camp. Tavita Pritchard was
eventually given the starting nod prior to the season-opener but
reserve Alex Loukas was not officially ruled out of the picture just
yet. Loukas, a junior, saw a handful of snaps in hopes that his
athleticism would provide a spark. Pritchard is slated to start again
after throwing for 91 yards and one touchdown on 10 of 17 passing
attempts in last week's win. Despite those modest numbers, Pritchard is
3-5 as Stanford's starter, including the Cardinal's upset of USC in the
Coliseum last fall.
Entering his third year on The Farm, Richard Sherman returns as the
leader of a young receiving corps. Sherman has led the team in
receiving yards over the last two seasons and has a career total of
1,246 yards. Sophomore Doug Baldwin is slated to start alongside
Sherman after making his first career start last week. Former walk-on
Ryan Whalen paced all receivers in the season-opener with three catches
for 30 yards. Tight ends Austin Gunder and Coby Fleener round out
Pritchard's main receiving targets.
DEFENSE
*Projected Starters
DE Pannel Egboh, SR
DT Brian Bulcke, JR
NT Ekom Udofia, SR
DE Erik Lorig, SR
SAM Clinton Snyder, SR
MIKE Chike Amajoyi, SO
WILL Pat Maynor, SR
FS Taylor Skaufel, SO
SS Bo McNally, SR
CB Wopamo Osaisai, SR
CB Kris Evans, SR
Up front, Stanford has a pair of solid defensive ends in seniors Pannel
Egboh and Erik Lorig. Egboh has collected 21.5 tackles for a loss in
his career and is looking to become one of the conference's top pass
rushers after notching six sacks as a junior. Lorig collected four
tackles against the Beavers and is generally solid defending the run.
Former Valley prep star Ekom Udofia will make his 20th start at nose
tackle this Saturday alongside junior Brian Bulcke. Udofia is a
standout in run defense as well.
Outside linebackers Clinton Snyder and Pat Maynor are among those on
the Butkus Award watch list, an annual award presented to the country's
top linebacker. Snyder has notched 181 tackles and 10 sacks in his
career on The Farm. Maynor finished with seven tackles and one sack
last week against the Beavers. The two linebackers have a total of 44
career starts between them. Chike Amajoyi was originally recruited as a
running back but has made a nice transition to middle linebacker.
Amajoyi had a very successful freshman campaign last fall with 47
tackles and four sacks, which culminated in a Pac-10 All-Freshman Team
selection by The Sporting News.
A pair of senior playmakers anchor the defensive secondary for the
Cardinal. Bo McNally returns after leading the Pac-10 in tackles last
season with 114 stops. The strong safety has a nose for the ball and
will likely have his name called quite a bit this Saturday. Cornerback
Wopamo Osaisai, the Pac-10's reigning 100m champion, led the team in
tackles last week with 11. Consequently, the senior was named as the
Pac-10 Defensive Player of the Week for his efforts. McNally is paired
with sophomore Taylor Skaufel while Kris Evans will line up at the
corner spot opposite Osasai. Skaufel sealed the Cardinal win over
Oregon State last week with his hit on receiver Darrell Catchings,
which forced a fumble on the Stanford 1-yard line. Evans, a senior,
collected his first career interception against the Beavers as well.
SPECIAL TEAMS
PK Aaron Zagory, SR
P David Green, SO
KR Corey Gatewood, SO
PR Doug Baldwin, SO
Fifth-year senior Aaron Zagory is Stanford's newest scholarship player
after Harbaugh awarded the former walk-on a full ride during fall
camp. The placekicker hit two of his three attempts in the season
opener, including a career-best 42-yard field goal. Zagory's name may
be somewhat familiar as he handled the placekicking duties in 2006
before losing the job to Derek Belch last season. Punter David Green
made his debut against Oregon State by averaging 45 yards on five
punts, which was an impressive start to his Cardinal career.
The return game posted modest numbers in the season-opener. Corey
Gatewood averaged 18 yards on six kickoff returns while Doug Baldwin
fielded one punt for a 2-yard return.
KEYS TO VICTORY FOR ARIZONA STATE
--Stop the Run: Stanford will rely on the ground game quite a bit if
last week's numbers are any indication of things to come. The Cardinal
had just 17 pass attempts compared to 48 rushing attempts in their win
over Oregon State. Limit the run and force Stanford out of their
comfort zone.
--Heavy Dose of Rudy: Against a suspect Stanford secondary Rudy Carpenter will have a shot at a big day as long his protection holds up against the Cardinal’s formidable front seven. The retooled offensive line gave up just one sack to NAU, which was a nice start, but they will have their hands full on Saturday.
--Start Strong: The sooner you can take the wind out of the Cardinal's
proverbial sails the better. Stanford is an opportunistic squad and can
take advantage of opponents' miscues so set the tone early on.
KEYS TO VICTORY FOR STANFORD
--Win the Turnover Battle: Stanford was +3 in the turnover column in
last week’s win over Oregon State. The team was +3 overall last season,
which was a huge boost from the previous year's mark of -11. Turnovers
have played a huge role in turning the program around.
--Run the Ball Effectively: With consistency an issue at quarterback,
the Cardinal are likely to go to the ground game early and often. An effective run
game keeps the Arizona State offense off the field longer and, perhaps
more importantly, keeps the pressure off the quarterback and his young
receivers.
--Create Big Plays: There's no better way for an underdog on the road
to pull the upset than getting the home team and fans to start doubting
things. Whether it's from the defense or special teams, when the
Cardinal can create big plays, their chances of winning increase
exponentially.
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