Pac 12 title: Stanford bullies Sun Devils again

TEMPE — Throughout this season, Arizona State overcame several obstacles to reach this point. On Saturday, in their biggest game in years, the Sun Devils showed they still have work to do.

With a Rose Bowl berth at stake, No. 7 Stanford overpowered No. 11 ASU 38-14, building a big lead and making it stand in front of 69,535 in the Pac-12 Championship Game at Sun Devil Stadium.

For the fourth consecutive season, the Cardinal (11-2) advanced to a BCS bowl game. No. 11 ASU dropped to 10-3, suffering its first loss since Oct. 5.

Yes, Stanford was a better team. But more important, Stanford was a bad matchup. The Cardinal is built on power. ASU is built on speed. In this matchup, power is 2-0.

“They dominated the game and beat us every way you can tonight,” ASU coach Todd Graham said. “They obviously were the better team and deserved to win.”

Senior running back Tyler Gaffney ran for 133 yards and three touchdowns. Junior quarterback Kevin Hogan threw for 277 yards and a score. At times, it seemed Stanford took turns making big plays, each preventing an ASU comeback.

Denied a Rose Bowl bid, the Sun Devils — who haven’t played in the event since 1997 — must wait until tonight to learn their bowl fate. Most likely destinations: The Alamo Bowl in San Antonio or the Holiday Bowl in San Diego. The Alamo gets first selection and likely will pick between Oregon and ASU. The Holiday chooses second.

For ASU, it’s not a bad consolation prize, but the Sun Devils lost out on a program-defining opportunity.

ASU needed a strong start against physical Stanford. The Sun Devils got nothing close. In some ways, it was a replay of their September contest at Stanford, a 42-28 Cardinal win. Special teams were sloppy. The defense gave up big plays. Through 3ƒ quarters, ASU gave up nine plays of 20-plus yards.

“We said all week not to let them make big plays and we didn’t do that,” ASU safety Alden Darby said. “We gave up three bombs to let them score (first), and that set the tone.”

On the second play from scrimmage, the Cardinal’s Gaffney motored 69 yards down the sideline for a TD.

“We had some downs this year, but we love each other,” said Gaffney, about Stanford’s losses to Utah and USC.

D.J. Foster answered on ASU’s next series, breaking free for a 51-yard touchdown run. But Stanford kept coming. The Cardinal averaged 13.6 yards per play in the first quarter. Their first four drives produced touchdowns. Just like that, the Cardinal led 28-7. At halftime they led 28-14.

The second half brought bad luck. Filling in for injured star Marion Grice, Foster was ASU’s best player in the first half, accounting for 133 of ASU’s 174 yards. On the first play of the third quarter, Foster injured his left leg on a short pass near the Stanford sideline. He tried to return with a brace but did not return to form.

Down two playmakers, ASU still had chances.

The Sun Devils drove into the red zone on their first drive of the second half, but freshman kicker Zane Gonzalez missed a 31-yard field-goal attempt. It broke Gonzalez’s streak of 18 consecutive field goals, his first miss since the Stanford loss 77 days earlier.

Near the end of the third quarter, ASU again had a chance to cut into Stanford’s 31-14 lead. Junior quarterback Taylor Kelly — who completed 17 of 25 for 173 yards — moved the Sun Devils 74 yards to the Stanford 1-yard line. But on a third-and-goal play, ASU went to 6-foot-6 sophomore quarterback Michael Eubank. On third down, Eubank was stuffed on a sneak attempt. On fourth down, Stanford stopped running back De’Marieya Nelson.

Ballgame.