ASU Football: Sun Devils escape Washington 24-10

(Photo: ASU Athletics)

We are all instructed to never knock a win. But given the ugly and unconvincing nature of Arizona State’s 24-10 win over Washington on Saturday, it may be wise to reconsider that attitude.

A combination of poor conditions—howling winds that reached 60 mph and on-and-off rain all evening—and a quarterback who had not seen time under center for over month indicated a defensive struggle was imminent.

Yet even with these factors in mind, the ASU offense only mustering 180 passing yards and sputtering for the majority of the game has now positioned the Taylor Kelly-Mike Bercovici debate in the limelight.

That was the gist; here are the details.

Player of the game:

Laiu Moeakiola.

Largely deemed the most critical player on the Sun Devils defense, Moeakiola shined brightly once again Saturday night, racking up 10 tackles, two sacks, 2.5 tackles for loss and a forced fumble. Any residual impact of the shoulder injury he sustained during the Colorado matchup is either being ingeniously concealed or simply nonexistent.

Biggest concern:

The Taylor Kelly-Mike Bercovici debate.

No one will ever complain about a team having too much talent. That is, if that talent does not become a distraction. Unfortunately, knee-jerk reactionaries may have caused the Sun Devils’ excellence at the quarterback position to become one.

Taylor Kelly clearly has some kinks to work out, but the end result (14-25, 180 yards, two touchdowns and one interception) was not horrendous by any means. Still, his every move was under the most intense of microscopes, with ESPN flashing glimpses of Mike Bercovici throwing on the sideline each time something did not go in Kelly’s favor.

This situation has the capacity to be toxic and divisive, and Saturday night certainly added to the unnecessary drama.

Unsung hero:

Demario Richard

The camp in support of Taylor Kelly maintaining his role as the Sun Devils’ starting quarterback cites the well-being of the running game as a prime reason to remain loyal to the senior quarterback.

Though that argument took a significant hit Saturday night, Demario Richard somewhat salvaged its relevance. With D.J. Foster struggling to the tune of 36 yards on 13 carries, and Kalen Ballage and Deantre Lewis complete nonfactors, Richard shouldered the load with 54 yards on only nine carries. His production accounted for half the team’s rushing yards and his efforts on the team’s game-winning touchdown drive were invaluable.

Stat of the game:

Though the “Player of the Game” award cannot commend the entire defense, the “Stat of the Game” certainly reflects the entirety of their efforts.

The ASU defense forced three turnovers Saturday night: a forced fumble from WILL linebacker Laiu Moeakiola that was recovered by Demetrius Cherry, an interception from safety Jordan Simone and a game-sealing pick six from cornerback Armand Perry.

On a night in which the offense needed as much support as it could get and against an offense that had only committed three turnovers all season (tied for the fewest in all of college football), the efforts from the defense cannot be overstated.

What’s next?

The Sun Devils return to Tempe for two straight home contests, the first of which will be a matchup against No. 19 Utah (6-1, 3-1) on Saturday. The Utes scored in the final minutes against USC on Saturday evening to shock the Trojans 24-21.

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