ESPN College Football

Not to get Biblical on you, but the Arizona State Sun Devils -- Devils! -- are embracing their sinister side for their showdown Saturday against Notre Dame in Cowboys Stadium.

The Sun Devils will don black uniforms with helmets decorated with wild-looking flames -- hellfire? -- against the Fighting Irish, who will be wearing angelic white.

Of course, this isn't a battle of good and evil. It's just two teams embracing the marketplace ideology of branding in college football.

"We wanted to do something unique obviously to Arizona State, so the flames we thought were pretty cool and we put the flames on the back, we obviously want to use our brand," said Arizona State coach Todd Graham, who was involved in the design and noted that every helmet will be different.

The Sun Devils are, er, on fire after a blowout win over USC, while Notre Dame is coming off a loss to Oklahoma and is a disappointing 3-2 after going unbeaten and playing for the national title a season ago. If the Sun Devils can pull off the win and start 4-1 against a rugged early slate, they will enter the meat of the Pac-12 schedule with plenty of momentum and confidence.

Moreover, they can make history. No team has ever beaten USC and Notre Dame, two of the nation's most storied programs, back-to-back.

But while Graham is glad to talk about attention-grabbing uniforms and history, neither is his central focus. There have been two downers so far this year for Arizona State: (1) The first half at Stanford; (2) The Sun Devils' run defense, which ranks 11th in the conference, yielding 192 yards per game.

When asked about what the problems were against the run, Graham, not known for being laconic in any event, went on with a nearly 500-word answer during his Monday news conference. This story is just over 732 words.

"I am answering long because this is the number one thing that we have to do to win a championship," he said. "This has got to get better and I think it can. That is our number one focus."

Graham said that the chief problem was players getting out of position. He said there were 15 misalignments for the defense against the Trojans, who rushed for 247 yards on Saturday. He also said the biggest plays are coming on the perimeter, not up the middle. Part of the problem against USC was noseguard Jaxon Hood being out. He's questionable-to-doubtful for the Notre Dame game.

The good news for that run defense, however, is the Fighting Irish's struggles on offense. They rank 85th in the nation in scoring (25.4 points per game) and 93rd in rushing offense (135.5 yards per game).

But even the Irish's vaunted defense has been only mediocre. It has yielded 23.8 points and 364 yards per game, numbers that rank 46th and 53rd in the nation.

It's worth noting that both teams have played tough opponents, so the early-season statistics might be slightly skewed. But in the preseason, the Sun Devils looked like underdogs for this game. Now they are 5 1/2-point favorites.

This game also will be another test for the Sun Devils learning to play better on the road, most particularly QB Taylor Kelly. Though this game is technically being played at a neutral site, Irish fans will far outnumber the ASU loyalists. The Sun Devils are 3-4 on the road under Graham, and two of the 2012 road wins were over woeful California and Colorado. The lone quality road win was at rival Arizona last year.

Further, Kelly is a decidedly better QB at home. His rating this season is 156.6 at home and 121.3 on the road (at Stanford, perhaps the Pac-12's best defense). Last season, he was 198.7 at home and 127.6 on the road.

"You could probably take any quarterback and they would have the same stats," Graham said before adding, "If you want to win a championship you have got to win on the road."

Graham was quick to point out that the Pac-12 schedule has more importance for the Sun Devils. But he also knows that lining up opposite Notre Dame means you'll be performing in front of a lot of eyeballs.

Winning is the most important part of branding.

"Is it more important than the Pac-12 games? No, it is not," Graham said. "That is how we emphasize it to our players. But it is very important to our fan base, very important to our football program."

ESPN.com's Kevin Gemmell discusses one good thing in the Pac-12: the conference has five teams ranked in the top 25 and four in the top 15.

Taking stock of Week 5 in the Pac-12.

Team of the week: Arizona State’s home victory over USC was an announcement to the rest of the country that the Sun Devils deserve to be ranked, and the country responded by putting ASU back in the Top 25 at No. 22. More important than national perception, however, is that the Sun Devils didn’t fall to 0-2 in conference play, which would have been devastating for the team’s season-long goals. They picked up a South Division win and are still in control of their destiny in the division. One last nonconference game next week against Notre Dame and then it’s all league games the rest of the way -- including a pivotal Oct. 19 game against Washington and the all-important No. 23 game at UCLA.

