There was plenty to gawk at Saturday afternoon in ASU's unmerciful spanking of Stanford.
But it was pure "D-Light" to watch the return of a sophomore wide-out whose performance may have gone unnoticed.
After rejoining the team last week, Daryl Lightfoot marked the best game of his collegiate career Saturday. Considering the amount of emotional distress Lightfoot has endured over the past year and a half, it was incredible to see him torch Stanford's cornerbacks for career-highs in receptions and receiving yards.
A broken jaw and an injured ankle were the least of Lightfoot's worries last year. He dealt with the death of his grandfather during the season, before losing his mother to cancer in January.
Although Lightfoot left the team three weeks ago to deal with more personal issues, he seemed particularly sharp Saturday against the Cardinal. Despite his recent absence, Lightfoot was in the starting lineup long enough to catch five passes for 87 yards, not to mention the first touchdown as a Sun Devil — a back-breaking 44-yard score in the third quarter.
Lightfoot can flat-out fly. He may be twice as fast as ASU's top receiving threat, junior wide-out Shaun McDonald, which comes in handy on special teams.
Freshman tailback Hakim Hill's sluggish kick returns might be a thing of the past with Lightfoot back in the lineup. Lightfoot returned one kick for 35 yards versus Stanford.
When his heart is in it, as it was Saturday, Lightfoot can help stretch an opponent's secondary. He also can occasionally embarrass a defender.
Lightfoot's touchdown catch came from sophomore quarterback Andrew Walter, who sent the ball toward the end zone like a lawn dart. Lightfoot got open after streaking down the sideline. His leaping grab put the game even further out of reach.
You really have to commend Lightfoot for his strength. Anyone who has lost a loved one to the ugly, unpredictable sadness of cancer can surely sympathize. It can't be easy to play a game with that kind of painful memory on your mind.
With his family weakened by tragedy, Lightfoot can now take solace in the fact that his brothers on the football field support him. That was evident Saturday, which was merely the beginning of Lightfoot's emergence.
Reach the reporter at mike.ferraresi@asu.edu.
