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A long game in Berkeley ended with the Sun Devils defeating the Golden Bears, 27-17. Taylor Kelly had an efficient game, throwing for three touchdown passes.
The offense never found its true rhythm, sputtering at various times throughout the game against Cal. ASU dominated the ball possession game, holding onto the ball for 35:41. Inversely, Cal only had the ball for 24:19.
Cameron Marshall led all ASU rushers with 65 yards on 17 carries. Rashad Ross paced the wide receiver corps with 84 yards on seven receptions.
With the win, ASU gets its first victory in Berkeley since 1997. The Sun Devils move to 4-1 and 2-0 in Pac-12 play.
The Good
- Will Sutton: The one man wrecking machine.
- Tackles for loss: The Devils picked up an impressive 12 tackles for loss, forcing Zach Maynard into tough situations and difficult downs.
- Kevin Ozier: The former walk-on caught three passes for 42 yards, but also put together two touchdown catches.
- TK's toughness: Kelly took a lot of hits today and found his way out of some tricky situations. A very impressive showing from the redshirt sophomore signal caller.
- No turnovers: A full game with zero fumbles lost and zero interceptions. ASU didn't beat itself, and it allowed Cal to sink its own battleship.
- 8 for 18 on 3rd downs: Nearly a 50% conversation rate on 3rd down is a big reason why the Devils won today.
- 6 sacks: Between Junior Onyeali, Will Sutton, Davon Coleman and Brandon Magee, Maynard's life was a living hell and he was in a constant state of fear.
The Bad
- Kicking game: 2 for 5 on field goal attempts (2 FG missed, 1 FG blocked). Alex Garoutte has struggled once again in 2012, and his job security may be in question with a bye week coming up.
- With a few significant rushing losses on fumbles, ASU only averaged 2.4 yards per carry.
- Isi Sofele tore up the ASU run defense, picking up 105 yards on 15 carries.
Up next: ASU has a bye week, with their next game on October 11 against Colorado in Boulder. This Thursday night game will be broadcast on ESPN for a national audience.