Headlined by the absence of quarterback Jayden Daniels coming into this afternoon’s matchup against USC (6-4, 5-2 Pac-12) due to injury, it was an ASU (5-4, 2-3 Pac-12) offense led by freshman quarterback Joey Yellen — the first collegiate start of his young career.
Though Yellen started with obvious nerves, the quarterback was able to settle in but was unable to secure a victory, falling 31-26. This was ASU’s return to Sun Devil Stadium after two weeks on the road and a second bye week of the season and is now the team’s third straight loss.
After a one-yard first quarter on offense and a transparent defense through the first half, the Sun Devils found a rhythm from the first snap of the third quarter. Yellen drove ASU on a seven-play, 57-yard drive for a score after finding receiver Brandon Aiyuk for a short completion in the endzone — narrowing the gap to single digits.
A dominating first half by USC quarterback Kedon Slovis was put on pause in the second, however, as he was taken down on the second drive of the third quarter but was able to return late in the fourth. He finished the game with 432 passing yards and four scores.
One of the major concerns heading into the contest was how the ASU defense would cover a trio of high-caliber receivers — headlined by senior wideout Michael Pittman Jr. The lengthy receiver finished the game with 13 grabs for 146 yards, but it was receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown who stole the show for USC.
St. Brown had eight catches for 173 yards for the Trojans, including a 95-yard touchdown in the first quarter.
The Sun Devil defense was nearly perfect in the second half, allowing just three points in the final 30 minutes. Unfortunately for ASU, however, the offense could not play catchup after closing the score to just five after a Yellen pass to receiver Frank Darby for a touchdown.
The score would remain the same as a late-game interception ended ASU’s chance for a comeback.
