(Photo: Nicholas Badders/WCSN)
The Arizona State Sun Devils (6-4, 4-3 Pac-12) outlasted the UCLA Bruins (2-8, 2-5) 31-28 on senior day Saturday afternoon, guaranteeing they play in a bowl game for the second straight year.
“I told (the team) this was going to be the hardest game they played all year and it turned out to be that,” coach Herm Edwards said. “I thought our mindset was capable of handling that, and through the ebb and flow of the football game it showed up.”
In a game that saw four lead changes, one thing the Sun Devils were consistent about was committing to the run game.
ASU ran the ball on 59 of its 81 offensive plays and as a result dominated the time of possession (36:10 to UCLA’s 23:50), something the team struggled with during difficult stretches of the season.
“I know in this world everyone wants to see high-scorers and they want to see the ball thrown all over the yard,” Edwards said. “But I think if you run the ball with consistency you got a chance to have yourself a pretty good football team.”
Sophomore tailback Eno Benjamin led the charge, exploding for 182 yards (plus 13 receiving) and a touchdown, averaging 5.4 yards per carry. Redshirt Sophomore and JUCO transfer Isaiah Floyd also averaged 5.3 ypc on 8 attempts.
Even senior QB Manny Wilkins added 60 rushing yards and found the end zone twice to round out a 281-yard team effort on the ground- nearly three times what UCLA had.
Amidst all the excitement of senior day, salute to service week and the team earning bowl eligibility, it was actually a special day for Benjamin as well. The former four-star recruit out of Wylie, Texas, reached 1,295 rushing yards on the season- good for ASU’s single season rushing record in the Pac-10/Pac-12 era, which dates back to 1977.
“(In the first half) we couldn’t get up to those backers and when I hit the hole the linebackers were there,” Benjamin said. “We just kind of changed our little game plan and got back to what we do best and I think that’s either zone- straight zone- or gap schemes.”
Benjamin also said he was unaware of breaking the record and just wants to win football games.
To this point in the season, ASU’s defense has helped the team win as much as anything else. The unit has now kept every opposing offense under 30 points through 10 games, answering the numerous preseason concerns surrounding the young group.
However, UCLA caused some early struggles with junior running back Joshua Kelly (53 rush yds & TD, 17 rec yds in first half) and all-afternoon struggles with junior tight end Caleb Wilson (14 rec, 164 yds, 2 TD). ASU defensive coordinator Danny Gonzales praised Wilson as the “best tight end we’ll play all season” earlier in the week.
But thanks to some adjustments, the Sun Devil defense held strong in the second half due to improvements on stopping UCLA’s third-down conversions (UCLA was 5-8 in the first half, but only 2-6 in the second half). This was despite the early third quarter ejection of freshman linebacker and team sack-leader Merlin Robertson due to a questionable targeting call.
“Early (their offense was) in rhythm and they made first downs,” Edwards said. “We adjusted for the most part- we stopped them from running. And then it was just a matter of getting after the quarterback, which we did.”
This effort was led by redshirt freshman linebacker Tyler Johnson, who had two sacks including one that forced a fumble late in the game. Another key play was redshirt sophomore Chase Lucas’s interception off of one of freshman Jermayne Lole’s two pass breakups on the afternoon.
Benjamin scored his lone touchdown of the record-setting afternoon on the ensuing drive, finding the end zone from one yard out on a 4th-and-goal.
Although ASU fans have at least one more season of Benjamin to look forward to, several key Sun Devils played in Sun Devil Stadium for the final time.
They include; QB Manny Wilkins, Safeties Jalen Harvey, Dasmond Tautalatasi and Demonte King, DT Renell Wren, O-lineman Quinn Bailey and likely junior wideout N’Keal Harry- who is expected to enter the 2019 NFL draft.
ASU controls its path to the Pac-12 championship game but faces a tough test at Oregon next Saturday, with kickoff set for 8:30 p.m, on Pac-12 Networks.
