ASU Football: Halftime analysis as Sun Devils lead 17-14

ASU football leads UCLA 17-14 after defensive stops have exchanged momentum.

Senior Day delivered its promise of an emotional ride.

After two quarters of play, Arizona State leads UCLA 17-14. With both teams moving the ball into enemy territory, a fourth down stop from the Sun Devils’ Darien Butler and an interception touchdown from the Bruins’ Darnay Holmes have twice changed the game’s tide.

Let’s take a look at what’s stood out in the first half.

Some Defensive Woes

On Wednesday, Danny Gonzales warned the media about UCLA’s versatility. His team had to prepare for two quarterbacks Dorian Thompson Robinson and Wilton Speight while negating the impact of Joshua Kelley, who came in rushing over 100 yards in five of the last six games.

With Speight getting the nod, the Bruin offense has succeeded. Their first drive saw chunk plays of 26 and 18 yards quickly move them into ASU territory. Without facing a third down, Kelley scored a 2-yard touchdown to cap a blitzing drive of three minutes and six seconds.

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In their next possession, the flow was the same. The Sun Devils forced three third-down opportunities, but the Bruins converted with an 8-yard scramble from Speight and a 17-yard completion to Theo Howard to keep things moving.

Then, ASU made their stand. Tyler Johnson sacked Speight on first-and-10, putting UCLA on the defensive for the first time. Later, Butler and Merlin Robertson stifled Kelley on a fourth down attempt at the ASU 15, leading to a 13-yard touchdown from Manny Wilkins on the ensuing drive.

The second-to-last defensive drive saw the Bruins get back inside the 30-yard line, but the team held and forced a 44-yard field goal miss from JJ Molson.

We’ll see if the defense can figure the big plays out in the second half.

An Erratic Offense

After a 175-yard performance against Utah last Saturday, Eno Benjamin picked up right where he left off, rushing for two first downs in ASU’s first drive of the game.

The Sun Devils advanced 65 yards into UCLA territory, but two short runs and a missed shot to N’Keal Harry in the endzone kept ASU from an opening touchdown. A 34-yard field goal from Brandon Ruiz made the score 3-0.

The offense couldn’t convert on a deep shot to Frank Darby in their second drive, but the ensuing fourth-down stop from Butler sparked some momentum. Harry received a pitch in the backfield that led to a 39-yard gain, opening up a 13-yard run from Wilkins into the endzone to put ASU back on top 10-7.

Then, it was a case of Deja Vu. Wilkins threw an interception that was returned for a 31-yard touchdown by Holmes, much similar to the Nate Meadors pick that took ASU out of the game last year at the Rose Bowl.

The senior, however, was undeterred. He led the Sun Devils on a 10-play, 75-yard drive that ended with a 5-yard touchdown to Nick Ralston.

What a difference a year can make.

The rhythm has been there, but it remains to be seen how much of it ASU can retain.

Close Time of Possession Battle

Arizona State’s defense came into today’s game allowing just seven third down conversions in their last 23 attempts. So far, the Bruins have converted five of their eight chances on that down.

The Sun Devils currently control time of possession, 16:14-13:46. The Bruins have been running quick plays, forcing ASU’s defense to expend more energy in a short amount of time.

For now, this game has the pace of totaling 62 total points. Gonzales and Herm Edwards aren’t going to want that. If they’re to build a lead, they’ll have to force the Bruins into three-and-outs while wearing their defense down with chunk runs and timely throws.

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

Last year, Josh Rosen led UCLA to a 24-point outburst to seal the game. We’ll see if ASU can hold and continue to control their destiny in the Pac-12 South.

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