ASU Football: Sun Devils are down but not out

After a competitive battle against No. 10 Washington on Saturday night, ASU football was handed its second-straight loss of the season.

However, now is not the time for the Sun Devils (2-2) to panic after the 27-20 loss. A long season still lies ahead with eight games to go in a Pac-12 that’s seemingly up for grabs.

There are still many concerns on both sides of the ball, but the offense left opportunities off the board. It was a complete flip in effectiveness as the Sun Devils finally found a run game, but had nothing going through the air.

ASU quarterback Manny Wilkins passed for just 104 yards against the Huskies (3-1). Prior to the road trip to Seattle, Wilkins was averaging over 319 yards passing a game.

Wilkins’ yards per attempt dropped off drastically to 3.85. It hadn’t been under five through the first three games.

More from Devils in Detail

• Sun Devils Primer: Game 2 vs Oklahoma State
• Sun Devil Insight: Quarterback Room
• Arizona State Spotlight: Kenny Dillingham
• Arizona State 2023 Season Opener: Off To A Good Start
• Arizona State vs USC Prediction and Promo (Expect Offensive Fireworks)

N’Keal Harry, arguably the best player on the field Saturday night, finished with five grabs for only 20 yards. His biggest play of the game came on a punt return where he reversed the field for 42 yards.

Once ASU figures out how to utilize its offensive weapons consistently is when games can be taken over. Head coach Herm Edwards has mentioned how important it is to find balance on offense several times in the past two weeks.

UW was the most talented team the Sun Devils have seen in 2018 thus far. So, it’s hard to put much blame on the performance of a young defense in a tough road environment against a potent offense.

Senior quarterback Jake Browning showed out. He made big plays to propel the Husky offense, including a strike to Cade Otton in the back of the end zone to take a 27-13 lead in the fourth quarter.

The Sun Devils had their chances to upset the No. 10 team in the country on the road. But seven penalties for 72 yards over the course of the game really hindered the possibility as well.

ASU has plenty of things to take away from the loss. The Sun Devils entered the game as 18-point underdogs and lost the game by one score against an extremely talented Husky team.

Next up in Week 5, ASU welcomes in the struggling Oregon State Beavers (1-3) into Tempe for the second-straight match-up against a Pac-12 North squad.

A win next Saturday can boost the Sun Devils’ confidence in conference play as they attempt to come out on top in the Pac-12 South, a division that has looked subpar four weeks into the 2018 season.