ASU Football: Browning’s composure opens up Huskies offense
By Zach Pekale
Pressure and mistakes were Jake Browning‘s downfall in Tempe last season. But in the first half, he’s looked composed against ASU football.
Going up against a formidable backfield of Myles Gaskin and Salvon Ahmed, the objective of the ASU football program coming into a matchup with No. 10 Washington was to limit the run.
Designating much of the defensive attention to the ground game, Huskies quarterback Jake Browning went unnoticed. To some, Browning has been written off just two years after finishing sixth in the Heisman Trophy voting.
Through two quarters, the senior is the driving force of the Washington offense that leads Arizona State 17-10 at halftime.
From the get-go, Browning demonstrated tremendous poise in analyzing the Sun Devil defense. He escaped the half without being sacked while making a number of impressive throws, in particular, a perfectly placed strike to Ty Jones just beyond the reach of safety Asahari Croswell for 19-yard score.
While he is 7-of-12 for 119 yards and two touchdowns, his impact on the game is multifaceted.
His successful execution of the run-pass option has kept the ASU secondary on its heels while speeding up the pace of play.
Against the run, Browning’s ability to open up the field directly correlates to improved production from Gaskin and Ahmed. The duo rushed for 107 combined yards in the first half, gaining 5.4 yards per carry.
Though the Sun Devils’ offense has kept ASU in the game, the frequency with which it has been on the field is likely to generate fatigue in late-game situations. On the other hand, Browning has been methodical, putting together long drives and wearing down the Sun Devils’ defense.
Next. ASU Football: Best, average and worst case scenarios against No. 10 Washington. dark
In the Sun Devils’ 2017 victory over UW, Browning was sacked five times. With 30 minutes to play, the ASU will need to generate pressure to disrupt the Huskies defense moving forward.