The Arizona State Sun Devils (2-3, 1-1 Pac-12) did Saturday something that the program has been accustomed to over the last few seasons: they lost on the road in conference play. A 34-24 loss to the Stanford Cardinal sent ASU into its bye week with a losing record for the first time since 2003.
Losing the turnover margin loses games
That’s right, the first takeaway is that ASU can’t generate any. In five games, ASU has a turnover margin of zero. The Sun Devils forced a fumble deep in Stanford territory in the first quarter, but redshirt junior quarterback Manny Wilkins was intercepted twice, the first of which resulted in a Cardinal touchdown.