Nov. 11, 2000
STANFORD, Calif. - There was no breathtaking finish for Stanford or Arizona State this week. The Cardinal knocked the breath out of the Sun Devils long before the final gun.
Kerry Carter rushed for 103 yards and a score and also threw a touchdown pass as Stanford snapped a three-game losing streak by routing the injury-ravaged Sun Devils 29-7 on Saturday.
DeRonnie Pitts caught five passes to become the Pac-10's second-leading career receiver as Stanford (4-6, 3-4 Pac-10), the defending conference champs who were eliminated from bowl contention last week, won for just the second time in eight weeks.
"The close ones wear on you a bit," Stanford coach Tyrone Willingham said. "It was nice to have a bigger win, because you get a chance to involve the whole team."
The Cardinal won two games and lost another in the final seconds at Stanford Stadium this year, while Arizona State looked exhausted after playing an NCAA-record three straight overtime games.
"The toll of the last three weeks particularly has caught up with us," Arizona State coach Bruce Snyder said.
Stanford enters next week's season-ending Big Game against California off its most complete, convincing victory of the year. It was especially satisfying for the Cardinal because they won with none of the last-second dramatics that have defined their season.
Carter and quarterback Chris Lewis, who relieved starter Randy Fasani and led Stanford to a victory for the third time this year, headlined a balanced attack for the Cardinal, who also scored on a 51-yard punt return by Luke Powell.
Lewis was 13-of-24 for 124 yards in relief of Fasani, who re-aggravated a toe injury in the first half. But Carter made the game's most memorable pass when he tossed a 26-yard halfback option to a wide-open Ryan Wells in the third quarter.
"I've thrown a lot better balls than that in practice," said Carter, who took ribbing from his teammates for a wobbly spiral. "I was just happy to get it there."
The Sun Devils (5-5, 2-5) lost their third straight with a dismal offensive performance in which they managed just 174 total yards. They must beat Arizona on Nov. 24 to become bowl-eligible.
"Our team looked heavy-legged," said Snyder, whose job might be on the line in his team's next game. "The spirit of a team that's fresh just wasn't there."
After nine straight weeks of football and five overtime periods in the last three weeks, Arizona State simply appeared to be out of competitive energy and healthy bodies. The Sun Devils ended the game with fourth-string quarterback Matt Cooper handing off to third-string tailback Davaren Hightower in a failed comeback attempt.
"Nobody ever stepped up and did something big," said tight end Todd Heap, who had five receptions for 38 yards and caught a pass in his 25th consecutive game. "We just came out flat and never got it going. ... When you get that down feeling, somebody's got to turn the switch. Something has to happen."
The Sun Devils, who have already lost starting quarterback Ryan Kealy and starting tailback Delvon Flowers this season, lost Kealy's backup, Jeff Krohn, to a mild concussion midway through the first half. Krohn's backup, Griffin Goodman, threw a critical interception and was 7-of-19 before being benched.
ASU tailback Tom Pace fought off ankle and shoulder injuries to play, but he managed just 25 yards on 10 carries. Hightower also struggled, and Arizona State's only points came on Krohn's 37-yard TD pass to Richard Williams in the first quarter.
Arizona State also had two terrible snaps by long snappers B.J. Miller and Jay Breckenridge, but they only cost the Sun Devils two points.
Miller snapped the ball several feet over punter Nick Murphy's head into the end zone for a safety in the first quarter, while Breckenridge's errant snap to Miller in the third quarter gave the Cardinal prime field position - but Mike Biselli's 25-yard field goal attempt was blocked.
Stanford went up 16-7 late in the first half on Powell's first career punt return for a touchdown. Powell went straight up the sideline for the Cardinal's first score on a punt return in three years.
Carter's 18-yard run to the Arizona State 1 set up his 1-yard TD plunge to put Stanford up 23-7 midway through the third quarter.
Stanford safety Aaron Focht intercepted Goodman's pass on the Sun Devils' next drive, and Carter hit Wells for an easy score on the Cardinal's next play.
Pitts, who has 224 career catches, passed Arizona's Dennis Northcutt and Stanford's Darrin Nelson. He trails only former teammate Troy Walters (248) in conference history.
The Sun Devils' three-game winning streak at Stanford Stadium was snapped. Luckily, Arizona State gets a bye week before its showdown with the Wildcats.
"A lot of our guys are banged up," Heap said. "(The bye) will help some of the guys heal and get ready, and we'll have everybody back to full strength for the next game."
By GREG BEACHAM
AP Sports Writer