ASU vs. Oregon: Sun Devils trail Ducks 17-14 at halftime

The Arizona State Sun Devils trail the Oregon Ducks 17-14 at halftime. The Sun Devils have outgained the Ducks 321 to 249 but Oregon has taken advantage of some ASU defensive lapses to take a three-point lead into the break.

Oregon took the opening kickoff and after a fall start backed them up five yards prior to their first play from scrimmage, the Ducks picked up 63 yards on their first two plays of the game. Quarterback Vernon Adams found tight end Evan Baylis for 19 yards on Oregon's first play and then found Darren Carrington for a 44-yard pickup to the ASU 10-yard line.

After Oregon picked up three yards on first and second down, Karrem Orr broke up a pass in the end zone that forced Oregon to kick a field goal. Aidan Schneider booted a 25-yard field goal through the uprights and Oregon took a 3-0 lead just over two minutes into the game.

The ASU offense struggled to start the game, as the Sun Devils punted on their first two drives, totaling just 45 yards on 12 plays. After forcing Oregon to go three-and-out on its second drive, Duck running back Royce Freeman ran untouched 64 yards for a touchdown to convert a third-and-one on Oregon's third drive of the game and the Ducks took a 10-0 with 5:21 left in the first quarter.

The ASU offense finally came to life on its third drive. Mike Bercovici found Devin Lucien for 30 yards and a defensive holding penalty set ASU up inside the Oregon red zone. The Sun Devils had a first-and-goal from the Oregon 10-yard line, however Lucien dropped a pass in the end zone on third down and Zane Gonzalez missed a 26-yard field goal and the Sun Devils came up empty.

Following an Oregon punt the Sun Devils took over at their own 44-yard line. ASU moved the ball inside the Oregon 30-yard line but Bercovici was sacked on third down and Gonzalez missed his second field goal of the night, this one from 52 yards.

The Sun Devils finally found the end zone midway through the second quarter when Bercovici found Lucien for a three-yard touchdown pass. The Sun Devils drove 80 yards in seven plays and to find the end zone for the first time in their last 19 drives dating back to their matchup with Colorado on Oct. 10.

The Ducks answered on their next possession when Adams found Carrington for a 39-yard touchdown pass on a fourth-and one. Adams was running open in the middle of the field as Oregon scored once again on an explosive play because of an ASU mental error. The Ducks took a 17-7 lead with four minutes left in the first half.

The Sun Devils answered with an explosive play of their own as Bercovici found Gary Chambers for a 39-yard touchdown pass on ASU's next drive to pull the Sun Devils within three points. Chambers was running open down the sideline and Bercovici did a nice job accurately placing the ball over the defensive back and into the arms of a running Chambers.

The Sun Devils received the ball with less than two minutes left in the half, but were unable to get any points as Gonzalez missed his third field goal of the night, this one from 54 yards and Oregon took a 17-14 lead into halftime.