Some games begin with a sequence that can present an ominous sign for the rest of the contest, but for ASU (5-2, 2-2 Big 12), that simply wasn't the case in another disappointing conference defeat.
Following a first-quarter interception by sophomore defensive back Keith Abney, II Arizona State appeared to be poised to build on a 7-0 lead with eight minutes to play in the first quarter, and earning consecutive defensive stops, it looked like a confident team continuing its momentum from the Utah victory. However, when three-time Big 12 offensive player of the week, senior running back Cam Skattebo, fumbled deep in his team's territory, turning the ball over, an avalanche began that saw Cincinnati (5-2, 3-1) score 24 unanswered points and consume all of the Sun Devils' apparent impetus, coming away victorious in their Homecoming game 24-14.
The pregame questions were swirling around ASU's backup quarterback, senior Jeff Sims, and his ability to lead the offense with the same effectiveness as regular starter and redshirt freshman Sam Leavitt. It seemed inevitable that Sims' individual performance could be the key difference in the outcome of Saturday's matchup. However, it was a loss that consisted of a tornado of subpar operations that dragged the team below its usual standard of proficiency.
Redshirt sophomore quarterback Braden Sorsby ran a touchdown from 14 yards out to capitalize on the Sun Devils turnover, and the Bearcats never looked back, scoring on three of their next four drives in the first half.
"We got our butt kicked it's going to happen it's football," ASU head coach Kenny Dillingham said. "I mean, very few teams go undefeated, so you're going to some games, and the opponent is going to whoop your butt, they're going to out coach you, they're going to outplay you, they're going to beat you, and that's why I told the team in the locker room.
"I felt like we could have won this game but this team beat us, they deserve to win that football game. Their backs were against the wall. They created a turnover in the first quarter, then they responded and won the downs that mattered. When that happens, you got to tip your hat to the opponent."
To close the first quarter of action, Cincinnati scored another field goal to take the lead. Offensively, the dynamic approach worked fruitfully against ASU. On the ground, running backs Cory Kiner and Evan Pryor were dominant, leading the backfield to 101 second-quarter rushing yards by the hosts. This was stamped by a 55-yard touchdown by Pryor through the teeth of the ASU defense, where he put his head down and never looked back.
Sorsby was effective, yet not explosive in the air, as ASU was unable to pressure him consistently. The Cincinnati signal caller was poised in every decision-making routine and often executed routes over the middle with ease throughout the contest. He finished 23-31 with 206 yards over the air and 26 yards rushing, scoring two touchdowns with his legs.
The offensive side of the ball was no better, as the Sun Devil offense struggled against a stout defensive front. They failed to convert on any of their first-half third down attempts, going 0-5 in the half. When ASU decided to go for it on fourth down tries, those attempts were left for dead as well, going 0-2. On both fourth-down tries, the run game was halted at or behind the line of scrimmage.
Offensive lineman Leif Fautanu claimed the team lost its energy and fight after the opening stanza of the game, dejected life from their approach, and that loss of fight was exacerbated in the fourth and short attempts
.
"I think we just got our physical," Fautanu said. "I know we started fast but I feel like we just got to continue to maintain that intensity throughout the game. I feel like that's kinda where we lost, especially when we had adverse situations like the turnover off the interception. I feel like we just have to get back to square one and go back to fundamentals, winning the moments of the game."
Dillingham's third-down frustrations derive from a schematic position; being unable to convert on third downs substantially forces his team to restrict the playbook and limit deep shots due to a lack of momentum.
"When you don't convert third downs in the first half, or you don't convert the fourth downs, you get stalled out," Dillingham said. We got stalled out, and then we can't be aggressive, so if we would have been able to convert a third down in the first half or convert a fourth down in the first half, then we could have been aggressive on a first or second down, but we didn't have enough plays or sustain enough drives to really try to get uh to get the shot game going."
Despite a poor offensive showing as a unit, Sims was able to manage his performance, not making any costly mistakes but not making a real positive difference either, completing 12-23 passes for 155 yards. The lion's share of the Sun Devils' positive plays came on the ground, rushing 40 times for 191 yards. Skattebo was 17-75 rushing, scoring a pair of touchdowns, while Sims carried the ball 14 times for 53 yards and was sacked twice. Ultimately, Sims did all Dillingham and the coaching staff could ask of him.
"His first start didn't turn the ball over I think he would like to have a few throws back probably would like to throw a couple of those balls in Rhythm there in the first half," Dillingham remarked. "But he didn't turn the football over we got to play better around them we got to play better as a football team."
The second half marked an improvement defensively for ASU, which held the Bearcats scoreless. A chain of stops inside their own three-yard line forced a turnover on downs with over nine minutes to spare in the fourth quarter. The offense was able to march down the field and get into field goal range with six minutes to play, trailing 24-14.
Sophomore kicker Ian Hershey's nightmare afternoon started here, shanking the 48-yard attempt wide left. After conjuring up a second defensive stop in the fourth quarter with two minutes to play, the offense had a repeat affair, driving downfield and attempting another field goal late in the game in hopes of chipping away at the lead, Hershey once again missing the field goal wide left of the goal post, this time from 41 yards out.
After the game, Dillingham was noticeably frustrated with the field goal execution, calling for a school-wide 'Kicking tryout' on Monday, which quickly went viral.
"You would hope that you could make a kick, but our kicking game is atrocious," Dillingham lamented. "If you can kick and you're at Arizona State, email me. We’re going to have kicking tryouts on Monday. Bring it on kicking tryouts Monday. Let's go.
"I'm dead serious. We're going to put it out on our socials. We're going to have a kicking tryout on Monday. We gotta find somebody who can make a field goal. We've missed five kicks in the last three games. How am I going to fix it, we gotta find somebody who can kick it."
Looking ahead for ASU the kicking tryouts combined with a bye week awards plenty of time for adaptation and change, still positioned with a positive record on the season, the most difficult stretch in November is upon them, with two ranked opponents in Kansas State and undefeated Bringham Young on the schedule. A lot of work is required of the program to bounce back from this latest result. Unfortunately for Dillingham, however, the eyebrows raised following this defeat have sparked plenty of unanswered inquiries that need to be addressed as ASU enters its second bye week of the year.
"Definitely more question marks to the last bye," Dillingham admitted. "We're down 17 on the road again it's the third time we've played a road game where we've gotten down two scores, we got to figure that out is it an energy thing, or why is that.
"Or is that just the teams that we've been playing on the road or have been playing really physical football and matched us? I think I know who our team is for the most part and we got to just get healthy and get ready and progress and kind of remake ourselves a little bit."
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