ASU Football: Sun Devils’ woes lead to first road loss at California

(Photo via Spencer Barnes/WCSN)

Not only was Saturday’s game at California Memorial Stadium Arizona State Football’s first road game of the season but it was also viewed as the Sun Devils’ best remaining chance to pick up a Pac-12 Conference win.

Coming off a better-than-expected performance against then-No. 5 USC the previous week, ASU arrived in Berkley with confidence, despite entering the matchup as significant underdogs.

But where ASU (1-4, 0-2 Pac-12) had its most complete showing of the season last weekend, Saturday’s 24-21 loss against Cal (3-2, 1-1 Pac-12) was a regression that saw the Sun Devils’ defense concede 196 yards on the ground, while ASU’s offense struggled to prevail when needed the most.

Cal’s sophomore running back Jaydn Ott was instrumental in the Golden Bears’ win, tallying 165 yards and a touchdown while averaging 5.7 yards per carry.

While Ott’s role in California’s offense was pivotal, Cal was still able to produce at positions that saw less goddy numbers, such as the quarterback position. This can be attributed to its routinely stellar field position.

Cal started its drive on ASU’s half of the field on three occasions and scored each time. The Golden Bears’ only other score was a 1-yard rushing touchdown by redshirt senior running back Isaiah Ifanse in the first quarter.

It started with a punt by graduate punter Josh Carlson from his own end zone that only traveled to ASU’s 42-yard line. Seven plays later, the Golden Bears were lining up to kick a 37-yard field goal despite only advancing the ball 22 yards.

Then, in the third, a failed fourth-and-2 conversion from junior running back Cam Skattebo gave Cal the ball on ASU’s 31. This time, it wasn’t long before redshirt sophomore quarterback Sam Jackson V found junior receiver Jeremiah Hunter for the 21-yard score.

The most egregious example occurred in the fourth when an ASU drive consisted of just one play, an interception by redshirt junior quarterback Trenton Bourguet that was returned inside the 15-yard line. It only took Ott three tries to find the end zone, giving his team an 11-point lead.

The Sun Devils’ offense, on the other hand, seemingly struggled to find a consistent rhythm despite Bourguet’s 344 yards through the air and one rushing touchdown. ASU was just three-for-15 on third downs and two-for-five on fourth down.

Several developing drives were interrupted and stalled, forcing ASU to settle for three points or worse – walk away with nothing.

In the second quarter, on fourth-and-1, ASU gambled with a trick play that saw Skattebo complete an 18-yard pass to his quarterback, who showed off his athleticism with a full extension to snatch the ball out of the air. Three plays later, Skattebo couldn’t find the same magic, unsuccessfully converting another fourth-and-1 by himself. The Sun Devils came up empty-handed despite working their way into the Golden Bears’ territory.

In the third frame, ASU was forced to kick back-to-back field goals after an illegal substitution penalty wiped off a Skattebo passing touchdown, and a false start penalty prevented ASU from attempting to convert a fourth-and-2 from Cal’s 6-yard line.

Despite struggles on both sides of the ball, ASU still had a legitimate chance to win the game with less than 3:30 left to play.

Leading by three, Cal redshirt sophomore tight end Jeffrey Johnson was flagged for blocking below the waist, setting Cal up for second-and-19 from ASU’s 37. Three plays later, the Golden Bears were staring at fourth-and-7 from the 25. Jackson was nearly tripped up by the Sun Devils’ pass rush but escaped and delivered a prayer downfield.

With two defenders near him at the goal line, Hunter was unable to complete the catch on the underthrown ball, but ASU redshirt junior defensive back Ed Woods made contact with Hunter early and drew a penalty for pass interference.

Even though the Sun Devils were able to stop the Golden Bears from scoring after the penalty, the ensuing four plays ran nearly 30 seconds off the clock while requiring the ASU to burn all three of its timeouts. Bourguet and company started the drive from their own 1-yard line and eventually turned the ball over on downs when they failed to pick up a fourth-and-4.

With the loss Saturday, ASU has now fallen to consecutive 1-4 starts for the first time in the modern era, and the rest of the season’s outlook grows increasingly bleak. All but two of ASU’s remaining opponents are ranked, and the Sun Devils are still working with limited healthy bodies at multiple position groups. It will take extensive improvement for the Sun Devils to present themselves as a team that can win a game in this year’s competitive Pac-12, as a winless season in conference play doesn’t seem far outside the realm of possibility.