TUCSON, Ariz. -- There have been several times during Todd Graham’s tenure that the Arizona State head coach has looked upset. Frustrated. Flabbergasted, even.
On Friday night at Arizona Stadium, Graham found himself in a place he hadn’t found yet during his time as a Sun Devil – defeated, worn down and uncertain about his future. He stared blankly down at the ground as he walked off the field after a 56-35 loss to Arizona in the Territorial Cup, saying little other than offering a pair of words to athletic director Ray Anderson before engaging in an embrace.
“I’m sorry.”
The Sun Devils (5-7), needing a win over their rival Wildcats (3-9) in order to secure a bowl win and halt a five-game losing streak to put a positive finish to a troubling regular season, instead put together a deplorable performance that Graham could only call his team’s worst in his five seasons there.
“That was embarrassing,” Graham said. “No excuses, but that was very, very difficult to watch. We let our university down, let our program down. That was very, very difficult. Just didn’t show up at all defensively and just gave up one big play after another…it was very disheartening.”
The trouble started early, as just three plays into the game Arizona quarterback Brandon Dawkins ripped through the paper-thin Sun Devil defense for a 71-yard rushing score. The defense countered a pair of drives later, pressuring Dawkins and forcing a fumble that Koron Crump returned for a touchdown to tie the game at 7-7. It was the only backbone the unit would show all night, as Dawkins needed to attempt just eight passes and the Wildcats ran for a school-record 511 yards on the ground.
Big play after big play eviscerated the ASU defense, as they allowed an astounding seven plays of 30 yards or more.
“You can’t play that bad and make up any excuses,” Graham said of the unit. “I don’t have any excuses. We just absolutely played atrocious.”
The offense took forever to jumpstart, with the group seemingly becoming droll and limiting the playbook to quick horizontal screens and a bevy of short, ineffective quarterback runs from redshirt sophomore Manny Wilkins. Things opened up towards the end of the first half, as Wilkins made his best throw of the day on a 21-yard touchdown pass to Tim White with less than a minute remaining. After the Sun Devils scored on their opening possession of the second half, they suddenly found themselves within a score and firmly in the game.
They could not do enough to keep up with their own paltry defense. Wilkins finished the night 43-for-58 for 372 yards, three touchdowns, and an interception. His body, much like all season, took a toll as he carried 23 times for 79 yards and fumbled once.
Redshirt senior Fred Gammage was the main beneficiary of the game plan, catching a career-high 12 passes for 116 yards and a score. Tim White added four catches for 69 yards and a touchdown, while N’Keal Harry caught nine passes for 51 yards and a touchdown.
The loss firmly ends all hopes of the Sun Devils continuing their season, something once unthinkable as the Sun Devils stormed to a 4-0 start and sat at 5-1 just six games ago. From that point on, they would lose their final six games, including the season finale to the only team in the Pac-12 without a conference win.
Just a week ago, the Wildcats found themselves getting thrashed by the lowly Oregon State Beavers on the road. Friday, Arizona just flat-out dominated their opponent in a way they had not done all season.
“It’s disappointing obviously,” Graham said. “You start out 5-1 and lose six straight. That’s the first time for me. The adversity, the challenges, but that’s football, that’s life. I’m pretty motivated to go to work and get this back to where it needs to be.”
In missing a bowl berth, the Sun Devils also find themselves struggling to build towards the future. Gone are the additional bowl practices, which serve as a crucial development period for young players and for coaches to build offseason programs. Now, they must get a head start.
The loss also suddenly throws the entire future in question. Graham figures to be safe for next season despite going 11-14 in his last two years after back-to-back 10-win years, as he received a vote of confidence from Anderson last week and has a $14 million buyout looming if the program decides to go in that direction. But those around him, including defensive coordinator Keith Patterson and Wilkins, will at the very least face additional scrutiny as the team moves towards the next season.
They must do so while also dealing with senior losses to players such as White and linebackers Salamo Fiso and Laiu Moeakiola.
“I told them I loved them,” Graham said of the senior group. “This thing isn’t about me or anything like that. There are some fifth-year seniors in there that have done some great things for this program. We didn’t want them to go out like that, but we didn’t show up to play at all.”
The attention prematurely now goes to next season, where Graham said he will begin preparations soon.
“[I’ll start] when I get on that bus.”
In the meantime, he will also try to move past the embarrassment that was Friday’s season finale.
