Down four points with 3:34 remaining in the game, freshman quarterback Jayden Daniels could have easily given in to the pressure. Facing No. 18 Michigan State and one of the top defenses in the nation, no one would have blamed him.
Add in two true freshmen linemen into the mix and the excuses were there for the freshman quarterback. Instead, Daniels drove his team down the field in route to an 11 play, 75-yard scoring drive that put his team ahead for good.
Daniels was assisted by a variety of Sun Devil newcomers who helped make key plays in the matchup.
Here’s how the ASU newcomers did in their week three matchup.
Offense
The aforementioned Daniels was the the standout on the offensive side among the newcomers in his first road start. The freshman finished the game completing 15 of his 26 pass attempts for a total of 140 yards.
While his numbers through the air don’t exactly jump off the stat sheet, Daniels play was made mostly with his legs during the game. He finished with 12 rushing attempts, one more than running back Eno Benjamin, for a total of 37 yards.
Daniels most critical run came on a third and five by the goal line in which Daniels used his legs to pick up the first down with under a minute remaining.
Running back Eno Benjamin ran in the ball for a touchdown the following play for the go-ahead score.
Another key use of Daniels' legs came earlier in the eventual game-winning drive as ASU faced a 4th and 13. Daniels used his legs to pick up 16 yards and a first down with a minute and 16 seconds left in the game.
The freshman also used his arm during the drive to get things going as he completed a 40-yard pass to Brandon Aiyuk, his longest completion of the game.
Along the offensive line, it was Ladarius Henderson who made his first career start at left tackle with senior Cohl Cabral moving to center and freshman Donovan West moving to right guard.
West’s move came after he started at center the first two weeks of the season as Cabral was at left tackle for the team.
The revamped offensive line gave up four sacks during the match against a tough defensive line who put constant pressure on Daniels throughout the matchup.
The inexperience along the offensive line comes in part of the absence of Zach Robertson from the team and the injury to senior Cade Cote who broke his foot prior to week one.
Transfer Brandon Pierce saw a good chunk of playing time early on in the game as he picked up his first catch as a Sun Devil on a seven-yard catch.
Other newcomers seeing playing time included Elijah Juarez and A.J. Carter. Juarez was targeted once during the matchup on a third and short but was overthrown and Carter finished with one carry for five yards.
The remaining newcomers who saw action on this side of the ball included Ricky Pearsall, Ethan Long, and Jordan Kerley.
Defense
On the defensive side of the ball, it was once again Cam Phillips that led the newcomers that saw time during the matchup.
Phillips picked up two early pass breakups in the first quarter in route to six tackles with half of a tackle for loss in the victory.
Fellow defensive back Jack Jones was another standout as he made several key plays while picking up a large amount of playing time.
Jones only picked up three tackles during the game but was a key part of limiting the Michigan State pass attack for the majority of the game.
His speed was on full display as he had several plays where he began 10-yards off the ball but used his speed to make a play within four yards of the line of scrimmage.
Amiri Johnson saw his first action on the season as he temporarily entered the game but did not make a tackle during the game.
Other newcomers seeing action on defense included transfer Roe Wilkins, Kejuan Markham, Willie Harts, and Ely Doyle.
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