ASU Football: '12 Plays of Christmas' No. 9: Demario Richard's 93-yard TD catch against New Mexico

The Arizona State Sun Devils were the 27-point favorite heading into the contest against the New Mexico Lobos in the middle of September. They came pretty close to that projected outcome, by beating the Lobos 34-10.

Many said this was a cupcake-game for the Sun Devils, something the coaching staff added on to the beginning of the season to build confidence and snag some early non-conference wins. That it did.

But something that went unpredicted going into this matchup, was the impact sophomore running back Demario Richard would have in the win.

ASU fans experienced a record-breaking performance by Richard, as the young tailback played in a style that was reminiscent of his breakout season in 2014, and showed fans and his team alike what he would bring to this season.

ASU held the lead for the entire game against the Lobos and despite lacking pivotal moments, turnovers and diving catchings that deem a game exciting, Richard proved an unstoppable force in his ground attack, as well as a threat through the air out of the backfield.

Play No. 9: Demario Richard's 93-yard touchdown catch out of the backfield against New Mexico

Up by 14 early in the fourth quarter, Richard was lined up in the backfield for a third-and-ten attempt from ASU's own 7-yard line.

Center Nick Kelly snapped the ball to quarterback Mike Bercovici, who maneuvered out of the pocket just in time to avoid the safety, and launched a throw to an open Richard along the sidelines who brought it down in stride and broke all the way to the house for a 93-yard touchdown that would put the nail in the coffin for New Mexico.

This catch saw Richard break the all-time ASU record for most receiving yards for a running back with four catches out of the backfield for two touchdowns and a total of 151 yards.

He added 104 rushing yards to that total on 15 carries, bringing him to a total of 255 yards on the night. This was one of the biggest games early for Richard to re-establish himself as a threat to opponents around the nation and this catch was one that signified his ability to be both a threat vertically, as well as on the ground.

You can watch the video here. The play starts at the 0:39 second mark. Video courtesy ESPN