Stanford can’t get offense untracked in loss to Arizona State

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TEMPE, Ariz. — Stanford came in with the heralded defense, but it was Arizona State that ruled the night.

The No. 17 Sun Devils are known more for their explosive offensive than their defense, which ranked near the bottom of the Pac-12 in points and yards allowed.

Surprise: They didn’t allow the No. 23 Cardinal to score a touchdown for 48½ minutes and beat them 26-10 in surprisingly one-sided fashion Saturday night.

The Sun Devils, whom Stanford had beaten four straight times, including a thorough trouncing in last year’s Pac-12 championship game, enjoyed their retaliation at Sun Devil Stadium.

“Bottom line, we did not play well anywhere,” Stanford head coach David Shaw said. “It was not up to our standards. The defense played for the most part pretty well. We gave up too many yards on the ground.”

The loss dropped Stanford to 4-3 overall and 2-2 in the Pac-12. It snapped the Cardinal’s four-game winning streak over ASU, a team they trounced twice last year.

It didn’t end the two-time defending Pac-12 champions’ title chances, but they’ll have to win all five of their remaining regular-season games to stay in the hunt.

In just his third start since relieving injured starter Taylor Kelly, ASU quarterback Mike Bercovici vexed Stanford by completing 23 of 33 passes for 242 yards, including a 3-yard scoring pass to Jaelen Strong.

Stanford wide receiver Michael Rector (right) is unable to catch a pass ahead of Arizona State defensive back Damarious Randall during the second quarter of the game in Tempe, Ariz. Stanford wide receiver Michael Rector (right) is unable to catch a pass ahead of Arizona State defensive back Damarious Randall during the second quarter of the game in Tempe, Ariz. Photo: Christian Petersen / Getty Images Photo: Christian Petersen / Getty Images Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Stanford can’t get offense untracked in loss to Arizona State 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

Tailback D.J. Foster scored on a 1-yard run, and Zane Gonzalez kicked four field goals.

The Cardinal kept Foster in check as a rusher, but he was a major headache as a receiver, with seven catches for 92 yards. Strong caught eight passes for 75 yards.

Gonzalez kicked three field goals in the fourth quarter, the last after a fumble by Stanford’s Christian McCaffrey on a kickoff, as the Sun Devils improved to 5-1 overall, 3-1 in the Pac-12.

Stanford didn’t score a touchdown until there was 11:23 left in the game. Patrick Skov scored on a 1-yard plunge after the Cardinal opened up the attack. Kevin Hogan had run 28 yards on a keeper and passed to Ty Montgomery for 22 yards.

The offensive problems were many — the inability to run the ball consistently, and Hogan’s inability to hit receivers downfield, partly because he was under heavy pressure.

“The protection broke down on third downs,” Shaw said. “The quarterback was hit too many times and sacked too many times.”

The Cardinal didn’t get on the board until a 40-yard field by Jordan Williamson about 5½ minutes into the second half, cutting ASU’s lead to 14-3.

A 22-yard run by Remound Wright and a 13-yard pass from Hogan to a leaping Michael Rector were the big plays on the drive.

The Sun Devils regained a 14-point cushion when Gonzalez booted a 25-yard field goal on the ensuing drive. Gonzalez added a 47-yard field early in the fourth quarter, a 25-yarder with 4:07 left and a 31-yarder with 3:29 left.

A week after rushing for 193 yards against Washington State, the Cardinal netted just 5 yards on 11 carries in the first half.

Held to a total of minus-3 yards on their first two possessions, the Cardinal finally got moving. Hogan threw a 14-yard pass to tight end Eric Cotton, who hung on despite a strong hit by free safety Jordan Simone.

A pass to Montgomery for 8 yards secured another first down, but Stanford ran out of steam near midfield. Hogan’s deep throw for Rector on third was a little too long.

A pivotal turnover helped the Sun Devils go up 14. Montgomery tried to haul in Matt Haack’s 54-yard punt over his shoulder, but couldn’t bring it in. Damarious Randall recovered for the Sun Devils at the Stanford 12.

Four plays later, Bercovici hit Strong for a touchdown and a 14-0 lead with just under two minutes to play in the first half.

Briefly: The Cardinal were without starting wide receiver Devon Cajuste and defensive end Aziz Shittu because of injuries. … Freshman Harrison Phillips was summoned to help fill in on the defensive line, burning his redshirt season.

Tom FitzGerald is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: tfitzgerald@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @tomgfitzgerald

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