Best game: In a week where the average margin of victory was 29 points in the five games, the “closest” was Washington’s 18-point victory over visiting Arizona. But there was a sense Washington was in control all 60 minutes. Oregon was fun to watch simply for the fact that not even Mother Nature could play defense against the Ducks. Stanford was fun to watch because the Cardinal looked explosive. Oregon State was fun to watch because it was a complete performance. But the ASU-USC game probably had the most drama. We had an idea of what was at stake, and even when USC cut it to 48-34 with 9:54 left in the game, there was still that lingering thought that maybe it wasn’t over. Of course, ASU scored two more touchdowns to put it away. And the end result was Lane Kiffin’s dismissal.

Biggest play: After USC took a 21-20 lead in the opening minute of the second half, the Sun Devils responded 21 seconds later with a 74-yard touchdown from Taylor Kelly to D.J. Foster. But that wasn’t the biggest play. On USC’s next series, less than a minute later, Alden Darby jumped a Cody Kessler pass and returned it 46 yards for a score, giving the Sun Devils a 34-21 lead less than two minutes into the third quarter. He had two picks on the day, and the pick-six was a massive momentum swing, and it happened while Pat Haden and USC decision-makers were huddling to decide Kiffin’s future.

Offensive standout: Tough to ignore the kind of numbers Sean Mannion is putting up. After matching a school record two weeks ago at Utah with five touchdown passes, he surpassed the record by throwing for six touchdowns and 414 yards in the blowout win over Colorado. He did have an interception, but only because his receiver’s hands and chest got in the way and it was tipped in the air. Mannion now has 21 touchdowns on the year to just two picks.

Defensive standout: Has to be Darby, who totaled seven tackles to go with his two interceptions and a fumble recovery. Defensive standout 1B goes to Stanford’s Trent Murphy. Is there any outside linebacker with better hands? Or does he only show them off at CenturyLink Field? Saturday he intercepted a point-blank pass in the backfield from Austin Apodaca and returned it 30 yards for a touchdown. If that looked familiar, he did the same thing last year at the CLink against Washington.

Special teams standout: With four games in the Pacific Northwest Saturday, weather was dominant storyline when it came to special teams. We saw numerous fumbles, bad snaps and weather-induced wackiness. But there was nothing wacky about Oregon’s Bralon Addison, who returned two punts for touchdowns. The first was a 75-yard return in the second quarter that was pure sideline speed. The second, a 67-yard return, required a little more dancing and cutting -- and avoiding being knocked down by his teammate before the play even got started.

Smiley face: The Pac-12 once again has five teams ranked in the Top 25 in both polls with ASU’s victory over USC. And Oregon State is receiving votes in the coaches poll.

Frowny face: Injuries always get a frowny face -- and Saturday saw two of the league’s superstars go down with injuries. Oregon’s De’Anthony Thomas was injured on the kickoff and didn’t return. And USC wide receiver Marqise Lee suffered a knee injury that hopefully looked worse than it really is.

Thought of the week: The Beavers are back, sort of. Oregon State finally strung together a game where its defense matched the offense. And Colorado is a much-improved team from last season. Are the Buffs bowl bound? Probably not. But they aren’t the Buffs of last year, which gives a little credence to Oregon State’s dominating performance. The initial thought was that the Beavers would be 7-0 or 6-1 heading into their Oct. 26 showdown with Stanford. And they might still be (though Washington State isn’t going to make it easy). Not suggesting you go all-in on the Beavers. Remember, they are only a week removed from a miraculous win over San Diego State. But don't sell just yet, either.

Question of the week: The Trojans have a bye week to patch holes and put “Operation: Changing Lanes” in action. Do they look to an NFL name or a college name? UCLA is showing that a former NFL coach can have success in Los Angeles, even if he’s not an alumnus. USC is an attractive gig, and you can bet there were a lot of back-channel phone calls going out over the past 72 hours.

So who deserves a helmet sticker for a job well done?

Brandin Cooks, WR, Oregon State: Cooks was the best player on the field in Corvallis, decisively winning his battle with Colorado WR Paul Richardson in the Beavers' 44-17 victory. Cooks caught nine passes for 168 yards (18.7 yards per catch) with two touchdowns. He also rushed five times for 47 yards.

Sean Mannion, QB, Oregon State: Cooks was brilliant, but Mannion was also stellar, throwing six touchdown passes, a new team record. He completed 27 of 52 passes for 414 yards with an interception in the blowout win. That pick, by the way, bounced off the chest of his receiver, so it shouldn't count against him.

