White’s return to lineup propels him into record books, wills ASU to a win

After a tough 35-21 loss to Utah in Salt Lake City, ASU redshirt senior running back Rachaad White was battered and bruised. White had rushed for 56 yards on nine attempts from scrimmage but time and time again trundled off the field, clearly suffering after a high-impact, brutal night in the trenches.

The toll the contest took on his body caused White to sit out for an entire week before returning to practice this past Monday, missing the disastrous display against Washington State last Saturday.

After two weeks away from the Saturday night spotlight, White returned to action at Sun Devil Stadium against the Trojans with a vengeance, scything the USC defense for 202 yards and three touchdowns en route to a 31-16 victory.

“Rachaad, holy cow,” ASU offensive coordinator Zak Hill said. “He’s had a chip on his shoulder… With Rachaad running strong, breaking tackles, obviously he had a few big ones for us in crucial times.”

If you ask White, he’ll tell you that he had an inkling about a special night on the Sun Devil grass due to a special guest that emerged at the very beginning of the game. White, junior quarterback Jayden Daniels and graduate student corner Chase Lucas often are the most popular players on the field at ASU. On Saturday night, for a brief period, a rogue fox on the field took that title.

“That was funny,” White said of ASU’s furry friend. “You know you’re in for a good night when you see that. I was like, ‘Is this actually happening? That’s amazing! You’re in for a good night.’”

It was a good night for White indeed. In the first quarter, he started slow, racking up 38 yards on seven plays from scrimmage. His partner in backfield crime, sophomore running back DeaMonte Trayanum, fumbled on ASU’s third drive. To account for the misfiring of his team and eager to get back into a strong offensive groove, White turned the dial up to 11.

With just under nine minutes to play in the first half, trailing 10-7, White single-handedly gave Arizona State the lead back. On 2nd-and-8 from the ASU 27, Daniels dumped off a pass to White for a 26-yard gain.

That was just a mere warmup.

White followed the right side of his offensive line at the 47-yard line, darting just behind the blocks of redshirt sophomore right tackle Ben Scott and graduate student right guard Henry Hattis. Shuffling through the hole, White used his ever-present vision to spot USC redshirt junior safety Chase Williams hurtling towards him. He planted both feet hard into the Frank Kush field Bermuda grass and cut right, sending Williams to the shadow realm, while White emerged into the light and flew towards the endzone. He broke the tackle of another Trojan defender before falling in for six.

White made the most significant difference in the fourth quarter after short gains all the way through the third. On 2nd-and-9 from the 50-yard line, White was given the rock but patiently waited for his blocker, redshirt sophomore left guard LaDarius Henderson, to pull from the left to the right-side B-gap. White hit the gaping hole hard, accelerating before once again shaking Williams to his core. Nothing but green grass and another six points lay in front of him.

In 2020, White made his Sun Devil debut against the Trojans, rushing for a mere 76 yards on 12 carries, but showed his blistering pace with a 55-yard receiving touchdown. From that point on, the secret was out on White’s electric speed and sticky hands, but other aspects of his skillset were yet to be shown or came out in limited fashion.

The next time he faced USC, White flashed the tools in his belt. His patience, vision, and hesitation moves allowed him to make the right decisions on where to go before he even hit the line of scrimmage, setting him up for success.

White also displayed his ability to charge through numerous defenders and break tackles. On the 26-yard gain before his first touchdown rush, it seemingly took the entire USC defense to bring him to the ground.

“(White) was running,” head coach Herm Edwards stated. “He ran well, and the offensive line blocked well. He’s got great contact balance. He’s strong with a powerful body and great balance. He goes with the hit. He’s the kind of back when you hit him; he flows with the impact because he has really good feet.”

“He has that change of gear,” Hill added. “He’s not getting hit square because he’s so good with his change of direction and change of speed. He can sit behind blocks and then all of the sudden hit gaps and explode.”

Up 24-16 in the final minutes, Arizona State had one last statement to make: finish the game. With Daniels struggling in the passing game, throwing two interceptions, Edwards and Hill looked to the redshirt senior back to lead the charge on the final drive. After sitting out against Washington State, White felt like he had something to prove to himself and his teammates.

“It’s just a blessing; all the guys welcomed me back this week,” White shared. “I love them, they love me, and they respected my decision last week to not play. To come out and play the way I did tonight, I would give credit to all my guys up front and the receivers.”

Similarly, Hill also praised the offensive line for a relatively clean night and for getting back on track after penalties and opposing defensive lines prevented them from gashing holes for significant rushing yards in their past two contests.

“Those guys played physical, fast, and confident,” Hill said. “You could see it in their eyes in the huddle. You could tell the ball was going to end up in the endzone.”

“We were in the position last year where we didn’t finish (and allowed a comeback USC win). The coaches always make sure we play all four quarters. My message to the guys was that we have been here, and we didn’t like the feeling (of coming up short). Let’s keep it rolling and having fun, and everybody do their job.”

White did his job, leading ASU on nearly a six-minute drive on ten plays for 67 yards, 27 of which were credited to the running back. On first and goal from the seven-yard line, White put a bow on ASU’s Parents Weekend victory, bottling all his skills into one rush as he showed patience, vision, speed, acceleration, and substantial yards after contact, fighting through numerous defenders into the endzone.

With his 202 yards on Saturday night, White became the sixth rusher to eclipse 200 yards in the Pac-10/Pac-12 era. The incredible performance from the back was easily his best performance in maroon and gold and by far and away his best in 2021. White gashed Oregon State for 158 yards and a pair of touchdowns in last season’s finale in Corvallis, but nothing compared to the scale of his performance on Saturday. On an off night for Jayden Daniels, White willed the Arizona State offense to victory.

“When you can run the ball for 280+ yards, you’re going to win a football game,” Edwards remarked. “(White) is a strong runner. He has all the tools to play at the next level as well, has speed, and good hands. It’s fun to watch him run; it really is.”

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