ASU Football: Halftime analysis as Sun Devils lead 24-14

ASU football leads USC 24-14 at halftime after forcing a turnover and controlling offensive tempo.

For the majority of the season, Herm Edwards has hoped for his team to cash in more opportunities. It appears he got what he wanted after this first half.

The Sun Devils lead 24-14 and have controlled most everything from yards to time of possession. The offense looked consistent, the defense created a takeaway and the Sun Devils converted on the Trojans’ mistakes.

Let’s take a look at what has stood out so far.

 A resurgent offense

Manny Wilkins and Rob Likens have received a lot of heat for the Sun Devils’ offensive inconsistencies. In the first half, the offense tapped in to its preseason potential, out-yarding the Trojans 286-116 while spreading the wealth.

After a 38-yard performance against Stanford, Eno Benjamin has returned to form. The sophomore rushed for 128 yards and two touchdowns, turning in scores of three and 49 yards to boost the lead.

The first score came off a fumble that was forced by Jalen Harvey. Later, he broke loose on a third-and-1 call from midfield to give the Sun Devils a 17-point lead.

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Wilkins received a lot of blame for his performance against Stanford, but he’s been as efficient as can be this afternoon. He has a QBR of 149.2 through the first 30 minutes and has hit six different receivers for completions.

His biggest play of the half came on a 44-yard touchdown throw to N’Keal Harry to tie the game at seven. Since, he’s picked up consistent gains, including a 23-yard completion to Brandon Aiyuk and picking up 32 yards on six carries himself.

There’s 30 minutes left to call this a complete game. For now, we’ve seen the dynamic offense the team has been looking for .

A turnover!

Danny Gonzales’ defense has been improving every week. But there’s one thing he’s been hoping for the majority of the season – more turnovers.

The Sun Devils got one in the first quarter, as Harvey intersected an option pass from Jack Sears and forced a fumble recovered by Darien Butler. The stop put ASU at the 3-yard line and Benjamin cashed in a touchdown to put his team up seven.

Merlin Robertson continued his brilliant freshman season with a sack on Sears to stop a Trojan drive that moved to midfield. Chase Lucas added another for a two-yard loss.

However, the end of the half provided concern. Sears began to get the Trojan offense moving, forcing three ASU penalties and hitting Michael Pittman Jr. for a six-yard touchdown in their final drive of the half.

The Devils also missed an opportunity as Aashari Crosswell dropped his second interception chance in two weeks. Mistakes like that give the opposition more chances, something ASU will have to limit in the second half.

After forcing the fumble, Harvey left in the second quarter and is questionable to return. Look for the defensive performance to continue to dictate the outcome.

Controlling the game

Against Stanford, the Sun Devils were in an uphill battle trying to control time of possession. Today, they’ve won the battle.

At halftime, ASU controls that category by over nine minutes (-). They’ve gained that control by going 6-for-9 on third down and picking up 13 first downs overall.

With JT Daniels out on offense and Cameron Smith out on defense, the Sun Devils have done their part by taking advantage of players deep in the depth chart. Minus the 82-yard return touchdown from Tyler Vaughns and USC’s score at the end of the half, they’ve played a consistent game.

The Trojans, however, do have some momentum. We’ll see how much it carries over.