Arizona State vs. Washington: Offensive positional grades

It's pretty tempting to hand every Sun Devil an A+ after the offense racked up 585 total yards against Washington then call it a day. But our professors at House of Sparky university have appearances to maintain so let's grade with near perfection being the goal:

Quarterbacks: B+

If we were grading just the quarterback's legs, Taylor Kelly would earn an A+ for his efforts. Kelly masterfully picked his spots Saturday to keep an underrated Huskies defense on its heels. And can we talk about those Madden-worthy spin moves? Through the air, Kelly didn't have his most accurate of games but you have to cut him some slack sans Jaelen Strong. As long as he keeps making plays on the ground, this offense is going to be sitting pretty.

Running backs: A+

It would be easy to claim that Kelly's mobility opened up lanes for the Arizona State ball carriers. But if you pop in the tape, you'll see a Marion Grice that ran with more purpose than he did through the first six games combined. Grice plowed through defenders and validated Gus Johnson's "Marion the Barbarian" moniker in the process. With Deantre Lewis (39 rushing yards) getting in on the fun early and D.J. Foster (30 rushing yards) looking sharp as well, the Sun Devils looked like the run-oriented team most predicted in the preseason. Perhaps 300+ rushing yards should be the goal every game.

Wide receivers: C+

It was rewarding to see Kevin Ozier step up when Jaelen Strong was forced from the game with an ankle injury. The veteran Sun Devil turned his eight catches into 88 yards but it's worth noting that he wasn't exactly beating double coverage. For whatever reason, the Huskies continually offered him a healthy cushion of space to work with and Kelly simply took advantage. Behind Ozier, the next three leading receivers were two running backs and a tight end. It was disappointing to see Cameron Smith disappear one week after being promoted.

Tight Ends: A

Will the real Chris Coyle please stand up? Really, I need to know how a tight end that looks like such a force be left out of the game plan every other week. Coyle was a big-play machine Saturday, averaging 15.6 yards a catch to ease the burden when Strong went down. His partner in crime, De'Marieya Nelson, was just as productive paving the way for the running game and there were even a few Darwin Rogers sightings to boot. This coaching staff needs to continue to utilize this position of strength on a consistent basis.

Offensive Line: A-

While they might not have earned the highest offensive grade, the gentlemen up front won my game MVP honors. With how critical we have been of the offensive line this season, it's important to give credit were credit is due. The line cleared the way for a ground game that averaged 6.1 yards per carry. Kelly was only sacked three times and he never seemed too rushed. It's good to know that the unit is this overpowering when they're clicking.

Want more positional grades? Check back later today for our defensive positional rankings.