ASU Football: Live Blog and Game Thread vs Eastern Michigan

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

Where: Sun Devil Stadium, Tempe, AZ

Watch: 8:00 pm (AZ time) on Pac-12 Networks.

Listen: 98.7 FM

Q4

• FInal: 30-21 EMU
• Sun Devils show some fight, and X Valladay rips off a 40-plus yard touchdown run. 27-21 EMU.
• Merlin Robertson nearly recovers his forced strip sack, but EMU recovers. They still punt, and ASU takes over at its own 20.

Q3

• Jones has two more shots at touchdowns with receivers open in the endzone, but he leaves one short, then airmails the other. Czaplicki punts to the EMU 10.
• Sun Devils bend but don’t break, and hold the Eagles to a field goal. 27-14 EMU.
• Eagles start the drive with a bang, and enter Sun Devil territory. Kyle Soelle is injured.
• A false start negates a first-down run on third-and-short, and ASU turns it over on downs after an incompletion on 4th-and-medium from the EMU 39. The Eagles take over.
• ASU’s second-half offensive response is one full of quick-hitters. Jones is working with nice pace, and the receivers are finding holes in the zone. Sun Devils are narching.
• Holding brings back Ngata’s kick return to the ASU 9 yard-line. Fitting.

Q2

• EMU doesn’t go into halftime empty-handed, marching down the field to score seven points in the four-minute drill. The big play came on 42-yard completion off a busted coverage by Keon Markham after he slipped-and-fell. Backup quarterback Austin Smith and running back Samson Evans are dominating. 24-14 EMU.

• 17-14 EMU after a strong drive from Emory Jones and Daniyel Ngata. Jones caps it off with a touchdown scramble.
• Emmit Bohle is in at left tackle.
• Both EMU quarterbacks are working the ASU defense. This time, Austin Smith drops a dime for the Eagles’s second touchdown of the night. 17-7 EMU
• The Eagles continue to impose their will at the line-of-scrimmage. There seems to be positive yardage every play that there isn’t a penalty. They have first-and-goal inside the ASU 10.
• Tarik Luckett is in at outside corner for Keon Markham.
• The Sun Devils convert the turnover into a score, with a four-yard touchdown pass from Emory Jones to Andre Johnson. 10-7 EMU.

Q1

• ASU finally lands a big play, this time in the form of a Kejuan Markham interception over the middle. It was a fantastic play. Second down and goal-to-go for ASU to start the second quarter.
• Another three-and-out for ASU that started with a holding penalty. There could not have been a worse start for the Sun Devils.
• Eastern Michigan scores on an 11-play, 80 yard drive. 10-0 EMU.

• Chris Edmonds and Jordan Clark are playing safety, D.J. Taylor is the nickel corner.
• ASU goes three-and-out. Two runs and a short, completed pass to Andre Johnson. Czaplicki punts into the Eagle endzone.
• Omar Norman-Lott is down. B.J. Green will fill in, and Dylan Hall also gets a snap. Kyle Soelle almost picks off a third-down pass. EMU settles for a field goal. 3-0 EMU.
• EMU run game is moving along, and the Eagles are running tempo. Sun Devil D looks slow, and Kyle Soelle misses a tackle on third down. Eagles in the red zone.
• EMU wins the toss and elects to receive. ASU kick goes out of bounds off the foot of Eddie Czaplicki. Eagles start at the 40. Timarcus Davis and Keon Markham at corner with Ro Torrence out with a foot injury. Cooper, Silvera, Norman-Lott and Joe Moore start across the line. B.J. Green also subs in for Norman-Lott on third down. Robertson, Kyle Soelle at linebackers, and D.J. Taylor is playing the nickel, which is how ASU starts.

Pregame

• ASU grounds crew strikes again with a beautiful playing surface Saturday. It’s the usual Bermuda with the fork at midfield, but a light “Fear the Fork” is embedded between the hashes and lasts the length of the field.
• The 2022 “Boots in the Park” country music concert is happening right down the street at Tempe Beach Park. Let’s see who puts on the best show: ASU, EMU or Tim McGraw.