Bishop Sankey, RB, Washington: Sankey set a school record with 40 carries in the Huskies' 31-13 win over Arizona. He gained 161 tough yards and scored a TD.

Taylor Kelly, QB, Arizona State: Kelly completed 23 of 34 passes for 351 yards with three touchdowns and an interception in the Sun Devils' 62-41 win over USC. He also rushed for 79 yards on just four carries -- 19.8 yards per pop.

Alden Darby, S, Arizona State: Darby had two interceptions against USC, including one he returned 46 yards for a touchdown. He also forced and recovered a fumble and tied for second on the Sun Devils with seven total tackles

Bralon Addison, PR, Oregon: Addison returned two punts for touchdowns against California, the first for 75 yards and the second for 67 yards.

Devon Cajuste, WR, Stanford: The big receiver was the star of the Cardinal's new downfield passing game. He caught four passes for 115 yards in their 55-17 win over Washington State, including touchdowns of 57 and 33 yards.

Arizona State safety Alden Darby talks about the Sun Devils' blowout win over USC.

TEMPE, Ariz. -- While it's still early in the season according to the calendar, it's difficult not to feel USC's visit to Arizona State is a must-win game for both teams. Both teams had preseason aspirations to win the South Division. Both are 0-1 in Pac-12 play. Neither can afford to fall to 0-2.

The greatest pressure is on USC coach Lane Kiffin. He sits on the hottest seat in the nation. While USC's defense has been outstanding under new coordinator Clancy Pendergast, its offense has been horrendous. And Kiffin is in charge of the offense. The Trojans, despite the presence of All-American receiver and Biletnikoff winner Marqise Lee, have been unable to consistently throw the ball. More accurately, they've struggled to even be mediocre doing it.

Arizona State is probably going to try to make USC QB Cody Kessler win the game with his arm. The problem with that is the Sun Devils' run defense is not a strength. It's yielded 174 yards per game, which ranks 11th in the conference.

Then there's the Sun Devils offense, which surged in the fourth quarter last week at Stanford. But that only happened when ASU was hopelessly down 39-7 after three quarters. Still, quarterback Taylor Kelly and receiver Jaelen Strong made some plays downfield, something that was missing from the Sun Devils offense last year.

A downfield threat might open up the Sun Devils running game, which has been surprisingly mediocre thus far. They are averaging just 2.9 yards per carry. Sure, Wisconsin and Stanford offered up strong run defense. But the Sun Devils opened the season believing they could run on anyone.

USC's run defense, however, ranks tops in the conference and third in the nation. The going won't be any easier tonight.

The Trojans have owned this series. They are 12-1 against the Sun Devils since 2000, including a 38-17 win last year. But their last meeting in Sun Devil Stadium was a 43-22 Arizona State victory.

If USC can pull off the win, some of the anti-Kiffin chatter will die down. It then gets a week off to try to solve the offensive woes before playing host to Arizona on Thursday, Oct. 10.

If Arizona State wins, it positions itself well in the South race as it heads to Texas to take on Notre Dame. The Sun Devils then might look like UCLA's top competition in the division.

The bottom line is the winner will remain in good position to still realize its preseason goals. The loser will not.

Pretty much every team plays true freshmen. But how much of an impact are those freshmen having on the game? Through four weeks, some have made immediate impacts. Others have seen some mop-up time. Across the ESPN blogosphere this morning, we’re looking at the five teams in each conference who have had freshmen make the greatest impacts on their team.

1. California: The quarterback is the most important position, and anytime you have a true freshman playing quarterback, it’s going to have a significant impact on the outcome of the game. So far, quarterback Jared Goff has risen to the occasion, even if it hasn’t translated into wins for the Bears. He leads the country in total offense. He’s completing 61 percent of his passes (103-of-168) and has seven touchdowns to four interceptions. Goff is one of seven true freshmen who have seen time for the Bears. Running back Khalfani Muhammad is tied for second on the team with 21 carries (97 yards, one touchdown).

2. UCLA: The Bruins have played 16 true freshmen so far, which, as of last week, was second in the country only to Texas A&M. Linebacker Myles Jack has had the biggest impact with 14 tackles, including two for a loss and a team-high four pass breakups. They are also getting good production from Eddie Vanderdoes, who had two tackles for a loss against New Mexico State, and offensive lineman Alex Redmond has started all three games at guard.

