GREAT ESCAPE
ASU forces Spartans to pay for their mistakes
EAST LANSING, Mich - Arizona State senior offensive lineman Steven Miller grabbed a large white pitchfork and ran to a corner of the Spartan Stadium where the Sun Devil faithful had gathered. He then slammed it into the ground as jubilant teammates around him cheered.
Defensive back Chase Lucas and wide receiver Frank Darby did their best imitation of the Lambeau
leap, hurling themselves into the stands to celebrate with the few but vocal fans dressed in maroon and gold
Center Cohl Cabral embraced linebacker Darien Butler, one of the standouts on the other side of the ball.
The frenetic post-game celebration followed an improbable 10-7 victory by the Sun Devils (3-0) over Michigan State (2-1), which came in ranked 18th in one national poll and 19th in another and boasting the nation’s top-ranked rushing defense.
The Spartans, who had held their first two opponents to negative rushing yardage, were a 15-point favorite.
It wasn’t pretty, especially on the offensive side of the ball but the Sun Devils, ignited by true freshman quarterback Jayden Daniels, made key plays in the final minute. ASU marched 75 yards in 11 plays with Eno Benjamin just inching the ball over the goal line for the decisive points with 50 seconds left to make it 10-7.
Other than the last drive, the offense was stagnant again with just 212 total yards, but bailed out by a defense that has now allowed just 21 points in three games.
With two freshman on the offensive line and facing a formidable defense, the low-scoring affair was not unexpected.
“It’s hard to win that way, especially in college football because of the rules and the way guys throw the ball around,” ASU coach Herm Edwards said. “I do know this - we’ve given up 21 points. I’ve been around a lot of football. If you do that, you have a chance to win football games.
It’s not pretty, it’s nothing that you’d want to pay to watch, but we’re going to have to play this way because that’s what’s appropriate for us. When the offense gets going, maybe other things will happen, but for right now, we got to keep it tight.”
The Sun Devil defense surrendered 404 yards on 74 plays although that total was a bit misleading as ASU’s unit was on the field for long stretches.
The first half ended with ASU up 3-0, making it three straight games in which the Sun Devils have not allowed a point in the first half.
Michigan State’s Matt Coughlin missed field goal tries of 47 and 31 yards in the first half, one largely the result of a bad snap.
The Spartans also came up empty on their second possession after moving the ball to the Sun Devils 43. Spartans quarterback Brian Lewerke, a product of Pinnacle High School playing against the local school for the second time, fumbled after a solid hit by Aashari Crosswell with the fumble recovery made by Tyler Whiley.
Then on Michigan State’s first drive of the second half the Spartans got down to the ASU 31 where they faced a fourth-and-1. Connor Heyward was stopped for no gain by Evan Fields and Khaylan Thomas giving the ball to ASU on downs.
Butler said the intensity of the defense was evident all week in practice.
“I feel like it started in practice earlier this week, we just all tried our best in practice to stay sound and just trying to figure out what their feel of the game was and we executed,” he said.
Michigan State was also responsible for its own demise with a pair of fatal mistakes in the closing seconds. It took possession for the last time at its own 25 and got as far as the ASU 24.
The Spartans lined up for a gametying field goal try from 42 yards out which Coughlin converted, only to have that wiped off the board after a review with MSU called for 12 men on the field.
Coughlin tried again from 47 yards, this time shanking the kick wide left, sending the ASU sideline into celebration.
ASU defensive coordinator Danny Gonzales doesn’t think it should have come down to that.
“I own that, it’s on me,” he said. “We were playing soft, prevent defense and that never works out. But out guys made enough plays. It’s a win and we’ll take it. “
Edwards keeping the Spartans in check early made the difference.
“The mindset for our football team was simple, don’t allow the emotion of the stadium to get to us early,” he said. “That’s what happened to us the last two games that these guys have played. If we could just withstand that firstquarter barrage from the fan base and their football team, we thought that we could make it a methodical game and we’d have a chance. It ended up turning out that way.”