Sun Devils Stunned 34-21; Drop Second Straight Game
On Halloween weekend, the Arizona State Sun Devils pulled off the ultimate costume: Ghosts of their former selves, while coming disguised as a football team, losing to Washington State, 34-21 on the first day game of the season.
It was fitting, as Arizona State honored the 1996 Rose Bowl team at halftime. That may have been the loudest cheer from the fans, as the Sun Devils dug themselves into a 28-0 deficit quickly in the first half.
Arizona State turned the ball over on two of the first three offensive plays, the first coming from running back Chip Trayanum on the opening possession and receiver Bryan Thompson fumbling the next time Arizona State touched the ball.
Washington State out-rushed the Sun Devils 56-49 in the first half, yet it was the play of WSU quarterback Jayden de Laura that propelled the Cougars' offense, throwing two touchdown passes that were both equally impressive while also running in one himself on the ground.
The Sun Devils turned the ball over four times in the first half, matching their season high from the loss to BYU and marking the first season since 2012 that Arizona State finished multiple games with four or more turnovers.
ASU certainly had chances to keep pace with the Cougars. The Sun Devils came up totally empty on their first two trips to the red zone, thanks to a failed fourth-down conversion and missed 32-yard field goal from kicker Cristian Zendejas. The miss came after a false start on the previous attempt pushed the Sun Devils back five yards.
Arizona State did manage to grab a touchdown near the final seconds of the first half, thanks to a 12-yard catch from receiver LV Bunkley-Shelton. ASU entered the break down 28-7, ending a streak of 56 unanswered points against the Sun Devils dating back to the loss at Utah.
After a third quarter that featured the swapping of punts from both teams, quarterback Jayden Daniels threw his second interception of the afternoon with just two minutes remaining in the period. That turnover led to another Cougars field goal, stretching the lead to 31-7 and far out of reach for any Arizona State comeback.
An uneventful fourth quarter ensued, although Washington State added another field goal to grow their lead to 34-7 with six minutes left in the contest. Two late touchdowns made the score look closer than it was.
The Sun Devils dropped to 5-3, making a Pac-12 South division title even more complicated than before. The final offensive output of points is the lowest scored by Arizona State all season, and the least amount of points put up in 18 games (2019 vs. Utah).
Meanwhile, the Sun Devils defense has now allowed back-to-back 34-plus point performances.
Injury notes: Running back Rachaad White was dressed but did not play for Arizona State, while defensive lineman Tyler Johnson left the game with what appeared to be a lower-body injury in the third quarter. Safety Evan Fields did not play, while defensive back Chase Lucas played after being questionable following the bye week.
Head coach Herm Edwards now begins to feel his seat's temperature rise just slightly, as the team (once again) looked out of focus and undisciplined coming out of a bye week.
However, Arizona State looks to waste no time, as the team hosts USC next weekend on Saturday, Nov. 6 with kickoff time still to be determined.