3. USC: The Trojans have gotten impact performances on both sides of the ball from their freshmen. Seven have seen the field for the Trojans. Safety Su’a Cravens has been as advertised so far with 18 tackles, half a tackle for a loss, and an interception. With Silas Redd out, running back Justin Davis has supplemented Tre Madden nicely. In four games, Davis has rushed for 189 yards and two touchdowns, averaging 47.2 yards per game and a team-high 5.9 yards per carry.

4. Washington State: The Cougars have gotten quality -- not necessary quantity -- out of their true freshmen. They have only played four. But two of them are getting quality playing time and making significant contributions. Cornerback Daquawn Brown made his first career start against USC and posted a team high 11 tackles while breaking up two passes. He also had an interception against Southern Utah. Wide receiver River Cracraft is fourth on the team with 10 catches for 111 yards.

5. Colorado: The Buffs aren’t going as young as they did last year, but they are still getting production from their rookies. And they have found something special in linebacker Addison Gillam. Through two games he’s the Buffs leading tackler with 20 stops -- including a sack, two tackles for a loss and five stops on third down. He also blocked a punt. Defensive end Jimmie Gilbert should also continue to see time. In 64 snaps he has three tackles and a sack.

Honorable mentions

These guys have been impactful, but chances are their teams would still have had success if they weren’t on the field based on quality of competition and/or depth at a position. But their contributions shouldn’t be overlooked.

• Oregon TE John Mundt: Five catches for 121 yards and two touchdowns.
• Oregon RB Thomas Tyner: 12 carries for 80 yards and three touchdowns.
• Arizona LB Scooby Wright: 13 tackles, three for a loss.
• Oregon State KR Victor Bolden: 19 returns, 365 yards, 19.2 average.
• Utah LS Chase Dominguez: Haven’t heard his name before? Good. You shouldn’t. He’s a long snapper.
• Arizona State K Zane Gonzalez: Has converted 4 of 7 field goals with a long of 40 and is 3-4 inside 40 yards. 13 of 13 on PATs.
• Washington KR John Ross: Six kick returns for 112 yards (18.7 average). Three punt returns for 16 yards (5.3 average).

USC and Arizona State have plenty in common as they prepare for their meeting on Saturday. For one, they both have experienced the red-hot blowback of negative national publicity.

USC opened the season with coach Lane Kiffin sitting on one of the nation's hottest seats. The Trojans, however, looked like a team with enough talent to silence doubters and again change the negative Kiffin narrative. That all changed after the 10-7 home defeat to Washington State on Sept. 7. That game featured the most miserable offensive performance the Trojans have posted in over a decade and was capped by "Fire Kiffin!" chants in the LA Coliseum.

Two consecutive wins, an impressive 35-7 victory over Boston College and a lackluster showing -- at least on offense -- against Utah State, haven't cooled things down much for Kiffin.

The Sun Devils? Their victory over Wisconsin vaulted them into the national rankings, but the mind-blowing endgame gaffe by the Pac-12 officiating crew threw the positives in the background. Then they turned in a miserable performance for the first three quarters at Stanford, a strong fourth quarter doing little to change the perception that they face planted in a game when the program could have made a national statement.

But the programs share two things that are far more important than experiencing media and fan blowback. Such as: 1. Both play in the Pac-12 South Division; 2. Both don't want to start the conference schedule 0-2.

Low moments and controversy during the season's first quarter? Fine. Get over it. Or potentially see the season go splat.

"You put it behind you and move forward," Arizona State coach Todd Graham said. "Obviously, it's USC, so it doesn't make it that hard. These guys know how important this game is."

The winner of this game keeps itself square in the South Division race. The loser will face a major uphill climb going forward to get back into it. And for Kiffin a loss could begin in earnest his slog toward termination.

For his part, Kiffin is trying to keep the negative noise out of the locker room and his own mind's eye. He's not even willing to consider the big-picture implications for a victory. His priority Tuesday was that day's practice.

"We don't look down the road that far," he said. "We're worried about right now."

Chief of those "right now" worries is his offense. After the dreary performance against the Cougars, the Trojans seemed to find their rhythm against Boston College. But they managed to gain just 282 yards against the Aggies, with the passing game again feckless.

