Typical stingy second-half ASU defense collapses against Utah
SALT LAKE CITY - Second-half adjustments have defined Arizona State’s defense this season.
Before traveling to Utah, those alterations have worked out in favor of the Sun Devils. ASU held Stanford to nine rushing yards the previous week and allowed just one field goal after halftime. The unit allowed zero points an explosive UCLA offense the week before that after exiting the locker room. In six games, the Sun Devils have shut out their opponent over the final two quarters twice.
Saturday’s 21-35 loss on the road to Utah was the polar opposite result. The team was challenged in brisk fall temperatures, a hostile environment, and an opponent grappling for control of the Pac-12 South. The defensive prowess that kept the Sun Devils dominant down the stretch faltered.
Entering halftime with a 14-point lead, ASU aimed to command the game by continuing the team’s identity: chewing out the remaining half-hour of the clock by running the football with its three-headed monster at running back. In the end, the Utes ended up with possession of that narrative. Quarterback Cameron Rising handed the ball off to Utah running backs 23 times for 145 yards and two touchdowns.
“They brought the punch to us,” ASU defensive coordinator Antonio Pierce said in a postgame press conference. “Outcoached. Outplayed. Just better execution by Utah.
“They came out in the second half, ran the ball, and did exactly what they wanted.”
Rising finished the night, completing 21-33 passes for 247 yards, two touchdowns, and two touchdowns. But the 6 foot 2, 220-pound sophomore gunslinger was also difficult to contain as a runner, supplying 59 yards and a touchdown on the ground himself. Rising routinely moved the chains on outside runs as the pocket fractured behind him.
Most of all, Pierce said he was “shocked” by Rising’s uncanny ability to frequently escape out of danger. That left Pierce and the rest of ASU’s coaching staff searching for countermeasures. When Pierce attempted to contain Rising and Utah’s other runners in the second half by providing a heavier presence upfront, the Utes exploited other areas.
“We tried to load the box up,” Pierce said, “and off that we got play-action and boots and things of that nature with the quarterback moving.”
The Utes responded with 28 unanswered points and scored on all four of their offensive drives in the second half. As the final seconds ticked off the Rice-Eccles digital scoreboard, it was ASU that had to deal with the sting of a shutout.
The defense’s struggles were a surprise not only due to the history of strong performances after halftime but because ASU played well in the first half.
Utah’s first drive saw a composed Rising attack the sideline and throwing to a variety of options across his receiving arsenal. The Utes converted two 3rd-and-long situations, and Rising tucked the ball himself for a nine-yard touchdown run.
However, Rising lost his touch in the second quarter. He missed a couple of deep shots, his accuracy targeting the sideline diminished, and he overthrew open receivers that had a step on ASU’s defensive backs. Rising’s natural throwing motion disintegrated. ASU linebacker Darien Butler intercepted Rising six plays into Utah’s first drive of the quarter. With less than a minute left in the first half, safety Kejuan Markham picked off Rising again on Utah’s final chance to put more points on the board.
Then, the collapse.
In the third quarter and for the rest of the game, Rising worked the short territory against ASU’s soft coverage. He let his playmakers go to work after catch instead of trying to launch the ball over the heads of the Sun Devils. Rising rebounded with precision in the second half, completing 13/15 passes for 145 yards and two touchdowns.
It was a coin flip for the Utes converting on third down at the beginning of the game. The ASU defense was strong initially after Utah’s first possession, only allowing 3/6 (50%) successful conversions for a new set of downs. But in the second half, the Sun Devils allowed Utah to convert 4/5 (80%) of its third-down opportunities, bringing the final total to 7/11 (64%) on third down.
Utah kept finding pockets of space against the off-man coverage look by ASU. The athletic tight ends flourished in this area, breaking off their routes early and showing exceptional timing with Rising. Utah often took advantage of Merlin Robertson’s fluidity in coverage when the strong-side linebacker was forced to line up outside, a strategy Pierce commended after the game.
Dalton Kincaid finished with four catches for 44 yards, averaging 11 yards per reception. Kuithe was efficient; he scored on two of his three catches and ended with 36 receiving yards. But it was a third tight end, Cole Fotheringham, who contributed four catches and 31 yards as well that kept Utah’s drives alive.
For ASU head coach Herm Edwards, the lack of third-down stops came down to a good scheme by the Utes.
“What they did was a nice job of creating tight formations,” ASU head coach Herm Edwards said. “A lot of crossers routes just five or ten yards. The quarterback was good in the pocket, got it to the tight ends. A little bit of basketball, they can wall you off.”
The Utes punished the Sun Devils with long, masterful drives 75, 68, 67, and 82 yards. Although senior defensive end Tyler Johnson said, he didn’t believe fatigue “was a factor at all” in the performance of ASU’s defense, remaining on the field for extended periods of time while adjusting to playing at a high altitude (as well as the 8:15 p.m. kickoff) certainly did not benefit the stamina of its players. The Sun Devils dug into their two-deep early on and rotated every position at regular intervals throughout the game.
But despite the flurry of newcomers that saw action, Pierce’s main concern was the starting lineup. When asked about the assignment errors committed by ASU, Pierce said he noticed “plenty” made by veterans. As a result, Utah was perfect in the red zone and scored on all five trips inside the 20-yard line.
The loss means ASU falls to 5-2 overall on the season and 3-1 in conference play. Utah finds itself atop the southern division and remains undefeated against Pac-12 teams. Dreams of playing in the Pac-12 championship and Rose Bowl are, for the moment, entirely out of ASU’s hands.
When probed about his message to the players about handling the loss in lieu of such expectations, Edwards chose to keep his focus on the Sun Devils, a sentiment he has repeated after almost every game.
“We don’t control our destiny,” Edwards said. “The only thing we can control is to win.”
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