(Photo: Marlee Smith/WCSN)
It has been three games since the last time Arizona State (5-4, 2-4 Pac-12) took home a win, so the pressure to compete and leave victorious is crucial as the Sun Devils get set to face Oregon State (4-5, 3-3 Pac-12) at 5:30 p.m. Saturday night.
The Beavers are coming off a 19-7 loss to Washington where they scored their lone touchdown from the defense. For the Sun Devils, they had a chance to steal a win over USC last weekend in Tempe, but true freshman quarterback Joey Yellen could not end his first-career start with celebration.
Though the quarterback had an impressive afternoon, it will be quarterback Jayden Daniels back under center against Oregon State — a hopeful boost to a hungry team. But the Beavers have no quit in them either. While they fell to Washington, Oregon State has steady improvements throughout the season.
“They’ve gotten better,” defensive coordinator Danny Gonzales said. “You see a lot of improvement. Now, they’ve got three games left [and needs to] win two to be bowl-eligible. And just like us…they have a lot to play for.”
Oregon State defense has been the staple of the program this season, especially compared to last. The Beavers allowed over 40 points per game last season but have dropped that number to just 30.9 points per game.
The Sun Devils can definitely take advantage of yardage the Beavers allow each game, but for the offense to continue to click, the defense needs to stand tall.
Against the Beavers a year ago, Arizona State allowed 261 rushing yards.
“They’re physical up-front,” Gonzales said. “Their [offensive] line is big and very physical. They’ve got two really good runners, almost thunder and lightning duo…That’s been the primary focus.”
Beavers sophomore running back Jermar Jefferson rushed for 254 of those yards last season. Jefferson totaled 1,380 yards last year, with seven of those games finished with 100 or more yards and the result was Pac-12 Offensive Freshman of the Year honors.
This season has been a different story of production, but he remains a threat to the ASU defense. Jefferson has just 440 yards on 88 carries this season but will continue to pound the rock for the Beavers on Saturday night.
“I think they do a great job of how they set up their offense,” Gonzales said. “We’ve got to keep them from running the ball. If we can keep them from running the ball, we can get them off-schedule in down-and-distance.”
On the offensive side of the ball for the Sun Devils, the ground game was a similar strategy in the matchup last season. Junior running back Eno Benjamin had a career night against Oregon State, racking up 312 rushing yards and breaking the school-record along the way. It was a 52-24 ASU victory last season in Tempe.
In a must-win for both of these programs, it’s about who gets on the right foot from the first 15 minutes.
“We can’t start slow,” Gonzales said. “We got to coach them better and get them to execute. If they execute, it’s a completely different outcome.”
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