ASU Football: Defense bends, eventually comes up clutch in Arizona win

(Photo: Brendan Belfield/WCSN)

TEMPE – For as equal as the numbers were, the way they got there couldn’t have been any different.

In Arizona State Football’s 38-15 win over rival Arizona in the 95th Territorial Cup, the Sun Devils ran for 228 yards, furthering the staple of ASU’s offensive strategy in 2021. Arizona ran for just 50.

On the counter, ASU threw for just 86 yards, once again staying true to the flow of its regular season, which came to an end in Saturday’s game. However, the Wildcats lit up the Sun Devils for 346 yards through the air, a total that more than exceeded their 215.5 per game average coming in. In fact, Arizona hit that mark by halftime against the Sun Devils.

But considering ASU was without senior linebackers Darien Butler and Merlin Robertson and had to start a walk-on (redshirt sophomore Alijah Gammage) at the team’s Tillman safety position due to injuries to the three players ahead of him, the performance by Arizona freshman quarterback Will Plummer could have been understandable.

“I think it just shows the mentally of the defense and overall the team,” redshirt senior linebacker Kyle Soelle said of holding the Wildcats to just 15 points. “It’s always next man up. A saying we go by in the linebacker room is, ‘Carpe diem, seize the day.’ I think the young guys stepped up and made plays.”

ASU defensive/recruiting coordinator Antonio Pierce added: “[Arizona] challenged us. They made some very competitive catches. It was a good job by them.”

Critics would contest that the Sun Devils should have never let the now-1-11 Wildcats hang with them on Saturday – a valid point considering that the Wildcats’ 17.4 points per game ranked 123rd out of 130 eligible Division I schools coming in. But ASU head coach Herm Edwards, who said that he will be returning as the Sun Devils’ coach in 2022, is proud of his squad regardless.

“I thought in the second half, we got some things going offensively and got some big turnovers,” Edwards said.

Plummer unleashed on ASU’s banged up pass defense in the first half. The Wildcats had pass completions of 23, 44 and 36 yards alone in the first quarter. In the second, Arizona got chunk plays of 28 and 29 yards on the same drive.

“Their quarterback played an outstanding game,” Pierce said.

Despite the big gains, it seemed as though a short field helped out the Sun Devils’ defense in a major way. The Wildcats settled for field goals on their first three scoring drives, but never led ASU – deficits of 7-6, 14-6 and 14-9 faced Arizona early in the game.

It wasn’t until the 13:07 mark of the third quarter that the Sun Devils led by two possessions.

“We stuttered a little bit on some third downs that I think we had some opportunities to convert and just didn’t,” ASU offensive coordinator Zak Hill said. “But it worked out.”

Arizona was able to punish ASU’s banged up pass defense thanks to the deep threat of redshirt junior wide receiver Stanley Berryhill III, who finished the day with 10 catches for 104 yards. Additionally, freshman wide receiver Dorian Singer had two catches for 80 yards on Saturday, but was ejected with 9:35 left in the third quarter for a flagrant, after-the-whistle unsportsmanlike conduct foul.

The Wildcats also ran a variety of trick plays against ASU, which has been a staple of their struggling offense all season under new head coach Jedd Fisch. The wildcat formation was used multiple times by Arizona, and redshirt sophomore wide receiver Jamarye Joiner attempted a pass which fell incomplete.

In the second quarter, ASU’s defensive strongholds in the red zone eventually turned into even more meaningful plays. Redshirt senior cornerback Jack Jones forced a fumble on Plummer, which set the Sun Devils up at the Wildcats’ one-yard line. ASU then promptly scored, giving the Sun Devils a 14-6 lead.

Later in the game, with Arizona frantically attempting to comeback from a 16-point deficit with about 10 minutes remaining, Jones then sealed the game for the Sun Devils with an 87-yard pick six of Plummer. Jones was given the Territorial Cup’s MVP award postgame as a result.

“I thank everybody on that coaching staff for believing in me,” Jones said. “It’s a blessing.”

Pierce, who has known Jones since he was 13 years old, praised the Sun Devils’ senior corner.

“When his number is called, he’s always been there for us,” he said.

The adversity overcome early in the rivalry game against Arizona on Saturday likely couldn’t have boded better for ASU. In a season that seemingly showed how ill-equipped the Sun Devils were to deal with things not going their way, their ability to will it out against their biggest rival makes it all the more sweet, especially for Edwards, who with a loss, could have seen the questions about his job security become reality.

“We did some things that I’m hoping we will learn from, and I think we will,” Edwards said.

He added: “I’m really happy for the coaches, staff and all the players – they’ve been through a lot this year.”