(Photo via Rebecca Striffler/WCSN)
LOS ANGELES – Whenever Arizona State Football heads to Los Angeles for a game at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, the games almost always go down in the history books.
This time, it was no different. ASU is under the new leadership of interim head coach Shaun Aguano, who had only one game under his belt before Saturday night’s match, and the game could be the last time ASU plays a conference game at the Coliseum.
The task was large for Aguano and company, facing their second consecutive AP top-25 opponent, but one that he has welcomed since taking over the helm.
But the task proved to be too large for ASU (1-4, 0-2 Pac-12), as the No. 6 ranked Southern California Trojans (5-0, 3-0 Pac-12) won 42-25, handing the Sun Devils their first four-game losing streak since 2019.
Redshirt junior quarterback Emory Jones and the offense kept ASU in the game early, scoring on its first three drives, which saw Jones use his legs more, compiling 10 carries. Outside of Jones, the ground game would prove to be a key, as the Sun Devils rushed for 101 yards in the first half.
The first-half success put the game within reach as the Sun Devils trailed by just four points and would receive the ball to start the half.
“Just to keep trusting in the game plan,” Valladay said. “We started off having a ball out of halftime. And just being able just to keep going… everything was working.”
However, the second half proved to be much different for ASU.
After scoring on all three of its drives, Aguano’s squad had an opportunity to take a lead on its first series of the half. But a six-play, four-yard possession would force a punt, giving USC the ball and an opportunity to increase its lead. The drive was a precursor to the rest of the third quarter – ASU losing control of the game.
In large part, the Trojans pulled away in the third quarter due to the increase of pressure on Jones, which eventually spilled into the fourth quarter and allowed them to get all five of its sacks in the second half. They also started to stop the run, something ASU established early in the match. The loss at the line of scrimmage was key as its rushing yards dwindled to 88 yards. Once the line was lost, graduate running back Xazavian Valladay was held to 7 yards.
“I thought they were bringing a little bit more pressure,” Aguano said. “And then again, their pinning their ears back on third down and we didn’t bring it to them. I thought that we need to make sure that we attack them, keep them off balance, but our guys are getting better. And I’m proud of them. They should hold their heads up high. We’ll be back.”
While at times the run game struggled, the passing game proved effective. Jones threw for 243 yards and completed 23 of his 32 passes. Senior wide receiver Bryan Thompson caught five passes for 86 yards, making multiple catches for first downs.
“Individually it means a lot,” Thompson said. “I’m from California I grew up about 5-10 minutes away from here, so I mean it means a lot, but at the same time, you know, we got to get that win. I’m not really an individual player. I like the team, so you know this is okay, but nah we need to get that win.”
The Sun Devil offense had a strong performance, but the defense struggled to limit head coach Lincoln Riley’s uptempo offense. Sophomore quarterback Caleb Williams put on quite the show, amassing 348 passing yards and 27 completions, both of which are season highs. Additionally, Williams was tough to take down, as Donnie Henderson’s defense managed to get inside the pocket and pressure him but struggled to take him to the ground.
“We had a lot of chances today at the quarterback, but we just didn’t capitalize,” graduate defensive back Khoury Bethley said. “I mean, he’s a great athlete, but when you get those opportunities to get off the field and put them behind the chains, you got to capitalize on them and do that today.”
The defense pressured Williams a lot and even hit the former Oklahoma quarterback but failed to bring him down. They also struggled to make a box around the backfield and establish the edge, allowing Williams to scramble once the pocket collapsed.
“We have to understand that the box guys have to contain those guys,” Aguano said. “We didn’t contain, he gets free, extends it we’re in limbo.”
Even with the pressure, the defense still gave up large plays through the air. William’s top target was junior receiver Jordan Addison, who pulled in eight receptions for 105 yards. Despite multiple quarterback hurries and hits, the Sun Devils only sacked Williams once.
The Trojan offense faced nine third downs with an average distance of 5.3 yards from the first down marker. Williams and his unit were able to convert on eight of those scenarios, which prolonged their possessions and kept the ball out of Jones’ hands.
“Our guys got to make sure that they keep their eyes on their guys,” Aguano said. “We talk about dirty eyes. I think a lot of times when the quarterback breaks the pocket and extends plays, they get dirty eyes, they start looking at the quarterback and peeking and those guys get separation. I thought it happened on two of the touchdown passes. I thought it happened on a couple of the third downs.”
“We still didn’t play good ball today,” Bethley said. “I think we left a lot of money on the field today. And we got to execute. We didn’t get off the field on third down again today. And that really, I think, played a big difference in the game. … Really just tackling. I mean, quarterback scrambled for a lot of the third downs, and we had them in the backfield a lot of times. Ultimately it just come down to contain and keeping him contained and finishing the play.”
Although the on-field play probably won’t make its way into the history books, Saturday’s game will because it marks the final time the Sun Devils and the Trojans will play at the Coliseum in a conference game.
“It is a special place,” Aguano explained about the LA Coliseum. “I sit in the locker room (and) there’s been a lot of great coaches sitting in that same locker room. So, I enjoy the experience. I know our kids do as well, but it is gonna be disappointing us not coming back.”
