ASU Football: Sun Devils offensive stars step up, secure first road victory of 2018

(Photo: Brady Klain/WCSN)

The Arizona State Sun Devils (4-4, 2-3 Pac-12) out-dueled the Southern California Trojans (4-4, 3-3) thanks to the efforts of their star offensive players.

By the end of the game, both teams were noticeably banged up, but ASU found a way to rebound from a blown 17-point first half lead and win by three to earn its first win away from Sun Devil Stadium since Nov. 18, 2017 against Oregon State.

“There was never a moment I felt we were going to lose this game,” senior quarterback Manny Wilkins said. “I could just see the look in everybody’s eyes- how locked in we all were as a group. And when you have that you don’t gotta say much because you know your guys are gonna give their all.”

Wilkins, sophomore running back Eno Benjamin and junior receiver N’Keal Harry have been involved in 27 of the team’s 29 total touchdowns this season through the USC game, and it was this trio that led ASU’s eventually victorious effort.

After an 82-yard punt return TD just over two minutes into the game by USC redshirt sophomore Tyler Vaughns, the Sun Devils responded with 24 unanswered points.

In that stretch, Harry and Benjamin accounted for 192 of the team’s 265 offensive yards, including a 44-yard TD strike from Wilkins to Harry in response to the punt return and a 49-yard rushing score by Benjamin to put ASU ahead 24-7 late in the first half.

“When I looked at the score I’m going ‘It’s not over,’” coach Herm Edwards said. “And that’s what I told them ‘don’t look at the score’ … because I’ve watched enough tape on [USC] knowing any moment they can make a play.”

Edwards and the Sun Devils got the fight they expected, as the Trojans caught fire at the end of the first half that they carried well into the third quarter.

USC freshman quarterback Jack Sears, the team’s third-string QB just a week ago getting the start due to injuries to starter J.T. Daniels (concussion) and backup Matt Fink (fractured ribs) in last week’s loss to Utah, finally looked settled in on the final drive of the first half.

A 6-yard TD pass to junior wideout Michael Pittman Jr. 13 seconds before the break cut the halftime deficit to 10, with USC getting the ball to start the second half.

Sears continued to look settled in, and the Trojans pulled off a 14-point swing in a matter of three plays spanning 25 seconds- all happening within the first five minutes of the second half.

“All of a sudden you have momentum, you feel like your emotions are into the game and you think you’re going to win the game at halftime and all of a sudden they get momentum in the third quarter,” Edwards said. “They kind of dictated the terms. And in the fourth quarter, we made enough plays to win.”

An 8-yard TD by sophomore receiver Velus Jones Jr. capped a 9-play, 87-yard drive to open the half. The next two non-special teams plays were decisive- first, a 10-yard run by Wilkins that ended with a hard hit by senior corner Iman Marshall that jarred the ball loose.

Wilkins was put into concussion protocol after the hit and had to miss a series (resulting in a three-and-out led by redshirt sophomore Dillon Sterling-Cole). USC immediately capitalized on ASU’s only turnover, as a trick play saw Vaughns hit Pittman Jr. for a 36-yard touchdown throw, allowing them to take a four-point lead (28-24).

The closest either team got to scoring in the seven minutes after that was a missed 50-yard field goal attempt by sophomore Brandon Ruiz- one he barely pulled wide left.

Then, after the second of what would be five straight second-half stops by the Sun Devil defense after a rough start, Harry made the first of two unforgettable plays in the final 20 minutes. A circular, winding punt return for a touchdown that unjustifiably only got marked as a 92-yard TD return put ASU back ahead three points.

USC was quick to respond, but missed out on a trip to the red zone when freshman Sun Devil linebacker Merlin Robertson stuffed senior tailback Aca’Cedric Ware on a 4^th & 1 from the ASU 20, preserving a 31-28 lead.

“That’s what great players do- in big moments they make plays,” Edwards said. “When you have enough of them on your team, you’re always in the game. No matter how bad it looks.”

The teams exchanging punts on the ensuing two drives would be easy to ignore- except that Harry made the previously referenced second unforgettable play of the day.

ASU’s final drive would seal the deal, as following 4 rushes for a total 21 yards by Benjamin, Wilkins rushed for a 45-yard touchdown on 3^rd & 1- keeping the ball on a QB draw for what would be the eventual game-winning score.

But despite the 10-point lead with 1:23 left, the senior QB says he should’ve considered sliding so ASU could kill the clock given USC had one timeout.

“I was upset with myself because I should’ve slid, and we wouldn’t have been in the predicament there at the end of the game,” Wilkins said. “I could’ve put it away for my teammates at that moment.”

USC did score a late touchdown, as Sears hit Vaughns for another deep ball- this one for 48 yards. But the Sun Devils recovered the on-sides kick with 35 seconds to go, locking up their fourth win of the season and staying alive in the Pac-12 south.

ASU owes a lot of credit to Benjamin, who ran wild again for 185 yards on 29 touches (6.4 yards/carry) and two touchdowns. He was the most consistent player for ASU Saturday and considering his underclassman status looks like ASU’s next NFL-caliber running back.

Next up the Sun Devils will host the No. 15 Utah Utes, the South division leaders with a 4-2 Pac-12 record, Saturday, Nov. 3 at 1 p.m. on Pac-12 Networks.