Part of that was QB Cody Kessler and WR Marqise Lee being banged up.

"I thought we started OK and had some movement going on there and some balance," Kiffin said. "Then Cody took a pretty big hit on his hand. From there, his numbers dramatically changed. He was not able to grip the ball [and had] accuracy issues."

Kessler started 10 of 15 for 125 yards. He finished 3 of 12 for 39 yards. Lee caught six passes for 72 yards, but again didn't seem in sync with Kessler.

The Trojans defense doesn't seem to need too much help. It's fourth in the nation in total defense, 11th in scoring defense and second in yards per play. Maybe it all comes together for the offense in Sun Devil Stadium?

“Offensively, obviously they’ve got big time talent, big time play makers; their running backs, wide receivers, they’re as good as you can play against," Graham said.

Graham's team has plenty of talent, too, though it will be without nose tackle Jaxon Hood, who was hurt at Stanford. The Sun Devils bumbled their way through the first half at Stanford, particularly on special teams -- see two blocked punts. But they found their rhythm on both sides of the ball in the second half, particularly the fourth quarter, scoring three unanswered touchdowns before Stanford shut the door.

Graham is particularly worried about his running game, which has been surprisingly inconsistent this year. The Sun Devils have rushed for 166 yards the past two games, including just 50 against Stanford. It would not be a good thing to pass every play against a USC team that ranks fourth in the nation with four sacks per game.

"We’ve been a faster tempo, but we have not run the ball the way we need to run the ball,” Graham said. “That’s probably the biggest concern there."

The Sun Devils’ clear edge is at quarterback. While Taylor Kelly hasn't been as efficient in the early going as he was last year, Kessler is averaging just 89.5 yards passing per game. And this will be Kessler's first road start in Pac-12 play.

While coaches are always wary of drawing a line in the sand before a game, there's a feeling of "must win" hanging over this one for both coaches. A victory would open up plenty of possibilities in the Pac-12 and even the national picture. A loss might end high preseason aspirations before the schedule even hits October.

STANFORD, Calif. -- Stanford looked like the No. 1 team in the nation in the first half against Arizona State. It looked like the No. 5 team in the nation, which it presently is, during the third quarter. And it looked like Kentucky in the fourth quarter.

The good news for the Cardinal is the first three quarters provided enough padding that they prevailed 42-28 over the 23rd-ranked Sun Devils. And, really, how can a two-touchdown win over a ranked team ever feel like a bad thing?

"I'm not going to apologize for winning a football game," Stanford coach David Shaw harrumphed at reporters.

The problem was the appetizer and main course were so good, observers didn't expect to be served a plate of worms for dessert.

Stanford led 29-0 at halftime, outgaining Arizona State 258 yards to 103. The Cardinal were utterly dominant at the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball. It was 39-7 after three quarters, and they could be forgiven for coasting.

But Shaw pulled starting quarterback Kevin Hogan and a handful of starters to open the fourth quarter, and things went a bit haywire. The Sun Devils scored 21 unanswered points, putting enough worry into Shaw that he reinserted Hogan in order to calm things down.

Coaches often talk about learning hard lessons about not becoming complacent over the course of a season, particularly against supposedly overmatched opponents. Stanford seemed to learn a lesson about not becoming complacent in a single game. While Shaw went out of his way to give credit to Arizona State for fighting back despite a seemingly lost cause, he also admitted his team let up because it thought the game was in the bag.

"Absolutely. It's human nature," Shaw said. "That's the coaches' responsibility to fight human nature. Human nature says, 'We're winning by a lot, let's back off.' I'll take some heat. Fine. I'll take some heat for switching the quarterback. Quarterback wasn't the issue."

That's at least partly true. Hogan couldn't be blamed for the Sun Devils gaining 314 yards in the second half. But his absence was followed by Stanford gaining just 13 yards on the two possessions without him. When he reentered the game with 6:18 left, the Cardinal drove 40 yards in nine plays for a chip-shot field goal that burned the clock down to 31 seconds.

The Sun Devils' comeback clearly soured the victory for the Stanford coaches and players. While a few went the proverbial "a win is a win" route, something that is undeniably true, there also was plenty of grumpiness. Linebacker Shayne Skov paced the sidelines during Stanford's final drive mouthing things that didn't seem to resemble love poems. More than a few heads were shaking in frustration. Assistant coaches looked like they were sucking on lemons.

