ASU Football: On the strength of defense, ground game, Sun Devils down Utah 30-10

(Photo: Chaz Frazier/WCSN)

After the Arizona State Sun Devils changed the national landscape of college football by upsetting then-No.5 Washington last week, the expectation seemed to be that this team would crash back to Earth against a talented Utah team, reeling from a last-second loss to No. 11 USC, at Rice-Eccles Stadium.

Instead, Arizona State doubled down on its shocking performance against the Huskies, downing the Utes 30-10, with yet another defensive showing serving as the focal point.

ASU held the Utes to just 10 points, forcing four turnovers on the heels of an impressive showing by the team’s secondary — a weakness that has become a strength since the bye-week.

The duo of Chase Lucas and Kobe Williams continuously held their own when targeted, specifically on deep balls down the sideline. While Lucas drew one pass interference call, the tandem played a relatively clean game, effectively eliminating the threat of the deep ball.

It was the hard-hitting pair of Dasmond Tautalatasi and J’Marcus Rhodes who brought the physicality to the secondary — the two combined for 10 tackles and Rhodes’ interception on Utah’s first drive of the game seemed to start the shift of the game’s momentum in ASU’s favor, a shift that remained perpetually with the Sun Devils.

By the time Jay Jay Wilson had secured ASU’s fourth interception of the game — a ball he eventually took back to the end zone — a game that seemed to tilt in ASU’s favor from the jump was officially out of reach.

In total, the Sun Devil defense forced Utes QB Tyler Huntley into four interceptions, while also holding him to 89 yards passing on 11 completions.

ASU held the Utes offense to 154 total yards on the day.

For the ASU offense, the team found a balanced identity early on the heels of a potent rushing attack. Demario Richard and Kalen Ballage were both effective for the duration of the game, which allowed for Manny Wilkins to manage the offense with limited pressure. While the numbers were lackluster for Wilkins, he made big throws at big moments in the game, while also, spare a N’Keal Harry tipped pass that was eventually intercepted, taking care of the ball and helping to maintain the efficient tempo.

Wilkins and the Sun Devil offense seldom left the field and dominated in time of possession, outlasting the Utes 36:19-23:41.

The aforementioned duo of Richard and Ballage spearheaded a rushing attack that amassed 205 yards on 46 carries. Although the offense was more balanced in the first half, offensive coordinator Billy Napier seemed to lean more of his ground game, an approach that proved to be efficient.

From an individual standpoint, Richard had his most effective game of the season, posting 93 yards on 18 carries and a touchdown. In front of him, the ASU offensive line also arguably played its best game of the season, which helped attribute to the widespread success in the backfield.

For Ballage, his efficiency was pivotal — he added 14 carries of his own for 75 yards.

On special teams, Brandon Ruiz continues to be a stalwart kicking for ASU. He capitalized on all three of his field goal attempts and helped keep ASU afloat early when touchdowns were difficult to come by.

Arizona State now improves to 4-3 on the season and 3-1 in the conference after winning its last two games. When ASU returns to Tempe next week for its tilt with No. 11 USC, real Pac-12 South implications could be in play, as both teams, depending on other outcomes in the conference on Saturday night, could have a chance to take sole possession of the South with a win.

Go figure.