LAS VEGAS - The Arizona State defense did whatever it could in the second half to win the Las Vegas Bowl, but the Sun Devils’ offense let the defense down as ASU (8-5) lost 20-13 to Wisconsin (9-4) at the spectacular home of the Raiders, Allegiant Stadium.
In the first half, Wisconsin’s 17-year-old true freshman standout running back Braelon Allen, who entered the day with 1,109 yards, appeared to be on his way to a historic performance. After not having a carry until the 4:21 mark of the first quarter, he put together 101 yards in the first half on 8.1 yards per carry.
ASU’s defense appeared to be missing interior defensive lineman D.J. Davidson (out with an injury) and linebacker Darien Butler (opted out to prepare for the NFL draft) direly in the first half as Allen gashed the Sun Devils. ASU trailed 20-6 at the half, and it felt as though the game may be out of the Sun Devils’ reach. But the depleted ASU defense adjusted to its absences in the second half and stifled Allen and the rest of the Wisconsin offense, coming up just short of a bowl victory.
The second half defensive performance was one of the best performances by an ASU unit this season. The Sun Devils held Wisconsin to minus seven yards in the third quarter and 78 total yards in the half.
“I feel like all year, defensively, we’re a good adjustment team at halftime,” said ASU linebacker Kyle Soelle. “We came out; we knew what they wanted to do. I feel like we did what we were supposed to do in that second half but unfortunately came up short in that first half, and I think that affected us in the long term.”
ASU head coach Herm Edwards spoke on how proud he was of his defensive front for its second half efforts.
“Well, I thought for the guys that had to play, we had two offensive players in there that were playing defensive tackle as well,” Edwards stated. “We put them in there this week. … We were a little short, but I thought our competitive effort was really good with the guys that had to go in there and compete. And I’m proud of them. I told them, I said hey, what you guys have gone through this season, I said I wouldn’t take any other team but you guys.”
However, ASU’s offense, like it has done time and time again this year, shot itself in the foot down the stretch, costing the program its first 9-win season since 2014.
The only touchdown for ASU’s offense came early in the third quarter to cut the Badgers’ lead to seven when running back Daniyel Ngata crossed the goal line on a 3-yard run with 8:52 left in the period.
After that scoring drive, the Sun Devils’ offense failed to capitalize on the rest of their drives the remainder of the game.
On ASU’s second drive of the third quarter, the Sun Devils drove all the way down to the Wisconsin 30-yard line. On the following two plays, ASU quarterback Jayden Daniels lost seven yards on a run and then was sacked for a 12-yard loss. The fourth down and 29 at the Wisconsin 49-yard line put ASU out of field goal range, and the Sun Devils were forced to punt.
On ASU’s only drive of the fourth quarter, a penalty, perhaps the biggest issue for the Sun Devils in 2021, came into play. On third down and eight yards to go at the ASU 8-yard line, Daniels scrambled to his left for 46 yards. Unfortunately for the Sun Devils, tight end, Jalin Conyers was called for a block in the back, negating what would have been an ASU first down at the Wisconsin 28-yard line. Conyers made up for the penalty on the next play, snatching a 35-yard strike from Daniels. However, the play only advanced ASU to the Wisconsin 49-yard line. The next three plays the Sun Devils ran went for minus-three yards. ASU was forced to punt, giving Wisconsin the ball back with 9:57 left.
This was when the Badgers had their only offensive success in the second half. They gained 30 of their second half yards on one of the drive’s two pass plays and had enough success on the ground to keep the ball in their hands the rest of the game, taking home the victory and turning a 1-3 start into a 9-4 finish.
“I give all credit to (the) Wisconsin defense,” Daniels remarked. “Everybody in this room knew what they were capable of. I mean, they’re not a top-ranked defense in the nation for no reason. They’re very disciplined. We knew coming into this game that this game would be won up front at the line of scrimmage. I felt like we could have (done) a little bit better job run blocking, getting the run going. Sometimes we gave them some sacks and pressures. But at the end of the day, that’s something we’ve got to learn from.”
Edwards praises upgraded Vegas Bowl experience
In Edwards’ first season at the helm of ASU football in 2018, the Sun Devils faced Fresno State in the Las Vegas Bowl. Back then, the game was played at Sam Boyd Stadium, a stadium no longer in use for football. The Raiders still played in Oakland, and Allegiant Stadium was in the process of being built.
Nowadays, the game is a Pac-12 team facing off against a Big Ten team instead of a Mountain West school, and it is played at the palace of a stadium nicknamed the “Death Star” due to its similar appearance to the “Star Wars” vessel. Edwards spoke at length postgame about how much he enjoyed the stadium and the experience this season compared to 2018.
“This has been marvelous for us,” Edwards explained. “And the committee and all those folks involved in it have really, really done an excellent job. … This is a marvelous building, and to let a Pac-12 team play in here against a Big Ten team in a big-time bowl game, I thought both parties were excited about it. We came in Wednesday and took a tour of it, right, with the players, and it’s quite a place. And we were able to play in a bowl game my first year here, and we came back now. … And the difference between the first time we were here and this time is like night and day.
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!