When asked about dominating the first half, some of the players couldn't analyze it without bringing up the fourth quarter.

"We made a good statement in the first half," linebacker Blake Lueders said. "We made a terrible statement in the second half."

Said defensive end Ben Gardner, "We've got to take a little more pride in playing our style of football no matter the situation." Meaning even with a seemingly insurmountable lead.

On the glass half-full side, the first half was a thing of beauty. The Cardinal clearly held back plenty of creative schematic wrinkles while unimpressively handling San Jose State and Army in the first two games. On offense, the Cardinal's power running attack was nicely balanced by Hogan attacking downfield with pinpoint throws. Hogan passed for 128 of his 151 yards before the break, including touchdown strikes of 17 and 30 yards. He also had a 34-yard connection with Devon Cajuste.

The Cardinal outrushed Arizona State 130 yards to 7 in the first half. The defense sacked Sun Devils quarterback Taylor Kelly once, harassed him many times and intercepted him once.

Perhaps the Cardinal didn't count on Arizona State showing so much fight. The Sun Devils were horribly sloppy in all areas through three quarters, including surrendering a pair of blocks, one that yielded a safety and another that came on an attempted quick kick. But they didn't back down in the fourth quarter. Kelly threw all three of his touchdowns and 271 of his 367 yards passing after the break.

Arizona State coach Todd Graham took the blame for the poor start and the messiness, which included six penalties for 65 yards.

"I am proud of our guys," he said. "I'm proud of how they battled. I'm embarrassed the mistakes we made as a coaching staff."

In fact, you could include Arizona State in the classroom for what Shaw described as "teachable moments." The Cardinal learned you can't let up. The Sun Devils learned you can't start flat. Both teams have high aspirations this year. With the Pac-12 as deep as it has been in years, taking off a quarter or a half of football could redirect the course of the season in a negative way.

"There are no games in this league where you can take your foot off the pedal," Hogan said.

Stanford will play a vastly improved Washington State team next weekend, while the Sun Devils will play host to USC in a key South Division clash. Things don't get any easier thereafter for either team.

If Arizona State plays like it did in the fourth quarter the rest of the season, it will be a player in the South Division race. If Stanford plays like it did in the first half for the rest of the season, it could end up playing for a national title.

And if either duplicates -- or amplifies -- its dithering portions of Saturday's game, then all positive bets are off.

STANFORD, Calif. -- In the weekend's only matchup of ranked teams, No. 5 Stanford jumped out to a big lead and coasted to a 42-28 win against No. 23 Arizona State. Here's how it went down:

It was over when: Stanford DE Ben Gardner blocked a pooch-punt attempt from ASU QB Taylor Kelly with the Cardinal leading 32-7 late in the third quarter. One play later, RB Tyler Gaffney scored from 16 yards out to give Stanford a 39-7 lead with 37 seconds left in the quarter.

The Sun Devils turned in a valiant comeback attempt, but the deficit was too big to overcome.

Game ball goes to: Stanford DE Josh Mauro. Making his first career start, the fifth-year senior had an interception and 25-yard return and a sack.

Stat of the game: Arizona State players who had punts blocked: Two. In addition to Kelly's blocked pooch, punter Matt Haack had one blocked, too. His, however, was unique in that it wasn't touched by a Stanford player.

Haack punted it into the back of a teammate, then proceeded to kick it out of the back of the end zone for a safety.

What Stanford learned: Keeping the play calling simple was a good plan. The Cardinal was vanilla in wins against San Jose State and Army to begin the year, only to breakout several unseen looks against Arizona State. Stanford moved the ball at will in the first half before sitting on it for most of the second half.

What Arizona State learned: The Sun Devils aren't ready to be considered serious challengers in the Pac-12. They need to find a cure for the "dropsies" and, at least against a team like Stanford, have to find more balance offensively. The loss did nothing to diminish their chances at winning the South, but does show how far they have to go long-term.

Reynolds ejected: Stanford All-American S Ed Reynolds was ejected in the fourth quarter for targeting. He will be forced to sit out the first half of Stanford's game next week against Washington State in Seattle.

What it means: Stanford is every bit the national title contender it was billed as before the year began. The final score isn't a clear indicator of just how dominant the Cardinal was. Stanford led 29-0 at halftime and was in run-out-the-clock mode with reserves rotating in on both sides of the ball for most of the second half.