Oct. 22, 2005
Nate Policar, ASU Sports Information
STANFORD, Calif. - Despite a spirited attempt at a fourth quarter comeback, the Arizona State Sun Devils were unable to erase a 31-point deficit in the final frame and fell to the Stanford Cardinal, 45-35, in front of 31,711 at Stanford Stadium. Sophomore wide receiver Terry Richardson led all Sun Devil receivers with six catches for 119 yards and a touchdown.
Stanford began the first quarter by blocking a Sun Devil punt on ASU's first possession of the game, giving the Cardinal possession just 15 yards from the goal. One play later, Stanford quarterback Trent Edwards found tailback Anthony Kimble on a touchdown reception to put the Cardinal ahead 7-0. However, the Sun Devils countered with a balanced attack, as Preston Jones rushed 23 yards to the one-yard line to set up a touchdown on a keeper by Sam Keller. On the ensuing possession, Stanford drove 70 yards on 10 plays and took the lead back on a two-yard rush by Kimble.
The Cardinal opened the second quarter by forcing a three-and-out and driving 86 yards down field. A 21-yard touchdown reception from Edwards to receiver Mark Bradford gave the Cardinal a 14-point edge. However, the gap would become wider when Stanford blocked another ASU punt, this time taking over on the Sun Devil 36-yard line. With a short field, Edwards again connected with Bradford, this time for 31 yards, and a touchdown, giving Stanford a 28-7 lead. With time running out in the half, the Sun Devils punted away to try and end the quarter, but an illegal kicking penalty allowed the Cardinal to expand its lead by a field goal, as Michael Sgroi nailed a 20-yard field goal as time expired, giving Stanford a 31-7 advantage at the break.
Despite trailing by six scores, the Sun Devils refused to quit. Behind the rushing of Keegan Herring, the Sun Devils drove 80 yards and scored on an 18-yard pass from Carpenter to Rudy Burgess. Stanford held a 45-14 lead after three quarters.
The fourth quarter belonged to the Sun Devils, as backup QB Rudy Carpenter opened the final frame with a 16-yard pass to senior receiver Derek Hagan to bring the ball across the midfield line. Then, Carpenter connected with Richardson on a 38-yard touchdown reception to trim the Cardinal lead to 45-21.
Holding steady on defense, the Sun Devil offense again marched down the field, driving 88 yards on 15 plays. Utilizing a 36-yard reception by Richardson, the Sun Devils called on Burgess for a four-yard carry to score another touchdown for ASU. A successful conversion attempt from Carpenter to receiver Matt Miller left the Sun Devils with a 45-29 deficit with 3:46 remaining in play.
Taking over with under two minutes remaining, Carpenter led a 75-yard scoring drive in just 52 seconds for the Sun Devils. After finding Hagan on a 15-yard gain, Carpenter connected with tight end Brent Miller on a 19-yard touchdown reception to make the score 45-35. However, the comeback attempt was finally thwarted by the Cardinal when Stanford successfully received the onside kick attempt by ASU and ran out the remainder of the clock, escaping with a 45-35 victory.
The Sun Devils got 304 passing yards and three touchdowns on 19-of-25 passing from backup Rudy Carpenter and Burgess led all rushers with 75 yards and one TD. Zach Miller and Derek Hagan also recorded six receptions for the Sun Devils, compiling 92 and 76 yards, respectively. Senior Dale Robinson and junior Zach Catanese led the Sun Devil defenders with eight tackles each and Catanese contributed a sack.