Arizona State (5-3, 3-2 Pac-12) entered its bye week with a bitter taste in its mouth, allowing 28 unanswered points to Utah in the second half. Head coach Herm Edwards wrote letters to his captains, instructing them on how the team leaders could be better. A few players that were nursing injuries over the first seven games returned to practice at full health.
With two weeks to prepare for its next opponent, it was natural to assume the errors that plagued the Sun Devils in Salt Lake City would be remedied. Instead, new weaknesses emerged against Washington State (5-4, 4-2 Pac-12).
ASU turned the ball over on four occasions in the first half, which the Cougars converted for 21 points. Backed up against the wall by the turnovers in an unfavorable field position, ASU’s defense repeated its disastrous performance against Utah. The unit surrendered 28 points again, effectively shoveling the Sun Devils into another hole. The defense played better in the second half, but the Cougars chipped in two field goals as ASU’s offense continued to sputter.
The team found life late with two fourth-quarter touchdowns, but the initial deficit proved too much to overcome. ASU fell 21-34 to WSU in front of a displeased Sun Devil Stadium crowd.
“I think our players maybe took this home venue for granted thinking that, ‘hey, we play at home everything’s supposed to work out well,’” head coach Herm Edwards said in a postgame press conference. “It doesn’t work out when you turn the ball over, and you drop balls, and you give big plays in the passing game. So we got a lot of fixing to do.”
That construction starts with resolving what ASU can control. After the team’s first two losses, quarterback Jayden Daniels mentioned that each time ASU shot themselves in the foot with costly penalties and mental gaffes that knocked the offense out of rhythm. Against WSU, the Sun Devils failed to begin on the right foot and then proceeded to run out of bullets.
“It was kind of like everyone was shocked,” Daniels said. “I thought you could feel it through the whole stadium.”
Running back, DeaMonte Trayanum, who started the game in place of an injured Rachaad White, fumbled on his second touch of the game. On the first play of the ensuing drive, wide receiver Bryan Thompson also coughed up the ball after securing a pass from Daniels on a slant. Daniyel Ngata also lost control of the football in the second quarter, just one play after Ben Scott negated a 55-yard rushing touchdown by Daniels with a holding call.
All of the aforementioned errors occurred in ASU territory. Daniels said he was disappointed about the team’s security, especially since the players knew headed into the matchup that Washington State would look to create opportunities by stripping the ball. Headed into the game, WSU had forced 14 fumbles over eight games.
“We talked about it all week,” Daniels said. “Washington State was top in the country in forced fumbles and getting after the football. So it’s very frustrating because that’s something that we harped on all week.”
WSU quarterback Jayden de Laura took advantage of the fortuitous field position, posting a 63% completion percentage, 234 passing yards, and two touchdowns through the air. De Laura did not shy away from contesting ASU’s defensive backs, lofting his first touchdown pass ahead of cornerback Jack Jones into the bucket of Travell Harris. He later prompted safety Kejuan Markham to bite on a convincing pump-fake before delivering a throw over the middle to Calvin Jackson for a 45-yard scamper.
“He’s very good in the pocket,” Edwards said. “He has good pocket presence; he has a strong arm and can hit anywhere on the shield. He’s a good quarterback. He does a nice job of getting the ball out, understanding the coverage concepts and who to get the ball to, and I thought the receivers played good for the most part.”
Daniels, on the other hand, did not find traction until the final minutes of the second quarter when he led the Sun Devils on a nine-play, 78-yard scoring drive. But the offense did not cross midfield until DJ Taylor vaulted ASU to the edge of the red zone with a 58-yard kickoff return in the fourth quarter. Daniels completed 23-35 passes for 228 yards, a passing touchdown, and two interceptions. He added 31 yards with his legs.
Despite the passing attack’s shortcomings in the comeback effort, defensive end Michael Matus defended his quarterback and said the defense deserved some responsibility.
“This isn’t all on Jayden,” Matus said. “We might have given up the ball four times, but we didn’t respond well either. So this isn’t just Jayden, this isn’t just the offense, this is all of us.”
The identity of the Sun Devils lies in establishing dominance in the trenches. Defensive coordinator Antonio Pierce has repeatedly said that stopping the run is key to a successful defense. On the flip side, ASU’s backfield has served as a catalyst for the offense and thrives in play-action.
Both offense and defense fell short of that goal Saturday afternoon. Washington State ran the ball 42 yards for 166 yards, averaging 4.0 yards per attempt. Edwards revealed White “wasn’t quite ready to go” after going through warmups pregame, and his absence had a substantial impact on ASU’s rushing attack. Trayanum ended the first half with 33 rushing yards on 11 attempts. Ngata only saw two carries over that same span.
With time on the clock at a premium, ASU placed a priority on throwing the football and came out of halftime cold.
“We’re not revolutionizing anything,” Edwards said. “We got to execute. We didn’t execute. When you don’t execute, and you turn the ball over, and you allow big plays, it’s very difficult to win. And that’s how the game turned out early.”
The Sun Devils remain at home for its next game versus USC on Nov. 9 at a time that will be announced later in the week.
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