(Photo: Haley Spracale/WCSN)
TEMPE – In many of Arizona State Football’s losses this season, there has been a differential in one statistical category that defined the game for the Sun Devils. Whether it’s the difference in third-down conversions or the difference in offensive yards allowed, when ASU’s opponent does something well, the Sun Devils have done it poorly.
Saturday afternoon, it was big plays through the air that made the game for Oregon State and broke it for ASU.
Despite a mild performance from OSU redshirt freshman quarterback Ben Gulbranson, 104 of his 188 passing yards and his lone passing touchdown came on plays of at least 15 yards.
Gulbranson wasted no time exposing holes in ASU’s pass coverage, tossing 18 and 15-yard throws to freshman tight end Jack Velling and sophomore wide receiver Silas Bolden, respectively, on the Beavers’ first drive of the game.
Both of those plays, partnered with a pair of long rushes from freshman running back Damien Martinez and redshirt senior wide receiver Tyjon Lindsey, helped OSU march down the field to put the first points on the board for either team.
Later, Velling’s offensive production boomed once again. With 1:53 left in the first half, Velling opened the Beavers’ drive with an explosive 35-yard catch and run to put OSU in ASU territory.
“I just think we’re not following through on our tackles,” interim head coach Shaun Aguano said. “We get them pinned up, and they’re running right through our tackles, and that’s not good…It’s just not tackling well.”
Three plays later, Gulbranson rewarded Velling for his hard work. On first-and-10 from ASU’s 21-yard line, Velling leaked outside and up the right sideline, where Gulbranson found him wide open. Velling was able to run into the end zone untouched to complete the score, gifting his team a 14-7 halftime lead.
“They run the stretch really well,” Aguano said. “And when you’re effective running the stretch plays, all the boot stuff comes out, and they’re effective doing that, and then, when you get dirty eyes, trying to stop the run, and they do well with their tight ends. I just thought they game-planned us pretty well.”
On the other side of the ball, ASU’s inability to get receivers open down the field hindered the Sun Devils offensively.
Aside from last week’s game in which a nagging injury forced him to leave early, redshirt junior quarterback Trenton Bourguet has recorded at least 300 passing yards and two passing touchdowns in his two other starts this season. Even in his late entry against Washington, Bourguet recorded 182 yards through the air and three passing touchdowns.
This was not the case on Saturday, as Bourguet threw for just 122 yards and failed to find the endzone. Through the air, ASU only managed to put together two plays that met or exceeded the 15-yard threshold.
“They were able to get some pressure early, and it made me get off my read a little bit faster,” Bourguet said. “They do a good job of bringing exotic looks and just staying deep…They did everything that we thought they would, but they did a good job of dropping into zone coverages and getting underneath our deep crosses…”
The first of the two plays came midway through the first quarter on third-and-11. A 15-yard reception by redshirt junior receiver Cam Johnson on a crossing route carried the Sun Devils over the halfway line into Beaver territory. However, the Sun Devils’ efforts were eventually proved fruitless thanks to a missed 29-yard field goal by freshman kicker Carter Brown.
The Sun Devils had another large gain on the final drive of the first half, via a 21-yard completion over the middle to redshirt sophomore tight end Jaylin Conyers. However, the play was essentially nullified once ASU failed to score a touchdown and failed to move into field goal range, leaving the drive scoreless.
With the Sun Devils’ lack of offensive production combined with OSU’s offensive explosion, ASU wasn’t able to fight back for the win, putting a melancholy finish on the Sun Devils’ home schedule.
“We played very disappointing in all phases of the game,” Aguano said. “Our kids still played, and they played hard, but It was disappointing on all sides. From a defensive standpoint, we couldn’t stop them. From an offensive standpoint, we couldn’t get anything going…”
