(Photo: Haley Spracale/WCSN)
After losing to then No. 23 ranked BYU in Provo a week ago, Arizona State Football had something to prove when it started Pac-12 Conference play on Saturday.
The Sun Devils showed a lot of holes in their game against the Cougars, playing some of their most undisciplined football in recent memory against a ranked opponent on the road. With Colorado in town, ASU had its chance to get back into the win column and clean up some of the mistakes that defined them against BYU.
The last time the Sun Devils faced the Buffaloes, Colorado stole a 34-31 victory in Tempe in 2019, which also happened to be ASU’s Pac-12 opener.
The Sun Devils not only played an improved brand of football, but got off a 1-0 start in conference play for the first time since 2017, topping Colorado 35-13 on Saturday.
“It was more of a complete game,” ASU head coach Herm Edwards said. “I didn’t want us to play cautious, I wanted us to play free. Play free and enjoy the game of football. I thought for the most part we got off to a good start.”
The Sun Devils mitigated a lot of the same penalty struggles that have at times plagued them this season. Overall, the Sun Devils committed seven penalties on the night, an upgrade from the almost incalculable 16 committed a week ago against BYU.
ASU only committed one in the first quarter — a holding call on graduate guard Henry Hattis — leading to success for junior quarterback Jayden Daniels and the offense.
“The whole team knows that we can’t win football games with that many penalties and it showed last week,” Daniels said. “With the leaders, we just come in and focus because we know what we’re capable of when we play a clean game.”
ASU got the scoring started on its second drive when Daniels capped off a six-play drive with a seven-yard scamper into the endzone, his first rushing score of the season. Redshirt senior running back Rachaad White cashed in on an 11-yard touchdown to extend the Sun Devils’ lead to 14-0 in ASU’s last drive before halftime.
The Daniels-led passing attack improved during the half, with the exception of a few missed throws, including an under-throw to a wide-open White who had nothing but open field to work with.
“I think this was one of his [Daniels’] better nights,” Edwards said. “He sat in the pocket and surveyed. We can’t always try and run the ball, because teams will stack the box. I thought the offense was pretty balanced today.”
The balance was evident, as Daniels and White combined for 11 of the 14 rushes in the first half without having to become reliant on the run game. The Sun Devils went into the half with 188 total yards, earned clean and efficiently. Still, Daniels wasn’t satisfied.
“In the first half we had drives where we just didn’t capitalize,” Daniels said. “There weren’t really any adjustments made. It was all about finishing drives and that’s what we harped all week in practice. After halftime we just went out and executed.”
Colorado found the scoreboard thanks to freshman kicker Cole Becker, who drilled a 51-yard field goal before halftime to make it 14-3 ASU.
The Sun Devils’ offense hit its stride in the second half, as offensive coordinator Zak Hill opened up the playbook with some trickery once again from junior wideout Ricky Pearsall, who hit White for a 30-yard touchdown pass at the start of the fourth quarter. Redshirt freshman wide receiver Elijhah Badger also picked up his first career touchdown on a 17-yard rush in the third quarter as well.
Daniels added to his great night with another rushing touchdown in the fourth to put the final touches on the victory. Daniels and White combined for 182 all-purpose yards and all four of the Sun Devils touchdowns, while Daniels as a passer went 18-25 on the night with 236 yards.
“I feel like Coach Hill had a good gameplan,” White said. “As an offense we want to be 50-50. Tonight, I thought it was great because we got the passing game going.”
Defensively, it was much of the same, as ASU handled the run-heavy Colorado offense with consistent pressure. Even without graduate defensive back Chase Lucas, the defense played with energy and grit. The unit set the tone from their first series, forcing a quick three and out after freshman edge rusher B.J. Green picked up a sack.
Even after losing Green to a targeting disqualification and senior linebacker Darien Butler to an injury, the Sun Devils managed to hold Colorado at bay and inside their own territory for the entire duration of the second half. The Buffaloes would add a touchdown in the third quarter on a one-yard run from junior running back Alex Fontenot, who finished with 67 yards on 14 carries.
Graduate defensive back Jack Jones provided a highlight in the second quarter, blocking a kick from 46 yards out to keep the Buffaloes off the board.
“We’re not the best defense now, our goal is to be playing that way in November or December,” defensive coordinator Antonio Pierce said. “I thought the young guys stepped up and did a good job.”
The win puts ASU at 3-1, a positive position to be in heading into another pivotal matchup with No. 25 ranked UCLA at the Rose Bowl next Saturday. However, Edwards is still stressing the importance of learning from the loss to BYU going forward.
“We’re going on the road again and that can’t be a part of our personality when we go on the road,” Edwards said. “Especially against a good team like UCLA.”
