(Photo: Brady Klain/WCSN)
The No. 23 Sun Devils visited the San Diego State Aztecs in the first road game of the Herm Edwards era.
After a stalemate for nearly the entire first quarter, the scoring opened up on the Sun Devils’ third drive.
A 12-yard touchdown pass from senior quarterback Manny Wilkins to junior receiver Brandon Aiyuk capped a 9-play, 60-yard drive with 41 seconds left in the quarter.
The Aztecs responded on the ensuing possession, as junior running back Juwan Washington went untouched on a 13-yard touchdown run. The score followed a 4th-and-two conversion from the ASU 18, as the Aztecs drove 75 yards on 11 plays.
ASU regained the lead on its next drive courtesy of a one-yard, read-option touchdown run by Wilkins. The goal-line position was set up by a 51-yard catch by redshirt sophomore receiver Frank Darby.
Senior linebacker Jay Jay Wilson had an interception stripped away, but the Sun Devil defense managed a stop around midfield to preserve the seven-point lead
Wilkins drove the Sun Devils from their own five deep into Aztecs territory with the help of another deep throw to Darby- this one for 43 yards. However, Wilkins took a sack on a 4th-and-one from the 11, squandering any chance to get points out of the drive.
SDSU took advantage of the chance to tie, going 85 yards in 1:33 as a 9-yard touchdown pass from junior Ryan Agnew to sophomore Tim Wilson drew them even 14-14 just before the half.
There were no turnovers in the first half, as Washington led the way on the ground with 71 yards and a touchdown while Darby led receivers with 111 yards on four catches.
The Aztecs carried their momentum into the third quarter, taking the lead on a 54-yard field goal from senior kicker John Baron. This came after an ASU three-and-out to start the half, which the offense would repeat twice more in the quarter.
Washington ran for 67 yards in the quarter, 26 of which came on a 12-play drive that would continue into the fourth.
The junior tailback converted on a 4th-and-one from ASU’s 39, but the drive stalled just inside the Sun Devil red zone, leading to a 36-yard field goal from Baron and a 20-14 SDSU lead.
Wilkins nearly had the breakout play, crawling out of what looked like a sack and running over 50 yards. As it turned out, Wilkins’ elbow hit the ground and it was a loss of seven yards leading to another three-and-out.
The Aztecs all but sealed ASU’s fate when they got the ball back, eating 6:16 on a 13-play drive that featured only running plays. Sophomore tailback Chase Jasmin- in for the injured Washington- got the ball on 12 of those runs, going for 76 yards including the 3-yard touchdown.
Junior quarterback Ryan Agnew finally threw on the two-point conversion, hitting junior tight end Kahale Warring in the back-left corner to put SDSU ahead 28-14 with 4:08 to go.
Conversely, the Sun Devils used only pass plays to stay alive, marching 82 yards in 2:28 to get their first first-down and touchdown of the second half on the same drive. Wilkins hit junior wideout N’Keal Harry for a 7-yard touchdown, his fourth catch of the drive, pulling within 7 with 1:39 to go.
Although the onside kick was recovered and SDSU got a first down, Jasmin fumbled on the first down run and sophomore cornerback Langston Frederick fell on top of it.
ASU got one last chance with 0:43, a timeout and 67 yards needed to tie it.
The Sun Devils got it inside the five on a deep throw to Frank Darby, who took a hit that got sophomore safety Trenton Thompson ejected for targeting on the play.
However, it was determined that Darby dropped the pass, leaving ASU with one last chance to score but from 35 yards out.
The hail-mary was swatted down, rendering SDSU victorious 28-21
Both teams are now 2-1 on the season, as the Sun Devils open Pac-12 play next Saturday at No. 10 Washington. That matchup is set for a 7:30 kickoff and will air on ESPN.
