(Photo: Brady Klain/WCSN)
The Arizona State Sun Devils (2-2, 0-1 Pac-12) hosted the Oregon State Beavers (1-3, 0-1 Pac-12) with both teams looking for their first Pac-12 win.
ASU opened the game with a 15-play, 64-yard drive that consumed six and-a-half minutes but settled for a 29-yard field goal from sophomore Brandon Ruiz.
The Sun Devil defense wouldn’t let the Beavers respond, as a thunderous third-down sack by junior Malik Lawal forced a fumble that ASU nearly recovered.
Special teams made its presence known on the ensuing punt though, as sophomore Langston Frederick got a hand on the kick allowing the offense to start the next drive from its own 43.
ASU’s offense capitalized, as sophomore Eno Benjamin broke a tackle and spun out of two more en route to a 44-yard touchdown run on the drive’s fourth play, putting the Sun Devils ahead 10-0.
OSU went three-and-out on its next drive, nearly turning the ball over again when junior Jalen Bates and freshman Merlin Robertson combined for a sack on the first play and the Beavers recovered sophomore quarterback Connor Blount’s second fumble.
The offensive fireworks continued for the Sun Devils, as Benjamin’s eight-yard touchdown reception extended ASU’s lead to 17-0 on the first play of the second quarter. The drive was highlighted by a two-yard run from Benjamin on a 4th-and-1 from midfield that kept the drive alive.
Following a Beavers field goal that nixed ASU’s shutout bid, Benjamin got back to work on the next possession. The sophomore opened the drive with a 21-yard run and finished it with a 47-yard score, breaking open a 24-3 Sun Devil lead.
This time the Beavers had a response, as a 44-yard connection from Blount to sophomore Isaiah Hodgins got them to ASU’s 31 on the drive’s first play. Freshman Jermar Jefferson scored from 11 yards to cut the deficit back to two touchdowns.
Wilkins and ASU went three-and-out, punting for the first time and causing a momentum shift in favor of OSU.
The Beavers made it count, marching 89 yards on 11 plays that included a pair of short third-down conversions and another touchdown run from Jefferson, this time from 27 yards out.
Now leading only 24-17 with just over a minute before halftime, Wilkins led the unit down the field quickly thanks to his 22-yard run early in the drive. Benjamin nearly fumbled in the red zone on a 14-yard catch-and-run that converted a 3rd-and-10, but it was determined he was down upon review.
Wilkins hit junior Kyle Williams on a 19-yard strike up the middle on the next play, extending ASU’s lead to 31-17 which they took into the locker room.
Benjamin’s 185 rushing yards set a new first half record for ASU. He led the team with 27 receiving yards as well.
To start the second half OSU went three-and-out, highlighted by another Lawal sack.
The Sun Devils used Harry almost exclusively to move the ball on its first drive of the half, as he capped it off with a 6-yard rushing touchdown. It was Harry’s first score on the ground since his freshman season in 2016.
The Beavers countered with their own touchdown drive sealed by a four-yard connection from Blount to junior tight end Noah Togiai on a 4th-and-2.
ASU failed to counter that fourth-down effort in its next drive when Wilkins came up just short on a 4th-and-1 from OSU’s 40.
Oregon State looked ready to strong-arm itself back into the game, driving all the way to ASU’s one yard-line for a fourth-and-goal attempt. A false start backed them up to the six though, and sophomore Chase Lucas batted down a potential touchdown pass to senior Timmy Hernandez forcing the turnover on downs.
The offense started the fourth quarter one play into the ensuing drive and used Benjamin to put away the Beavers for good. The sophomore rattled off runs of 15, 22 and 23 yards consecutively to start the 4th and scored on a 10-yard touchdown run to put ASU ahead 45-24.
Another OSU turnover on downs led to another ASU touchdown as Wilkins connected with Harry for a 41-yard deep strike.
The Sun Devils held cruised from there to a 52-24 victory achieving their first win of conference play.
Benjamin shattered the ASU single-game rushing record with 312 yards, adding three touchdowns.
Jefferson led OSU’s offense with 254 yards on the ground and two touchdowns but was ultimately outdone by his underclassman counterpart.
The Sun Devils next game will be at Colorado next Saturday at 1 p.m.
