ASU Football: Sun Devils drop third straight on road
ASU football dropped their straight road game of the season falling 28-21 versus No. 21 Colorado likely taking the Sun Devils out of the Pac-12 South race.
The Arizona State Sun Devils dropped their third road game of the season to the No. 21 ranked and undefeated Colorado Buffaloes.
Senior quarterback Manny Wilkins and the offense had a chance late in the game with the ball on a fourth down inside Colorado’s five-yard line. Wilkins would throw the ball on a fade to receiver Curtis Hodges that fell incomplete.
The incomplete pass would seal the fate for the Sun Devils who fall to 3-3 on the year after the crucial Pac-12 south defeat.
Arizona State jumped out of the gates early on with an Eno Benjamin one-yard touchdown run to begin the scoring. The sophomore back would follow up his record-setting week a week ago with 120 yards rushing on 28 carries.
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Laviska Shenault Jr. would even up the game with his first of four eventual touchdowns with a one-yard run to tie the game seven. Shenault would score all four touchdowns for the Buffaloes with two coming on the ground alongside two receiving touchdowns.
The combination of Benjamin and Shenault would strike again in the second quarter for their respective teams as Benjamin would score a one-yard run followed by a Shenault three-yard reception from quarterback Steven Montez.
Montez would finish with 328 yards and two touchdowns while finding four different receivers who all finished above 49 yards on the night. On the flip side, it was Wilkins who finished with 222 passing yards and a 40-yard touchdown pass to receiver Frank Darby.
The touchdown was the final on the night for Arizona State as Shenault would knot the game at 21-21 with a 30-yard reception and would take the lead with a one-yard run. The final touchdown of the game would come with 42 seconds left in the third quarter of play to lock up the fifth win on the year for Colorado.
After giving up 261 rushing yards a week ago against Oregon State, the Sun Devils defense was able to limit the Buffaloes to 166 yards on the ground.
Two key Arizona State players were hurt throughout the matchup as both Wilkins and receiver N’Keal Harry were both shaken up in the loss. Wilkins was hurt while throwing a pass in the fourth quarter while Harry was hit by a Colorado player who ran off from the sideline while returning a punt.
Harry would finish the game with a mere three catches for 62 yards as Darby led Arizona State in receiving with 131 receiving yards.
ASU Football: Sun Devils’ first-half ground game effective. dark. Next
The Sun Devils will go on to the team’s bye week next week as Colorado will look to remain the conference’s single undefeated team when they take on USC.