(Photo: Brady Klain/WCSN)
It wasn’t pretty, but the Arizona State Sun Devils (2-0) defeated Sacramento State (1-1), 19-7 Friday night in a sloppy contest which featured poor offensive line play, questionable play-calling and plenty of offensive inexecution.
ASU and Sacramento State entered play Friday night having scored 30 and 77 points, respectively, in week 1, but the Sun Devils and Hornets failed to reach the end zone until the 6:20 mark in the fourth quarter when Sacramento State’s quarterback Kevin Thomson found Tao McClinton for a 9-yard score.
With a little added game pressure, freshman quarterback Jayden Daniels found junior running back Eno Benjamin for a 72-yard touchdown pass with 4:42 to play in the fourth quarter, and the Sun Devils escaped with their second win of the year.
Arizona State’s offensive line – a topic of discussion all week long due to the inexperience of freshmen Dohnovan West and Jarrett Bell – was unable to get any push during the majority of the first half. All in all, Benjamin was able to muster just 65 yards on his 20 carries, often finding multiple Sacramento State defenders in the backfield right away. As a team, the Sun Devils rushed 34 times for 85 yards, with 33 of those coming on a 4th-and-1 conversion from Benjamin early in the third quarter.
One of the bright spots for ASU on the offensive side of the ball was senior wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk, who showcased his big-play ability with multiple gains of 20-plus. Aiyuk caught the opening play from scrimmage for a 24-yard gain and connected with Daniels in the third quarter for a gain of 52. The Sun Devil senior led ASU receivers with four receptions for 98 yards in the ASU victory.
Following his opening night 284-yard passing performance, freshman quarterback Jayden Daniels struggled in the first half, going 7-for-13 for 62 yards passing. The combination of poor offensive line play, a couple of missed throws from Daniels and a few drops from Sun Devil receivers resulted in an opening half that drew boos from those in the stands.
Daniels would finish 17-for-27 with 304 yards passing and one touchdown, his first career game surpassing 300 yards.
On the defensive side of the ball, Chase Lucas led ASU with seven tackles, and Cameron Phillips provided the lone turnover, intercepting a pass late in the fourth quarter to seal the game.
Next week, the Sun Devils will go to East Lansing to take on No. 19 Michigan State at 1 p.m. The game can also be seen on FOX.
