ASU Football: Sun Devils’ defense holds firm as offense collapses

(Photo via Hailey Rogalski/WCSN)

Just about everything that could have gone wrong for Arizona State football did against Fresno State on Saturday night.

Coming into the game, ASU was without its starting freshman quarterback Jaden Rashada, its star redshirt junior tight end Jalin Conyers and a slew of offensive linemen. All of this and more culminated in eight turnovers and a 29-0 loss, resulting in ASU’s first time being shut out at home since 1988.

But amid the nightmarish game from ASU’s offense, its counterpart on the defensive side made the best of a bad draw, holding the Bulldogs to just 15 points off those eight turnovers. Three drives succeeding turnovers resulted in zero points, and neither of Fresno State’s two touchdowns were scored as a result of ASU’s sloppiness.

“Our defense fought hard and battled,” ASU head coach Kenny Dillingham said. “Eight turnovers, giving up 29 points, that’s remarkable, to be honest. When you have eight turnovers, and you give up 29 points, that is just one of the most incredible things I’ve ever been a part of.”

While the Sun Devils’ defense didn’t force a turnover of its own, the defensive unit did walk away with six quarterback hurries and six sacks, three of which came on defensive back blitzes. Redshirt junior cornerback Ro Torrence was one of two players to lead the team with two quarterback takedowns.

“It was a good scheme,” Dillingham said. “Schematically, it was getting [Torrence] free – credit to the defensive coaching staff – and then Ro making the play, because it’s one thing to be there and to call the right thing. It’s another thing to execute and make the play, and Ro kept getting it done.”

Both of Torrence’s sacks were vital to keeping the Bulldogs out of the end zone following turnovers from redshirt junior quarterback Trenton Bourguet and redshirt sophomore quarterback Drew Pyne.

Following Bourguet’s interception, Torrence’s first sack prevented Fresno State from converting on third-and-4 inside the 15 and pushed the Bulldogs back outside the red zone. Torrence’s second sack on a first-and-10, once again inside the red zone, set the Bulldogs back far enough that they weren’t able to recover and once again had to settle for three.

Torrence wasn’t the only player to bring significant pressure off the snap. On a drive that saw Fresno State start on ASU’s 32-yard line following a fumble by sophomore running back Tevin White, back-to-back sacks from redshirt junior edge Prince Dorbah and redshirt senior safety Shamari Simmons kept the Bulldogs from six.

Dillingham was especially pleased with a risky decision that the Sun Devils made near the end of the first half. ASU accepted a holding penalty on third-and-6 to force the Bulldogs into a third-and-long situation. The gamble paid off, as ASU’s pass rush got to the Bulldogs’ redshirt sophomore quarterback Mikey Keene, forcing an intentional grounding that moved Fresno State out of field goal range.

“(Defensive coordinator Brian) Ward is very aggressive,” Dillingham said. “Coach Ward’s going to constantly try to create pressure on the quarterback, and I think we did that tonight, especially when we got them into long-yardage scenarios. That happened multiple times – our defense just playing aggressive and playing with confidence that got them off the field.”

Between the constant pressure on Keene and a suffocating run defense that held the Bulldogs to just two yards per carry, ASU’s defense once again established itself as the Sun Devils’ strongest unit.

“They put in the work,” Dillingham said. “They’re passionate, they care, and we have great leadership, so those guys play because they love the game, and they play for each other, and it shows up at a high level. I’m proud of how they’re playing. I’m proud of their leadership.”