ASU Football: Strong second half sparks a Sun Devil comeback against Washington

(Photo: Zac Pacleb/WCSN)

 

In a game filled with littered three-and-outs, overthrown receivers and plenty of punts in the first half, Arizona State used a burner of a second-half performance to come away with the 27-17 victory.

The first half was a relatively dull half hour of football that saw Washington put 17 unanswered points on the board quick while the Sun Devils punted on their first seven drives. In fact, only one of ASU’s first half drives ended in points for the Sun Devils when junior kicker Zane Gonzalez sank a 40-yard field goal with 2:21 remaining in the second quarter.

ASU came out of the second half swinging, and after a 32-yard touchdown catch from redshirt senior wide receiver Devin Lucien, the game was tied at 17 with 13:52 remaining in regulation.

The Sun Devils rode strong defensive efforts all around, and a timely interception from senior cornerback Kweishi Brown led to a 48-yard rushing touchdown from sophomore Kalen Ballage that stretched ASU’s lead to 27-17 late in the game to all but seal it.

After giving up 341 yards in the first half to the Huskies, ASU’s defense locked in and pitched a shutout in the second half and snagged two interceptions, and now, ASU is just one win from bowl eligibility.

Player of the game: Mike Bercovici

The Sun Devils’ offense sputtered to just 133 yards in the first half, but Bercovici and the unit came back with tempo and efficiency in the second half. The fifth year quarterback went 12-for-14 for 156 yards and a touchdown in the second half as the Sun Devils scored 20 unanswered points to take the lead.

Biggest concern: Injuries

The already shallow Sun Devil secondary was hit with injuries to redshirt senior bandit safety Jordan Simone. Kareem Orr did not play in the game either. Instead, the Sun Devils safety-duo consisted of sophomore safety Chad Adams at bandit and redshirt sophomore James Johnson at field safety.

Additionally, redshirt junior spur linebacker Laiu Moeakiola left the game with a shoulder injury and was replaced by redshirt sophomore Marcus Ball.

Given the defensive struggles ASU went through in the first half and the way the unit played in the second, it was clear that the backups were more than serviceable if any of the injured Sun Devils miss next week’s game.

Stat of the game: Washington’s 341 first half yards, 547 total yards

It was a tale of two halves, and in the wake of the injuries across the board for ASU’s defense, the fact that the unit held up the Huskies in the second half was as impressive as any feat this season.

Two interceptions from Brown and sophomore linebacker Christian Sam punished Washington freshman quarterback Jake Browning for the inaccuracy he displayed throughout the game and put the nail in the Huskies’ coffin.

Unsung hero: James Johnson/Antonio Longino

After seeing minimal playing time all season, Johnson played well at field safety with Kareem Orr out for the game. His diving pass breakup in the second half kept Washington from the end zone, which ended with a missed field goal. Momentum swung the Sun Devils’ direction and clearly provided stability to a shaky secondary. He was also involved in forcing a late fumble that was recovered by redshirt junior defensive end Edmond Boateng.

Longino, who was originally doubtful to play after seeing limited action this past week in practice, was quick and strong off the edge and racked up four tackles for loss. He created havoc in the backfield on a number of occasions, and his two sacks were vital in the comeback effort.

What’s next?

The Sun Devils square off against the Arizona Wildcats in Sun Devils Stadium with a Territorial Cup point and bowl eligibility on the line.

You can reach Zac Pacleb on Twitter @ZacPacleb or via email at zacpacleb@gmail.com

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