ASU Football: Live blog from season opener vs NAU

Stay tuned on this page for game updates and analysis from Arizona State against Northern Arizona. We encourage you to post your thoughts in the comment section while you watch Thursday’s contest. Your comments can be questions, concerns excitement, GIFs, or just general thoughts about Arizona State or NAU. Please keep it civil, folks.

Tune in

Where: Sun Devil Stadium, Tempe, AZ

Watch: 7 pm on the Pac-12 Networks.

Listen: 98.7 FM

Q4

10:05 pm: Bourguet and Tyson both get drives at quarterback, but the Sun Devils run the clock down. FINAL: ASU 40 NAU 3.

9:47: A little late here, but after the injury to Joey Ramos, Isaia Glass slid over to RT. Emmit Bohle filled in at LT. With Thomas La Boucher not dressed, RT all the sudden looks very thin.

9:40 pm: Up by 34, the starting offense is still out there in the fourth quarter. Reps, I guess. They are on the ASU 35 and driving. Freshman Tevin White is getting feature reps in the backfield this drive, and making the most of it. He has picked up two first downs.

Q3

9:25 pm:

9:16 pm: NAU punts 37 yards to the ASU 35. The starters are coming out for another drive.

9:04 pm: Chris Edmonds picks off Martinez off a tipped ball that was perfectly defended by D.J. Taylor. ASU caps it off with a 43-yard field goal from Carter Brown. 34-3 ASU.

9:00 pm: Valladay takes a 27-yard run to the house. 31-3 ASU. The Sun Devils have found their new running back tandem.

8:54 pm: DJ Taylor takes the second-half kick to the ASU 32.

Q2

8:28 pm: The Lumberjacks, on cue, force a strip-sack on Jones. They follow it up with a field goal, and the half ends shortly after. 24-3 ASU.

8:24 pm: NAU is starting to drift off. Martinez almost handed Soelle another interception on a silver platter. The lumberjacks punt. 1:12 remaining in Q3.

8:20 pm: After the turnover, the Sun Devils take over with their legs. First, A 28-yard run from Valladay, then a 17-yard TD run from Jones. It was a thirty second drive. 24-0 ASU.

8:18 pm: ASU gets bailed out after being stopped short on third down. Refs review the play and call targeting on NAU DL Eloi Kwete, who is now disqualified. Swinson snags another grab, and Valladay finds paydirt on a 5-yard touchdown run. 17-0 ASU.

8:08 pm: Defense gets another three-and-out, while Ngata rips off a massive run past midfield to start the ASU drive. I can’t keep up.

8:01 pm: The first ASU touchdown of the season comes on fourth-and-goal score by Emory Jones from the inch line. ASU leads 10-0. Jones also made a great effort to reach over the line on third down, but the replay showed he was down just short of the line. He also isn’t afraid to sit in the pocket and throw, even if he takes a hit. He completed three passes for 36 yards on the Sun Devils’s first touchdown-scoring drive of the night. Charles Hall IV also rushed for 22 on a sweep.

7:50 pm: Keon Markham comes in at corner for Torrence and makes a tackle short of the sticks on third down. NAU botches the field goal snap and walks away with nothing. ASU starts at their own 28 up 3-0.

7:46 pm: Nothing seems to be changing in the discipline department. Poor tackling prevents a stop on third-and-long as Ro Torrence made the play, but committed a facemask penalty.

Q1

7:41 pm: NAU quarterback RJ Martinez tried to take advantage of the Sun Devils jumping offsides, but the ball was intercepted by Kejuan Markham. No harm, no foul for the Lumberjacks who are driving past midfield to end the first quarter.

7:33 pm: Ngata now wants a turn as the drive’s feature back. He gets a first down all by himself on a 15-yard run. The linemen start to hold up the drive at midfield.

7:25 pm: Now I’ve got a good luck at the rest of the base defense. Across the line: Anthonie Cooper, Omarr Norman-Lott, Nesta Jade Silvera and Joe Moore. This group will stay on the field for the first third-down of the drive. Anthonie Cooper keeps finding himself in the backfield. Three-and-out for NAU.

7:19 pm: Emory Jones on a roll in his first ASU drive. Three completions on his first three attempts. Jones stood in the pocket and took a shot as he delivered a well-covered end zone ball to Bryan Thompson that fell incomplete. He followed it up with a dart to Swinson over the middle. to enter the redzone. X Valladay was the primary rusher with four runs for 13 yards. OC Glenn Thomas called a run play on third-down inside the redzone that was thwarted. Carter Brown kicks the field goal, and ASU leads 3-0. Two catches for Swinson on the drive.

7:10 pm: Defense trots out. Torrence and Woods at corner. Kejuan Markham and Chris Edmonds at safety. The Soelles and Robertson at linebacker. Rotations on third down on the line. After a quick first down, defense gets a stop. Merlin Robertson with a big hit. ASU starts on its 22.

Pregame

7:04 pm: ASU wins the toss and elects to defer to half two. The season starts now.

6:53 pm: Jordan Clark, Des Holmes and Gharin Stansbury were all in street clothes during warmups. A short list, and one with no surprises.

6:45 pm: Barring a massive late push at the gate, SDS will open another season with a ton of open seats. It’s a Thursday night, but I thought the in-state matchup might draw a larger crowd. Student section will be full, at least for kickoff.

6:41 pm: So far no surprises, personnel-wise. As expected, but not yet previously confirmed, Joey Ramos is filling in for the injured Des Holmes at right tackle during warmups. Chris Martinez is at right guard. Carter Brown took the point-after attempts.