Last season, the ASU football team rode roughshod over Stanford as it routed the Cardinal on the road, 41-3.

ASU exercised complete domination during the meeting in Palo Alto, Calif., racking up 440 yards of offense against the Cardinal.

Defensively, the Sun Devils shut down a woeful Stanford offense that mustered barely more than 200 yards.

The Sun Devils know they will be facing a different opponent when they host this year’s Stanford team at Sun Devil Stadium on Saturday.

They will be facing an opponent with a dangerous agenda: revenge.

After a stunning upset of Pac-10 powerhouse USC last season, Stanford opened its 2008 campaign with a thrilling 36-28 victory over Oregon State last week.

With coach Jim Harbaugh in his second season at the helm for Stanford, the Cardinal is determined to prove that they are no longer a Pac-10 doormat.

“They are a greatly improved football team,” ASU coach Dennis Erickson said Monday.

Erickson said that the improvement of the Stanford football program in the last couple of seasons is a direct result of Harbaugh’s energy.

“The attitude from the time Jim has taken over is an unbelievable change,” Erickson said. “That’s the kind of attitude he had when he was a player and the success he’s had every place he’s been.”

Erickson also knows that his team will be facing a Stanford team with more experience on offense than the team it faced last season.

“They’re very physical on offense,” Erickson said. “Their quarterback [senior Tavita] Pritchard is playing very well.”

Last season, in his first start, Prichard led the Cardinal to one of the biggest upsets of the season when Stanford shocked the Trojans on the road, 24-23.

The ASU defense, which dominated NAU until the second half Saturday, should be up to the challenge of facing Pritchard.

Erickson knows that regardless of statistics or records, Stanford is not a team to be taken lightly.

“They are a really good football team, so we are going to have to be very well-prepared,” Erickson said. “Obviously, it’s our Pac-10 opener and those are the ones that count the most.”

The Sun Devils should have a decided advantage in the passing game.

Senior quarterback Rudy Carpenter proved in the first game of the season that he is poised to cement his legacy at ASU.

That doesn’t bode well for the Cardinal, who gave up 404 yards passing to OSU, and their junior quarterback, Lyle Moevao.

The Sun Devils know that despite those numbers, the Stanford defense will present a number of challenges.

“Defensively, they are very good,” Carpenter said. “They have a lot of guys back this year,”

While Erickson has said that he was not discouraged by the numbers in the running game on Saturday, it certainly does not mean the Sun Devils haven’t spent time in practice this week looking to improve that facet of the offense.

The return of senior running back Keegan Herring to the backfield will certainly bolster the ASU offense, but it is unclear if that return will come Saturday.

Herring was limited in practice this week and remains iffy to make his first start of 2008.

Reach the reporter at nkosmide@asu.edu