ASU Football: Halftime analysis as Stanford leads 6-3

ASU football trails Stanford 6-3 at halftime after back-to-back turnovers eradicated promising drives.

It’s been a frustrating first half for Arizona State.

After two offensive drives that showed some promise in the passing game, the Sun Devils coughed the ball up in both, allowing the Cardinal two field goals and a 6-3 halftime lead.

Let’s take a look at some areas that have defined the game in the first half.

An impressive start for the defense

Coming into tonight’s game, one of the keys was limiting a big output from Bryce Love. So far, the Sun Devils have answered the bell, holding the senior to nine rushes for 13 yards.

It appears that Love still may not be 100 percent as he’s rotated in and out of series with Trevor Speights and Cameron Scarlett. But when he’s been in the game, the Sun Devils have dropped him for negative plays while shutting some holes in the middle.

Danny Gonzales’ unit didn’t get much help after the offense coughed up the ball twice in the second quarter. However, the defense has held their own, limiting a goal-line chance to a field goal and keeping the Cardinal out of the endzone again at the end of the half.

Stanford’s offensive line was under fire after giving up nine sacks against Notre Dame and Utah. Merlin Robertson added to that total by dropping K.J. Costello for nine yards in the Cardinal’s second drive of the game.

Look for Stanford to find more ways to get Love involved. They tried to establish him as a receiver in their two drives of the second quarter. If ASU can keep him in check, they’ll be in good shape for the rest of the game.

A frustrating offense

We’ve seen a mix of good and bad in the offense’s return from a bye week. The Sun Devils struck first with a 34-yard field goal from Brandon Ruiz at the end of the first quarter before turning the ball over on consecutive drives in the second.

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After Ruiz’s field goal, the Sun Devils moved the ball well in their fourth drive. ASU had three first downs in their first six plays, including a 14-yard completion to N’Keal Harry and consistent carries from Eno Benjamin.

However, the momentum was killed after Wilkins was tackled into Stanford’s sideline by Jovan Swann. Wilkins stayed on the ground for a moment before rising and holding his back, forcing Herm Edwards to take a timeout.

On the next play, Wilkins ran for seven yards before being stripped by Bobby Okereke at Stanford’s 41-yard line. Thomas Booker recovered the ball, putting an end turning to an 8-play, 59 yard drive.

The Sun Devils got the ball back and moved the chains again. Wilkins hit a wide open Eno Benjamin for 29-yard reception to get ASU within the Cardinal 35-yard line with less than three minutes remaining.

The next play, ASU tried to bring some trickery with Harry getting the ball off a reverse. It looked like the play was designed to find Kyle Williams but was underthrown and intercepted by Sean Barton.

Those plays were uncharacteristic of a Sun Devil offense that’s known for taking good care of the football. We’ll see how they react in the second half.

Time of possession

Aside from losing chances that could have them ahead, the Sun Devils also have to be concerned with the discrepancy in time of possession.

The turnovers haven’t helped, but the Cardinal have done a better job of holding on the ball. They currently hold a margin of over 10 minutes against the Sun Devils (20:02-9:58).

If ASU is to cut into this, they’ll have to do a better job on third down. Stanford is 6-for-11 while the Sun Devils are 2-for-5.

Next. ASU Football vs. Stanford: Broadcast Information. dark

Granted, turnovers won’t help too. It’ll be interesting to see how the offense comes out in the second half and how the team reacts to their mistakes.

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