LOS ANGELES - When members of the Arizona State defense hit the pillow tonight, they will probably be tortured by images of USC quarterback Caleb Williams scampering, throwing, and making play after improbable play. The might of USC’s high-powered offense was able to overcome a valiant effort by the heavy underdog Sun Devils on Saturday night, as the No. 6 Trojans dominated the second half on their way to a 42-25 victory at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
Williams was, in a word, magnificent. His stat line of 27-37 for 348 yards and three touchdowns was hardly negated by his first interception of the year. The ASU defense he went up against was far too porous to counteract quarterback play anywhere near that level. Arizona State generated pressure. It held coverage for what seemed like long enough on many occasions. But the results won’t show any of that, and this is a results-based business.
“We had a lot of chances at the QB and didn’t capitalize,” safety Khoury Bethley said. “The defense didn’t step up to the plate tonight.”
The final score doesn’t tell the whole story. This game was close, far closer than any fans or big brain pundits had it billed as, for the entirety of the first half. USC scored a touchdown on its opening drive. ASU answered with an impressive scoring drive of its own. USC scored again on its next drive, and again ASU answered, though this time only with a field goal. When USC found the end zone a third time to go up 21-10, it looked as though the train was leaving the station. The resilient Sun Devil offense refused to let that happen in the opening half, drawing within four points when Emory Jones scored on a keeper from six yards out just before halftime to cap off what was perhaps ASU’s best offensive half of the season. They put up 212 total yards in a balanced attack that had USC on its heels.
“The offense played great; they kept us in the game, really,” Bethley said. “When you get those opportunities to put them behind the chains and get off the field, you have to capitalize, and we didn’t do that today.”
The inability to get off the field has been an ugly reality for Donnie Henderson’s defense through five games. Williams and his army of elite receivers exploited this weakness early and often on Saturday night. The Trojans converted on an astonishing eight of their nine third downs.
The converted third downs weren’t all short either. Williams pulled a rabbit out of his hat on two third and long situations on back-to-back drives in the first quarter. Once, he escaped a collapsing pocket and darted from left to right before finding the requisite real estate to pick up 10 yards and a first down. Then, he shed a full-speed ahead of Travez Moore, who hit him high and somehow allowed the former Oklahoma QB to stay on his feet. Williams sprinted out of the fray and left three bewildered Sun Devils in the dust on his way to an 11-yard pickup and, you guessed it, a drive extending third down conversion.
“We couldn’t get off the field, and that’s been an emphasis for us and something we need to get taken care of,” interim head coach Shaun Aguano said. “Their quarterback Williams, he has a lot of moxy. We didn’t finish a lot of those plays with him. Khoury was exactly right; we need to make sure that we finish those plays.”
Despite not finishing on those key plays in the first half, ASU only trailed by four points at the break. In a game that was so lopsided that a bettor placed a $575,000 wager on USC to win the ballgame, a four-point halftime deficit was more than anyone expected out of an embattled Arizona State team.
“I really thought we could play with and finish this game against these guys,” Aguano said. “At halftime, we had the attention of those kids. It’s a game of inches, a couple of times, Williams made throws that were just above our hands. We are getting better.”
Aguano and his staff knew that the status quo on defense would never cut it against USC’s star-studded offense. Although it wasn’t always successful, ASU played a different ball game on that side of the ball. They blitzed way more than they have all year, often bringing pressure from the second level. The efforts to bring Williams down in the backfield weren’t all futile. Bethley picked up a third-quarter sack from the safety position, his first as a Sun Devil.
In order for Williams to perform the Houdini acts that he did all night long, Arizona State’s pass rushers had to be winning the battle in the trenches. The difference in that respect was evident, especially early on.
“We knew coming in that we were going to pressure the quarterback,” Bethley said. “We put in some new blitzes during the week. I felt like it worked well sometimes, but we just didn’t finish. Coach Donnie can only do so much.”
USC came out of the halftime locker room and made the adjustments it needed to stave off the upset effort. In order to win this game, the Sun Devils would have to keep Williams and USC from playing its preferred style. As the second half wore on, it was clear that the defense couldn’t quite keep up. The talent gap was further exposed on USC’s game-sealing march to the end zone early in the fourth. Two costly pass interference penalties allowed USC to stay on the field and hammer the nail into the ASU coffin.
“I thought in the first half we were physical. We were keeping them off balance,” Aguano said. “When you start to play catch up, it’s tough. They’re a very athletic group.”
Aguano’s first win as head coach will have to wait at least another week. ASU will host Washington at Sun Devil Stadium on Saturday, and don’t think the losses aren’t wearing on the former running backs coach.
“I’m not a good loser,” Aguano said as he sat down at the podium. “I’m disappointed right now, but I thought our kids played their hearts out. We will be relentless with the details. I still have the attention of this group.”
