Arizona State Falls 35-21 Thanks to Second Half Meltdown
It was a tale of two halves.
The Arizona State Sun Devils made their second trip to the state of Utah on Saturday night, looking to make good on their promise to play better than their last road trip, a 27-17 loss to BYU just a month ago.
That promise was only valid for two quarters.
Questions about Arizona State's ability to contain Utes quarterback Cam Rising were answered, despite the absences of defensive backs Chase Lucas and Evan Fields due to injury.
Rising entered the game with zero interceptions to his name, and was intercepted twice before the halftime whistle. The first came via linebacker Darien Butler in the second quarter after Arizona State had turned the ball over themselves thanks to a Curtis Hodges fumble.
The second came with Utah driving and in scoring position towards the end of the half, where safety Kejuan Markham (filling in for the injured Fields) jumped a route over the middle of the field and intercepted the ball with just 17 seconds remaining in the half.
Scoring got off to a fast-paced start, with both Arizona State and Utah reaching the end zone on their opening drives. The Sun Devils and Utes managed drives of at least 10 plays for 75 yards, each drive chewing over five minutes of clock.
ASU quarterback Jayden Daniels accomplished two milestones in the first half of the game, reaching 5,000 career passing yards and 6,000 total passing/rushing yards against the Utes.
The Sun Devils again struggled with discipline, seeing 8 penalties for 65 yards in the first half alone. However, Arizona State was able to overcome those penalties and carry a 21-7 lead into halftime.
First Half Scoring
First quarter
ASU 7, Utah 0: Jalin Conyers 12-yard reception
ASU 7, Utah 7: Cam Rising 9-yard rush
Second quarter
ASU 14, Utah 7: Jayden Daniels 2-yard rush
ASU 21, Utah 7: Curtis Hodges 15-yard rush
The Sun Devils held a two-possession lead at the break, yet the tide turned rather quickly in favor for Utah.
The Utes began the second half in style, marching down the field on their first two drives of the third quarter for a combined 15 plays, 125 yards, and most importantly, 14 points. Just like that, the Utes tied the game at 21 points a piece.
The following drive by the Sun Devils lead to hope of another lead for ASU, yet a holding call and eventual sack on Daniels on led to poor field position, forcing the Sun Devils to try a 50-yard field goal by Logan Tyler that simply had no shot of going in.
The Utes had 154 yards of offense in the third quarter, almost equaling their first half total of 170 yards.
The fourth quarter began, and much of Arizona State's demise continued. The Utes again drove down the field (and even successfully completed a fourth-down conversion) to take a 28-21 lead, their first of the game after scoring 21 unanswered points.
The gas pedal Arizona State had driven to the floor just quarters ago had vanished, as Utah dominated the rest of the way.
The final nail in the coffin came on a 12 play, 82-yard drive that was capped by a seven-yard T.J. Pledger rushing touchdown to put the Utes up 35-21 with 2:30 left as the Sun Devils allowed 28 unanswered points in the final two quarters of play.
Rising rose to the occasion in the second half, completing 13 of 15 passes for 140 yards and two touchdowns following his disastrous first half. Utah finished a perfect 5-5 in the red zone, while also converting 7-11 third-down attempts.
ASU finished the game with 13 penalties for 115 yards.
The Sun Devils now fall to 5-2 on the year, suffering their first Pac-12 loss of the season. Arizona State looks to regroup after their upcoming bye week and prepare for a home date with Washington State after their 35-21 loss to Utah.