(Photo: Dom Contini/WCSN)
TEMPE – Arizona State Football was living a nightmare. The Sun Devils had lost two consecutive games to Utah and Washington State. Their chances of winning a Pac-12 Conference title were drastically diminished, and many felt the team failed to live up to high preseason expectations. Furthermore, a looming cloud hung over the program, as it deals with a NCAA investigation.
Needless to say, ASU needed to beat USC Saturday night, and although they didn’t win in eloquent fashion, senior running back Rachaad White carried the Sun Devils on his back to beat the Trojans 31-16.
The magic number for the Sun Devils on Saturday was 202. That’s how many rushing yards White collected for ASU, an eye-popping number topped off by three touchdowns and an imprint in the school’s history books.
“He is a dramatic back, his game changing plays obviously, he has very good vision, and is explosive,” ASU head coach Herm Edwards said of White. “That is what you saw, he scored three touchdowns against a team like that and some of them were long – he had long runs. He had 202 yards rushing. We gave the ball to him a bunch and he did a nice job running with it.”
White, who was out last week against Washington State, added: “It is a blessing, the team welcomed me back and rallied behind me. They respected my decision last week in not playing, and to come out and do that tonight was amazing. I give credit to all the receivers and my linemen. It was a blessing and I’m really grateful for tonight.”
Saturday’s 202 yard performance was not only White’s career-high, but was the first he had eclipsed 100 yards in an NCAA game. He also became the sixth player in ASU history to collect 200 yards on the ground in a single game.
White’s first touchdown stole the lead from USC in the second quarter with a 47-yard scoring play to put the Sun Devils up 14-10. The senior gained 73 yards on two plays during the drive, with the preceding play to his touchdown being a 26-yard pass play.
White’s 50-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter was the dagger that clinched the game for the Sun Devils. With two minutes left in the game, the star back ran seven yards into the end zone to seal the Trojans’ fate.
ASU now sits at 4-2 in Pac-12 play and has earned bowl eligibility. If it wasn’t for White’s performance, the offense would’ve looked ugly on Saturday, as the group experienced what have become problems of turnovers and penalties so far this season.
Junior quarterback Jayden Daniels threw two interceptions. In the last two games, he’s been picked off four times. It’s the first time in his career that he’s thrown multiple interceptions in back-to-back games.
Sophomore running back DeaMonte Trayanum also fumbled in the second quarter, which led to a Trojans touchdown that made it 10-7 USC and stole the lead from the Sun Devils.
ASU totaled five penalties and had three turnovers against USC on Saturday night. Nevertheless, White’s performance was exactly what ASU needed to get back on track after looking lost the last two games.
“My message to the guys was that we have been here [before],” White said. “Just keep doing what we’re doing and have everyone do their job.”
