BREAKOUT VICTORY PUTS ASU IN GOOD STANDING
Arizona State fans have waited awhile for a breakout game, something that would suggest their team is about to position itself to compete for something bigger than a mid-level bowl game in late December. Saturday’s effort applies. For those longing for the Sun Devils to make a statement, to beat a ranked team decisively, the Sun Devils delivered on homecoming. Their 53-24 home win over No. 20 Washington likely will put them back in the Top 25 polls. More important, it puts them on top of the Pac-12 South, a half-game ahead of UCLA, which lost Saturday at Stanford.
Nothing, of course, is settled. ASU (5-2, 3-1 Pac-12) still has five regular-season games to play, starting with dangerous trips to Washington State and Utah. But beating up Washington at Sun Devil Stadium for once shows the Sun Devils are capable of winning this division. It’s not all talk. They didn’t slip by like they did against Wisconsin. They didn’t beat up on a fragile team like USC.
They left no doubt. After the game, Washington coach Steve Sarkisian told reporters he was embarrassed. The Huskies, coming off consecutive losses to Pac-12 powers Stanford and Oregon, needed this one. But they never have a chance.
“Man, what an impressive performance,” coach Todd Graham said after his 20th game at ASU. “Might be the most impressive performance as we’ve had as a team since I’ve been here.”
For perhaps the first time, we saw ASU’s attacking defense from last season. The Sun Devils rushed five almost the entire first half, and Washington couldn’t hold off the pressure. ASU sacked Washington quarterback Keith Price six times, forcing him into 16-of-39 passing for 217 yards.
The Sun Devils were better against the run. Washington junior Bishop Sankey entered as the nation’s leading rusher. He had rushed for 208 yards at Illinois, 125 at Stanford and 167 against Oregon.
ASU — which entered with the Pac-12’s No. 9 rushing defense — held him to 22 yards on 13 carries, his lowest output in 18 games. As a team, Washington had minus-5 rushing yards.
“That’s a pretty good night,” Graham said.
The bigger story came on offense. Over their past three conference games, ASU has scored 62 (USC), 54 (Colorado) and 53 points. Against Washington, the Sun Devils did most of their damage without standout receiver Jaelen Strong, who injured his ankle early in the game and didn’t play much. (Strong should be fine.)
With sophomore receiver Rick Smith also out with a minor injury, the Sun Devils had to reach deep into their depth. For much of the game, they lined up with senior Kevin Ozier and redshirt-freshman Frederick Gammage at receiver. Ozier began his ASU career as a non-scholarship player. Gammage is a non-scholarship player.
And yet, it didn’t matter. The Sun Devils totaled 585 yards against Washington, 314 on the ground. Ozier caught eight passes, one fewer than he had caught in ASU’s previous six games. Senior running back Marion Grice rushed for a season-high 158 yards, adding three more touchdowns.
“I tell you all the time: I never stay awake at night worrying about the offense,” Graham said. “If we don’t turn the football over and if we don’t have negative plays, we’re going to score. There’s no doubt in my mind.”
Quarterback Taylor Kelly — questioned at times for his performance against strong competition — was a difference maker. He threw for 271 yards and two touchdowns, but more important he rushed for 84 and two scores.
“We’re very explosive,” Kelly said. “We have a lot of weapons at receiver, running back and tight end. It’s hard for defenses to key on one person. If they want to stop the pass, we’re going to run the football. It’s pick your poison for us.”
Headng into ASU’s next game — Oct. 31 at Washington State — the Sun Devils are averaging 45.4 points.
“It’s one step,” offensive coordinator Mike Norvell said. “You can go out there and play well, but if you don’t answer the call the next week, you’re not going where you need to go.”