The Sports Xchange
NCAAF Team Report – Arizona State – INSIDE SLANT
Well, Arizona State still has some work to do.
That’s not unexpected, although a 2-0 start gave the Sun Devils hope that the learning curve would be a short one under first-year coach Todd Graham. They prided themselves on “playing clean” through wins over Northern Arizona and Illinois, but some of that discipline fell apart when ASU was stressed on the road at Missouri on Saturday.
ASU put up a valiant fourth-quarter fight but was ultimately undone by four turnovers, including an interception in the end zone in the final minute that sealed the 24-20 victory for the Tigers.
“We beat ourselves,” Graham said.
“Our No. 1 message this week was taking care of the football. You have to give them a lot of credit, too. It was a very physical game. We’ve been really careless with the ball in practice. Teams don’t win when they turn the ball over that many times.”
The Sun Devils can be dangerous but aren’t good enough to beat a good team on an off day. With Pac-12 play starting this week, there won’t be much margin of error the rest of the way.
ASU can build off its fourth-quarter rally, cutting a 24-7 deficit to 24-20 on a pair of touchdown runs by Marion Grice. A missed two-point conversion after the final touchdown proved costly, forcing ASU to go for the end zone late in the game instead of a tying field goal.
The Devils had second-and-goal from the 1 but eventually turned the ball over on downs on their second-to-last drive. And then came the interception from quarterback Taylor Kelly on third-and-9 from the Mizzou 20.
“Our guys showed great character,” Graham said. “I thought we were going to come back and win the game.”
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NCAAF Team Report – Arizona State – NOTES, QUOTES
–ASU, which changed its logo and added color combinations to its uniforms last season, wore white helmets, white jerseys and maroon pants for the first time ever.
–ASU committed seven penalties for 54 yards against Missouri, which is a good performance when compared to the recent teams of Dennis Erickson, but it was a step back for this Todd Graham-coached team. ASU had committed only four penalties in the first two games.
–The Sun Devils were part of Missouri’s first non-conference sellout since the 1985 game against Notre Dame. There were 71,004 at the game.
WHAT’S AHEAD: Arizona State returns home for the Pac-12 opener against Utah, which bounced back from its loss to Utah State by surviving a wild finish against rival BYU. In a remarkable stroke of good fortune, this will be the third consecutive game in which ASU doesn’t have to face the other team’s starting quarterback — Nathan Scheelhaase was out for Illinois; James Franklin was out for Missouri; and Utah’s Jordan Wynn had to retire last week because of chronic shoulder problems. What’s more, NAU lost its starting quarterback to an injury early in ASU’s season opener.
KEEP AN EYE ON: DB Deantre Lewis — Moved from running back to defensive back at the beginning of practice last week, Lewis showed immediate potential. The sophomore played on ASU’s second defensive snap as a nickel back and helped pressure the quarterback on the play. He made one tackle on the day. Coach Todd Graham likes Lewis’ explosiveness as a guy who can help defend passing situations.
LOOKING GOOD: Arizona State ranks 14th nationally — and first in the Pac-12 — with 3.33 sacks per game. ASU is getting a good push from the interior, with true freshman Jaxon Hood picking up his first career sack in the game at Missouri, and junior Will Sutton picking up one sack in each of the first three games.
STILL NEEDS WORK: RB Cameron Marshall came into the season as one of the most dependable backs in the Pac-12, always working hard and playing through pain. But he was slowed by a hamstring injury in camp and hasn’t gotten untracked yet in a deeper ASU backfield this season. Marshall is fourth on the team in rushing with 25 carries for 81 yards.
QUOTE TO NOTE: “We’re 2-1. That season is over. That’s preseason. Now we start conference play and our focus is moving on to Utah.” — Coach Todd Graham.
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NCAAF Team Report – Arizona State – STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL
PLAYER NOTES:
–LB Brandon Magee, who missed the previous game because of concussion symptoms, was more than fine Saturday at Missouri. He made his second interception of the season — he also had one vs. NAU — and tied for the team lead with 12 tackles. He’ll have strong competition, but he is showing signs of an all-conference season.
–RB Marion Grice, a junior-college transfer, is making an immediate impact. He scored twice against Missouri, giving him five touchdowns on 22 carries this season. He is sharing time with senior Cameron Marshall and true freshman D.J. Foster.
–QB Taylor Kelly was shaky at Missouri in his first road start, throwing two interceptions, but he also continued to show the ability to keep plays alive with his legs and make positive yards on his own. He rushed 15 times for 59 yards vs. the Tigers. He has completed 72.3 percent of his passes this season (47 of 65) for 674 yards.
ROSTER REPORT
–Freshman LB Carlos Mendoza will require surgery on a shoulder injury suffered against Illinois on Sept. 8. He is out for the rest of the season and eligible for a medical redshirt.
–Sophomore CB Rashad Wadood (torn labrum) is out for the season and will be able to redshirt.
–Sophomore Mike Bercovici, who fell to third-string in the quarterback race, will try to redshirt, coach Todd Graham said.
–Senior DT Corey Adams, who missed most of preseason practice because of back problems, has not played in the first three games.
–LB Israel Marshall, a redshirt freshman, will sit out this season because of back and spine problems.
–Freshman S Viliami Moeakiola suffered a hamstring injury in the season opener and is expected to miss a couple more weeks.
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