Why Herm Edwards Lost In the 4th Quarter
USC quarterback Kedon Slovis was facing a 3rd and 13 with 3:05 remaining in the game, down 27-14. At this point, Arizona State had a 99.9% chance of winning according to ESPN’s win probability. Suddenly, the Trojans offense caught fire.
With the help of recovering an onside kick with 2:52 remaining in the 4th quarter, USC scored 14 unanswered points to beat ASU 28-27 in the opening game for the PAC-12 conference. Slovis threw two touchdowns in less than two minutes to seal the victory for the Trojans.
He found Bru McCoy in the corner of the endzone on a ball that was targeting Amon-Ra St. Brown, and was tipped into the hands of McCoy to cut the deficit to six. Then on 4th and nine with 1:20 to play, Slovis found Drake London over the middle for a 21-yard touchdown to put USC on top by one.
The Sun Devils had one more chance to get in field goal range for a potential game-winning kick, but were unable to move the ball downfield with the passing attack, which was the common theme for ASU all morning. The play-calling was conservative for the Devils throughout, which allowed the Trojans to claw their way back.
This has been the way Herm Edwards has managed games during his tenure in Tempe. Sophomore quarterback Jayden Daniels only threw the ball 23 times compared to Slovis’ 55 attempts. The USC QB almost quadrupled Daniels in completions as well, connecting with pass-catchers 40 times, while ASU only completed 11 throws.
The Sun Devils lost senior wide receiver Frank Darby early in the contest, which definitely was a key factor as to why the play-calling seemed limited every time they were on offense. USC ran 95 plays to ASU’s 61. They also out-gained the Sun Devils by 164 total yards.
With ASU leading 24-14 in the 2nd half, the Sun Devils ran the ball 18, yes, 18 straight plays. While the run game was successful during the game, 18 straight runs will not be the recipe to success only up 10. Especially against a top-20 team in the Trojans. No matter who is on the field, the Devils had to mix up the offensive game plan in order to hold the lead. Edwards and new offensive coordinator Zak Hill failed to do just that, resulting in the one-point loss.
Each defense capitalized on sloppy offensive play, resulting in seven total turnovers in the game. ASU forced 4 turnovers, while USC recovered three fumbles. But the ultimate game-changer was Clay Helton calling an onside kick with 2:52 left and zero timeouts. Even more so, the lack of awareness and execution by ASU.
Edwards and the Sun Devils offense decided against being aggressive in the second half, resulting in another loss after holding a lead. With the lack of downfield passing, the Trojans were able defy the odds, and be the .1% to comeback for a statement win in the PAC-12 South.
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