ASU Football: Sun Devils’ first-half offensive struggles fuel WSU win

(Photo via Brendan O’Keeffe/WCSN)

Arizona State Football is officially out of bowl contention, and there are multiple avenues of blame to be handed out during this frustrating season. While all valid, Saturday’s deficient offensive output illustrated a Sun Devils team that couldn’t mount together a coherent drive until the game was out of reach.

For an offense that is coming off back-to-back weeks where it put up 42 and 36 points, ASU’s 18-point game is a massive shock for an offense that appeared to make the proper steps forward. However, questionable decisions and a lack of urgency equate to an unfortunate result with the season on the line.

The Sun Devils’ offense in the first half was as dysfunctional, moving the chains six times in the half. From the first drive, ASU looked sluggish. After a 14-yard run by senior running back Xazavian Valladay, the offense lined up with 15 seconds on the play clock before letting it run down and receiving a delay of game penalty, killing all the momentum created by Valladay’s initial play.

There was no urgency by the Sun Devils to set the pace against one of the best defenses in the Pac-12, and the Cougars made them pay. As on a third and long situation, where ASU was nearly penalized again for a delay of game, redshirt junior defensive end Brennan Jackson decked redshirt junior quarterback Trenton Bourguet for the strip sack. Although the ball was recovered by the offense, it was the beginning of the upcoming onslaught by the Cougars.

The Sun Devils faced multiple third and long situations in the first half. Five of the overall six scenarios came from 7 or more yards deep. ASU was 0-6 in those instances, unable to convert when it mattered most. The blame could fall mostly on its lack of production in the first two downs.

With a fresh set of downs, the Sun Devils struggled to establish a rhythm with many drives starting with incompletions or rushes that equated to small or no gain. The offense’s inability to put plays together meant a plethora of short drives. Only two of ASU’s six drives surpassed three minutes at halftime, giving no time to breathe for the struggling defense.

Matters only worsened for the offense, as Bourguet left the game with an injury, forcing interim head coach Shaun Aguano to insert redshirt junior quarterback Emory Jones. Bourguet left the game after throwing an interception, completing three passes of his 10 passes and a 31.8 quarterback rating. However, Jones couldn’t revive the anemic offense that finished the half with 61 yards of total offense and a goose egg on the scoreboard.

After halftime, the Sun Devils returned to its fundamentals and focused more on the run game, putting the ball in Valladay’s hands. The fifth-year running back ran for over 100 yards in the second half, finishing his night with 134 yards, his sixth 100-yard game of the season. His performance on Saturday also edged his name into the top 100 career rushing yards list in FBS history.

Valladay resuscitated an offense with his elusiveness and power. The offensive line appeared more comfortable in the blocking scheme, creating holes for the running back. The ground game opened up the air raid for ASU, which Valladay also played a big part in being the team’s leading receiver with 55 yards on six catches.

The pace improved from the first half, but there were still plenty of mistakes from the Sun Devils. Third down was still a struggle, converting three times in 14 attempts. The Cougars still found great success getting to the quarterback, with four sacks and five quarterback hits on the night.

ASU’s execution against WSU was a mixed bag, marketed as a tale of two halves. Regardless, the result stays the same with a Sun Devils team with no use for celebrating moral victories.