As the rain continued to fall on a chilly night in Seattle, junior quarterback Jayden Daniels sat on Arizona State’s sideline with support staff surrounding him and a smile on his face. The confidence from the third-year Sun Devil signal-caller was eerily similar to the demeanor shown as a freshman in a road win at Michigan State.
The Sun Devils were trailing 24-21 with 5:46 remaining on the clock, but Daniels possessed exuded confidence. Perhaps Daniels’s confidence came because of a belief in an Arizona State defense that allowed just 60 yards in the second half. Perhaps his confidence came from the play of redshirt senior running back Rachaad White’s Superman impersonation. Or maybe both.
“I just look in the guys’ eyes, and it’s just so amazing because it makes me just feel on the sideline that we’ve got a comfort level with one another,” said White, “and we believe in one another. Now, when we hit adversity, we are attacking it way better. There’s more urgency.”
With three timeouts at head coach Herm Edwards’s disposal, the Sun Devils didn’t even need to stop the clock. The third three-and-out forced of the night gave Arizona State the ball back with 4:06 remaining.
From there, White and Daniels took over.
“Finally, in the fourth quarter, we got something going,” Edwards said. Taking over possession at their own 44-yard line, the Sun Devils marched down the field with nothing but its rushing attack. Gains of 10 and 19 on the ground from Daniels set up first and goal at the Washington 10-yard line and 1:32 to play. Six of ASU’s seven plays on its go-ahead drive were in the hands of Daniels or White, and the 32nd carry of the night for ASU’s lead back ended with the long-striding running back in the Huskies’ end zone for the second time Saturday night. It also gave the Sun Devils their first lead of the night with 1:11 remaining.
“We didn’t want to get into a passing game so much,” Edwards said, “because of the weather conditions. We felt our strong suit is running the football, and we didn’t get away from it. We didn’t deviate from it at all.”
White’s 15th touchdown of the year gave Arizona State an advantage that forced Washington’s passing attack into an uncomfortable situation. With under a minute to play, senior linebacker Merlin Robertson capitalized on the opportunity. Washington QB Dylan Morris’ third-and-7 pass missed its intended receiver and wound up in the hands of Robertson, who returned it 37 yards for a touchdown that would help the Sun Devils take down the Huskies, 35-30.
“The last three minutes of that game – that’s just college football,” remarked Edwards. “It’s not over, and I kept saying that in my mind. This thing’s not over.”
“That’s probably the best win of my life in all honesty,” said White, delirious after a career-high 37 offensive touches resulted in a second straight week with exactly 237 yards of total offense. White’s offensive output accounted for 63 percent of ASU’s total yards, the highest percentage share by a Sun Devil in a win during the Edwards era.
“Rachaad has done a fabulous job of running,” said Edwards. “He’s literally carrying the offense on his back right now.”
In the wake of a suspension for Washington head coach Jimmy Lake, the Sun Devils faced an interim head coach for the third straight week. Averaging 7.9 yards per play, the Washington offense made easy work of the ASU defense on its first two possessions. After the opening two drives, defensive coordinator Antonio Pierce’s unit allowed 2.7 yards per play over the next ten defensive possessions.
“The defense kept playing and playing, and I thought they did a good job in the second half,” said Edwards.
Despite trailing by 14 early and two scores in the fourth quarter, Arizona State never wavered from its run-heavy offensive emphasis. The constant rain made success in the passing game more challenging for Daniels to achieve, completing 10 of 16 passes for 90 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. An astounding 57 of 73 offensive plays were on the ground as ASU tallied 286 rushing yards and 5.0 yards per carry.
“Just knowing that you can run the ball whenever you want to and get the yards, it’s an amazing feeling. I feel like that’s what complete domination feels like, and I love it,” said junior left guard LaDarius Henderson. “As an offensive lineman, if we can do that every game for the rest of my life, I’d be so down for that.”
Nowhere was the commitment to the running game more apparent than on Arizona State’s first possession of the fourth quarter. After Washington running back Kamari Pleasant’s 1-yard score gave the Huskies a two-score lead on the last play of the third quarter, ASU opened the final quarter with a 20-play, 81-yard drive that chewed 9:09 off the clock. Daniels scored on a 4-yard carry and brought ASU’s defense an opportunity to flex its muscles.
“Man, that was a grind,” said offensive coordinator Zak Hill. “I’m just excited for the players right now. In the rain, cold, coming up here and just seeing them fight all the way through. They didn’t quit, and there’s a lot of adversity through that whole thing.”
“When he scored on that one, he was not open, and he found a way to get in. The heart, the effort was there.”
A resilient Arizona State team was praised by Edwards, as the Sun Devils held onto its slim hopes of a Pac-12 South title on a day Utah defeated Arizona.
“We continued to play, and we dealt with the adversity and found a way to score the ball,” said Edwards of the drive, which saw ASU overcome a first-and-15 and a third-and-16 because of penalties – one of which wiped away a 46-yard White touchdown run. “To go on a drive that long and take the lead that really sparked us.”
The 10-point fourth-quarter deficit overcome by the Sun Devils was the largest such comeback since ASU erased a 19-point lead against Arizona in 2018. Edwards expressed a belief postgame that the previous week’s 31-16 win over USC unlocked a confidence in his ball club that translated to the bad weather in the Pacific Northwest.
“Last week’s game was a game that they found their swagger again,” said Edwards. “They didn’t blink, and we ended up going ahead of those guys. It’s a similar kind of game, and we just hung in there and hung in there, made enough plays, and found a way to win.”
Join your fellow Sun Devil fans on our premium message board, the Devils’ Huddle, to discuss this article and other ASU football, basketball, and recruiting topics. Not a member yet? Sign up today here and get all the latest Sun Devil news!
