(Photo: Brendan OKeeffe/WCSN)
After suffering a 28-0 halftime deficit against Washington State on Nov. 12, Arizona State Football (3-7, 2-5 Pac-12) could have easily laid down its fight and curled up into a ball amid frigid temperatures in Pullman. But the Sun Devils stayed with it, finishing with an effort they could be proud of in the 28-18 loss.
“It’s just a gut check,” redshirt junior defensive back Jordan Clark said on the halftime deficit. “… It was really just about growing up, digging your feet in the grass and saying, ‘that’s enough.’”
The loss eliminated ASU from bowl-game contention and guaranteed its first losing season since 2016. Yet according to defensive coordinator Donnie Henderson, the motivation to play this week against No. 23 Oregon State (7-3, 4-3 Pac-12) and beyond doesn’t change.
“Somebody was saying to me, ‘You got two games left, you can’t go to a bowl game. What do you play for?’” Henderson said. “I can make that very simple. You got two games – you play one for the seniors, you play one for the state.
“And our seniors deserve that. They deserve to go out in those two games as winners.”
While the motivation might be present, the challenge doesn’t fade as the Beavers have won four of their last five games. On offense, the Pacific Northwest foes have leaned on a heavy rushing attack to be successful, with a three-headed backfield averaging 190 yards on the ground.
“I see a fast offense that’s hitting that ball, hitting it downhill,” Henderson said. “… And the offensive line knows exactly how they’re getting off the ball and they’re mauling and they’re knocking you off the ball. This quarterback is much different than the last quarterback. Obviously, they don’t ask him to throw the ball as much. I mean, this is a running football team.”
The Beavers have been headlined on the winning stretch by freshman running back Damien Martinez, who has racked up 100 rushing yards in four consecutive games and is averaging 6.3 yards per carry in that span.
ASU’s defense will be buoyed by a healthier unit this week in an attempt to stop the ground attack, as redshirt fifth-year senior linebacker Kyle Soelle – the Pac-12 Conference’s leading tackler – has been a full participant in practice this week after missing the Washington State game with an upper extremity injury.
Redshirt sophomore cornerback Ro Torrence, who ranks second in the conference in pass breakups, was also out against Washington State with an illness but has been a full participant in practice this week.
The injury bug hit the Sun Devils during the game as well, as redshirt junior quarterback Trenton Bourguet exited midway through the second quarter with a lower leg injury. Bourguet said on Wednesday he suffered the injury earlier in the game and tried playing through it before a mutual decision with the coaching staff was made to take him out. Upon his departure, Bourguet held his worst stat line as a starter this season, going 3-for-10 passing with 26 yards and an interception.
Despite the injury and poor showing, Bourguet has taken first team reps in practice this week and will be healthy for Saturday afternoon.
As the unit looks to return to full strength, a point of emphasis for ASU’s offense will be a quicker start, as the Sun Devils could only muster 61 total yards in the first half against the Cougars.
“We’re going to play faster,” said redshirt sophomore offensive lineman Ben Bray, who entered the game for injured starting center Ben Scott in the first half. “A lot more turbos, we’re going to communicate faster, and we’re not going to be afraid to go for it and take some shots.”
While the Sun Devils hope to improve offensively, they face a stiff test from the other side. The Beavers rank second in the conference in yards allowed per game (336.1), with their performances against the run standing out.
In its 38-10 win over California last week, Oregon State allowed just nine yards rushing. It hasn’t allowed an opponent to gain over 100 yards on the ground since Week 5, and its 107.1-yard average ranks 15th nationally.
The question will be which side will give in at the line of scrimmage, as ASU senior running back Xazavian Valladay has been on a tear with 344 rushing yards and six touchdowns in his last three games.
“Iron sharpens iron,” Valladay said. “We have to go out there and put our best foot forward and play our best ball, because they are fundamentally sound. We have our hands full with the defense.”
While the stats and storylines present a challenging matchup for the Sun Devils, interim head coach Shaun Aguano’s theme for the last two weeks of the season will simply be effort and playing with a purpose. Despite the disappointing results, his message has been consistent since taking over the head job.
“As you’ve seen in the past, they won’t quit,” Aguano said. “They could’ve quit this last game when it was cold. But they’re going to play and they’re playing for something more than themselves, especially for the seniors. We’ll be ready to go – we’ll get through our injuries and get through our practices … but our guys will be motivated to play.”
