The Arizona State Sun Devils (2-6) scratched and clawed past the Washington State Cougars (4-4) in their 38-24 victory, which they claimed to be their most complete game Saturday night.
The Sun Devils emphasized an offensive running attack this week, especially against the Cougars, who have struggled against the run throughout the season.
“You have to run the football to win in college football,” head coach Kenny Dillingham said. “We were just trying to be creative to find an identity to how to run the ball.”
The five total touchdowns from the Sun Devils came on the ground. The dominant ground attack included a career-high performance from junior tailback DeCarlos Brooks. Brooks tallied 67 yards on the ground and three touchdowns.
Complimenting Brooks, junior tailback Cam Skattebo also had a productive performance with 121 rushing yards and one touchdown.
“They keep each other fresh,” Dillingham said. “We’re starting to play with the level of effort on a consistent basis.”
The entire Sun Devil offense totaled up 239 yards on the ground. ASU outpaced the Cougars significantly on the ground, as their offense tallied only 104 rushing yards.
“It all starts with those guys up front,” junior quarterback Trenton Bourguet said. “They did a great job allowing us to have some explosiveness in the run game, it makes everything easier.”
To open the game, the Cougars marched down the field with a 15-play drive, which ended in a touchdown.
Junior quarterback Cam Ward rolled outside and tucked the ball in for six, putting the Cougars in the lead to start the game.
The Sun Devils took advantage of the chance to even the game and never looked back.
Junior quarterback Trenton Bourguet connected with junior wide receiver Troy Omeire for a 30-yard gain. The long toss set the Devils up in the high red zone.
Eventually, from the 13-yard line, junior tailback DeCarlos Brooks weaved his way to the endzone to tie up the score.
Both squads started slow in the first quarter. Each had 10+ play drives, picking apart the defenses with short and medium passing.
In the second quarter, both sides ramped up their offensive attack, especially Bourguet. Bourguet threw for 89 yards, going 6-9 in passes attempted. Although it was not a star-stellar performance, it was enough to get the offense rolling.
In the second drive for the Devils in the quarter, Bourguet rattled off three passes consecutively to march his offense into the red zone.
From there, Brooks bulldozed through the line to bring the lead to the Devils, 14-7.
The Cougars eventually responded with a touchdown for themselves. In a similar situation, Ward took the ball from a shotgun and took the ball up the middle for a game-tying touchdown.
Immediately following the scoring drive from the Cougars, the Devils still had plenty of juice in them.
Junior tailback Cam Skattebo took the ball up the hashes and sprinted for 66 yards to the Cougar nine-yard line. Shortly after, Skattebo stomped down the middle for six, putting the Devils back in the lead 21-14.
“That’s kind of what this offense needed, the last couple weeks were a grind,” Bourguet said. “For us to finally get those explosives, it opens up everything in the game plan.”
Back on offense, it only took the Cougars four plays to get into the red zone from the 20-yard line.
From the nine, Ward threw a dagger into the middle of the endzone to senior wide receiver Lincoln Victor. Once again, tying the game 21-21.
The final drive of the half for the Devils resulted in a 51-yard field goal in the last seconds. Entering the locker room, the Devils held onto the lead and received the kick to start the second half.
“That there can be the difference in the game,” Dillingham said. “That makes it a two-possession game versus a one-possession game.”
The Sun Devils maintained their momentum, working a 13-play drive to open the second half.
To put the Devils in the red zone, Bourguet connected with senior wide receiver Messiah Swinson for a 15-yard gain despite getting hit on the throw.
From the six-yard line, junior wide receiver Elijhah Badger took the jet sweep and crossed the goal line for six, extending the lead to 31-21 for the Sun Devils.
The Sun Devils scored their final touchdown in the second half after a quick offensive drive.
From 50 yards deep, Bourguet found junior tight end Jalin Conyers open down the hashes.
Immediately following the big pass from Bourguet, Brooks found the endzone for the third time with an eight-yard rush.
The defense was called upon to close out the game with 4:30 remaining on the clock.
“We executed,” graduate linebacker Tre Brown said. “We had good communication which was one of the big keys tonight.”
After a 12-play drive, the Cougars came up short on fourth down after Ward failed to connect with his receiver.
“Football is about those big moments,” Dillingham said. “It’s about those big moments that win or lose games.”
The Sun Devils will have to replicate the complete performance from tonight if they want to compete against the No. 13 Utah Utes (6-2) next week. They will play in Salt Lake City on Saturday at 11 a.m. MST.
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