What we learned in ASU’s win over USC
Arizona State (4-4, 2-3 Pac-12) registered its first road victory of the Herm Edwards era, turning back USC, 38-35, Saturday afternoon at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in front of a crowd of 47,406. It was only ASU’s second win at the Coliseum since 2000.
The Sun Devils surged out to a 24-7 lead in the first half and took a 24-14 lead into the locker room.
USC would come back to take a 28-24 lead, only to have ASU junior N’Keal Harry return a punt 92 yards for a touchdown with 2:34 left in the third quarter that would put the Sun Devils on top for good.
Only six Sun Devil coaches have won a game at the Coliseum and Edwards became the only one to do so on his first try.
Let’s review:
Three takeaways
1. The Sun Devils made great strides in keeping composed after the opponent had seized momentum. Coach Herm Edwards and both his coordinators have talked about their players being able to regroup and come back after giving up a big play or having a bad series. The younger players have had trouble doing that but were able to pass that test this week. The Sun Devils led 24-7, only to give up the next 21 points and fall behind, yet rallied to take and hold a lead in a big road game.
2. The Sun Devils success will rely on their big 3. When ASU has looked good it has been because of its marquee offensive players – QB Manny Wilkins, WR N’Keal Harry and RB Eno Benjamin. Offensive coordinator Rob Likens said he was hesitant to put all the workload on those three early on just because of the length of the season and not wanting to wear them down, but with the season in the home stretch that isn’t an issue.
3. Progression of line keying a better offensive showing. The Sun Devils averaged an impressive 6.4 yards per rush and were at 6.6 per offensive play. That isn’t a high for a game this season but probably the most stellar showing given the level of the opponent. The only games in which ASU fared better were against Oregon State and Texas-San Antonio. The line, anchored by C Cohl Cabral and RT Quinn Bailey, did not give up a sack, something it accomplished for the fourth time this season. Neither of those individuals has allowed a sack this season.
Offense
The 38 points were the third most ASU has managed in a game. It had 49 the opening game against Texas-San Antonio and 52 in a win against Oregon State. It won the time of possession battle (32:15-27:45), something it has been on the wrong side of in most games. The Sun Devils came in converting 42 percent of their third-down tries and succeeded on 8 of 15. Both the running and passing games were productive. Sophomore Eno Benjamin ran for 185 yards on 29 tries, his fifth game of more than 100 and second-most in a single game. QB Manny Wilkins completed 14 of 22 tries for 166 yards and ran for another 89 yards. N’Keal Harry had four catches for 95 yards.
Grade: B-plus.
Defense
The Sun Devils gave up 420 yards, still a too many for defensive coordinator Danny Gonzales’ liking but the Sun Devils had some stellar moments. The defensive pressure forced a USC turnover deep in Trojans territory and LB Darien Butler recovered a fumble at the 6 that ASU converted into a TD that gave it a 14-7 lead. LB Merlin Robertson made a stop of a USC ball carrier on a fourth-and 2 in the ASU red zone that thwarted a Trojans second-half scoring drive. The most notable stat: ASU held USC to 2 of 11 on third-down conversions. The performance was also noteworthy given the three defensive players that exited in the first half and did not return. Freshman safety Aashari Crosswell drew a third pass interference call in two games. Butler’s eight tackles led the way. Evan Fields recorded seven.
Grade: B-minus.
Special teams
The specialists were a bit off as Michael Sleep-Dalton averaged 39 yards on his five punts, slightly under his average of 43.7. Brandon Ruiz is 9 of 11 on field goal tries this season. He had a make from 31 yards and a miss of 50. The highlight of the return units was Harry’s 92-yard punt return for the goahead touchdown but he looked indecisive at times on which balls to return and which to let go and admitted in the post-game press conference that is something he needs to work on. The Sun Devils executed poorly on an 82yard punt return by USC’s Tyler Vaughns that opened the scoring.
Grade: C.
Personnel
There was some shuffling on the Oline with Casey Tucker moving from LG to LT, Zach Robertson moving from LT to RG and Alex Losoya going from RG to LG. There were two key injuries, the most notable a shoulder injury sustained by leading tackler Jalen Harvey in the first quarter. He had three big tackles in the opening minutes but did not return after leaving the game. Freshman D.J. Davidson, listed on the depth chart as a thirdstring nose tackle, also left in the first quarter and was on crutches in street clothes for the second half. Junior Khaylan Kearse-Thomas was ejected in the first half for a targeting call that came on a kick return but because he sat out the second half of the game, he’ll be eligible for next week’s game against Utah . . . True freshman wide receiver Geordon Porter saw his first action, entering in a goal line sequence in the first quarter. He will likely redshirt, benefiting from the new rule that allows an athlete to participate in four games without spending a year of eligibility. He is known for his speed.
Up next
ASU (4-4, 2-3) returns home for a 1 p.m. homecoming game on Saturday against Utah (6-2,4-2), which leads the Pac 12 South. Utah has won four straight games and is coming off a 4110 shellacking of UCLA.
ASU leads the all-time series against Utah, 21-8, including a 15-4 mark at home. The Sun Devils won last year’s game in Salt Lake City, 31-10.