Defensive struggles lead to the first loss of the season for the Sun Devils

Sitting at a record of 3-0 with a national ranking of No. 24 heading into the first week of Pac-12 play, things were looking all too good for Arizona State.

After knocking off No. 18 Michigan State a week before, the Sun Devils entered a matchup against the high-octane offense of Colorado as favorites to win.

Leaving the matchup, the young Sun Devil team learned a valuable lesson. Favorites don’t mean anything, especially in the Pac-12.

Headlined by performances from quarterback Steven Montez and receiver Tony Brown, the Colorado Buffaloes (3-1, 1-0) knocked off Arizona State (3-1, 0-1) 34-31 behind a 14-point first quarter of play.

“We knew coming in, this was a very good offense that we were facing,” Arizona State head coach Herm Edwards admitted. “We were going to have to score some points. Defensively, I did not think that we were going to allow them the first four-or-five possessions to go down and score on us.”

The duo of Montez and Brown accounted for three touchdowns each as the former finished the night 23 of 30 for 337 yards through the air while the latter hauled in nine receptions for 150 yards.

One of the most impressive facets of Colorado’s offensive attack was they did so without the presence of their number one playmaker in the form of Laviska Shenault Jr. The standout wideout was injured in the first half and only caught one pass for 23 yards.

Despite the performances from Colorado’s duo, Arizona State had several chances to either tie or take the lead late in the game.

Entering the fourth quarter the Sun Devils trailed by a score at 31-24 before Jayden Daniels found Frank Darby from 39 yards out for the tying score.

The long pass to Darby was one that the pair attempted to connect on earlier the game but were unable to on several occasions.

These deep passes were used by the offense throughout the night in order to loosen up the defense to be able to have more passes underneath and through the middle.

“We know the type of receivers that we have,” Daniels said. “They have a freak ability that I say nobody in the country could guard them, so we just have to give them a chance. The first two (overthrown passes) in the first half, I overshot them so - those are plays that could have changed the outcome of the game. So really just taking more shots, open up the defense more.”

After forcing a punt following the score by Darby, the Arizona State offense once again moved the ball down the field with relative ease as they finished the night with a total of 453 yards.

The biggest play on the drive came off a deep pass from Daniels to freshman Jordan Kerley who hauled in 26 of his 59 receiving yards on the night on the reception.

The catch put ASU on Colorado’s 33-yard line but at the cost of a blindside hit on the freshman quarterback. Whether it was a sense of pressure from the hit the play before or just a misplaced pass, Daniels threw his first career interception the following play.

The pass was just in front of the outstretched hands of Kyle Williams and fell into the arms of Derr Rakestraw of Colorado giving them a chance to take the lead.

“It was just a matter of missed throws, missed assignments,” Daniels admitted of the loss. “In the second had they started bringing a lot more pressure, tried to get me off my spot. So I mean just sitting there and sticking to the game plan. I feel like we did a pretty good job of it and (there were) just a couple plays that could have made the difference in the game.”

Colorado made the most of the turnover as they took the ball 11 plays to go 57 yards in just under five minutes to set up kicker James Stefanou with a 44-yard field goal to put the Buffaloes up 34-31.

After last weeks late game-winning drive by Daniels, the question seemed to be if the freshman could once again put his team in position to win his first Pac-12 game following the interception and field goal.

Three incompletions and the first Colorado sack on the night later, the Sun Devils turned the ball over on downs and were unable to get the ball back after roughing the holder on a field goal attempt the following drive.

Even as he picked up his first collegiate loss, Daniels continued to impress under center as he finished the matchup completing 24 of his 39 pass attempts for 345 yards and two touchdowns to go along with his lone interception.

Daniels’ mark of 345 passing yards put him third all-time in Sun Devil freshman passing yard history behind only Rudy Carpenter’s 467 yards in 2005, and Jeff Krohn’s 432 yards against Oregon in 2000.

“You can’t ask any more out of this kid,” Edwards stated. “He’s doing a really good job for being a freshman. To have a night like he did tonight was pretty good. I know he came up a little short but I’m glad he’s on our side. He’s going to be a good player, but we’ve got to help him.”

The Sun Devils struggled early on as a result of Colorado scoring on their first two drives putting them ahead 14-0 early in the first quarter.

ASU had a chance to put themselves on the board but was unable to do so as Cristian Zendejas missed his first field goal on the year from 48-yards out putting him at 8 for 9 this year.

Daniels and the the offense would finally crack the scoreboard off a 53-yard strike from the arm of the freshman to receiver Brandon Aiyuk to narrow the margin to 14-7.

Aiyuk finished with a team-high in receptions and receiving yards with a total of nine and 122 respectively to go along with his touchdown.

The Sun Devils would benefit from a fumble on the ensuing kickoff as they would tie up the game following the change of possession behind a rush from Eno Benjamin.

Benjamin would find the endzone once again following a touchdown from the duo of Colorado’s Montez and Brown who connected for a 31-yard pass only to be answered by Benjamin the ensuing drive tying the score at 21.

Colorado would break the back and forth battle of the first half as they kicked a field goal with under a minute in the half remaining to head into the break leading 24-21.

The matchup would swing back in the third quarter after ASU punted for its first time on the the night their first drive out of halftime.

The Sun Devils' following drive would lead to a 23-yard field goal off the foot of Zendejas that tied the game at 24. The drive was in large part due to a pair of 19-yard gains from Benjamin and Rick Pearsall put the team in field goal range.

Colorado would answer back from once again the duo of Montez and Brown who connected for their third touchdown on the night from 20-yards out to put the Buffaloes ahead going into the fourth 31-24.

Montez benefitted on the night from a lack of defensive pressure as he led the offense to gain a total of 477 yards on the night.

“Not a lot of pressure on the quarterback,” Edwards admitted. “When you do not have pressure on the quarterback, this guy can pick you apart (Steven Montez). He did a nice job moving the ball on us.”

Despite the loss ending ASU’s three-game winning streak to begin the year, all eyes seem to be on the team’s next opponent in California (4-0, 1-0).

The matchup will come on the road on a Friday night, giving the Sun Devils a short week to prepare for an opponent that poses just as difficult of a test as Colorado posed.

“I know that Cal’s quarterback (Chase Garbers) is a pretty good athlete, he can run,” Edwards stated. “Quarterbacks that can run always pose a problem for you.”

While Edwards and Co. will be focused on their opponent at hand, the team’s response to their first loss will be equally important.

On a team that has played a total of 28 true or redshirt freshmen this season, including three true freshmen on offense at quarterback left tackle, and right guard, the way the team rebounds will determine their fate for the remainder of the year.

“It is the first time these guys have lost all year,” Edwards said. “How we regroup is very important, I talked to them after the game tonight… It is a very short week, we have to get some things in. We have to get some things straightened out too, especially on defense. We have to play a lot better if we are going to contend and try to win games.”