ASU Football: Sun Devils fall in Las Vegas Bowl

ASU football (7-6) ended its season with a loss Saturday in the Las Vegas Bowl, falling 31-20 at the hands of No. 21 Fresno State (12-2).

The first 12 games of Herm Edwards’ tenure at Arizona State were much smoother than some expected. Not only did ASU finish the regular season with a winning record, it showed vast improvement defensively and on the ground.

But one thing restrained the Sun Devils in the regular season: the inability to finish close games.

In each of Arizona State’s five regular-season losses, the margin was seven points or less. Nearly every one of these losses had something in common — a pivotal mistake or call holding the Sun Devils back.

Edwards and ASU hoped these late-game lags were something of the past. The 2018 Mitsubishi Motors Las Vegas Bowl proved otherwise.

Arizona State held a 20-17 lead with 1:00 left in the third quarter, but that advantage evaporated when Fresno State running back Ronnie Rivers found a hole and burst for 68 yards. There was no looking back.

“The big run hurt us. We just missed a gap; we gotta hit it,” Edwards said. “They got some momentum, and we couldn’t get that momentum back.”

After that touchdown, the Bulldogs led 24-20. ASU had multiple chances to retake the lead, each of which ended with punts or turnovers.

With 5:19 left in the fourth quarter, Fresno State iced the game. A seven-play, 55-yard drive, which ended with a Rivers touchdown run, ended the contest for all intents and purposes.

While the final 16 minutes of play were controlled by Fresno State, Edwards said the team just needed more time.

“We didn’t lose the game, we ran out of time,” Edwards said.

Prior to Rivers’ lead-changing carry, the game was evenly matched.

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At halftime, the game was deadlocked at 17, and the Sun Devils outgained the Bulldogs 230-155. This is a testament to the defense’s performance over the first 30 minutes of the game.

Although Fresno State quarterback Marcus McMaryion entered the game one of the nation’s most prolific passers, he was limited by a stout performance by the ASU secondary. McMaryion threw for just 176 yards, along with two interceptions.

The picks were two of Fresno State’s three turnovers over the course of the game. But ASU didn’t take advantage of the Bulldogs’ miscues.

Arizona State scored just a field goal in the three possessions following takeaways. According to Edwards, this was the game’s most decisive factor.

“You gotta score points, especially when you get the ball where we possessed it,” Edwards said. “You’ve got to score more than that against a good team like that.”

For Arizona State, the offense’s identity was what it has been for the majority of the season — give the ball to Eno Benjamin. The sophomore running back finished the game with 118 yards and a touchdown.

Benjamin’s triple-digit rushing contribution helped set the record for the most rushing yards in a single season in ASU history with 1,642. The record was previously set by Woodie Green, who rushed for 1,565 yards in 1972.

Despite joining the history book, Benjamin wasn’t pleased.

“It doesn’t matter,” Benjamin said.

On both sides of the ball, the Sun Devils were without several key players. This includes N’Keal Harry, Merlin Robertson and Jalen Harvey, among others.

“We were down a lot of guys, but that’s football,” Edwards said. “When guys go out, the next guy has to step up and play.”

For Robertson, Harvey and some other players, their absences were injury-related. Not for Harry.

The junior wide receiver sat out the game to avoid a potential injury that could alter his draft stock.

In his nonappearance, six different ASU receivers caught passes. Junior wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk led the way with 61 yards, and Edwards said he was pleased with the receiving core’s performance.

“He did a nice job,” Edwards said. “We’re going to rely on him next year, and there are some other young ones.

“I thought the young guys stepped up and played pretty well.”

This game signified the end of the season for both teams and it signified the end of the careers for many players on both sidelines.

Wilkins is the most notable departing player on ASU. He started behind center for three seasons and made his mark on the program in multiple ways.

In his last game sporting maroon and gold, Wilkins struggled. The senior signal caller threw for just 18 yards in the second half, equating to 129 passing yards, a touchdown and two interceptions at the end of the game.

Even so, Wilkins has no regrets.

“I’m good, I left it all out there,” Wilkins said. “That’s all I needed to do.”

Arizona State finished the season 7-6 overall, while Fresno State finished 12-2 and Mountain West champions.

Now comes the offseason. ASU won’t play an official football game for more than eight months. That’s when it will have to deal with life after Wilkins and Harry.

Although the Sun Devils will be without some of their key offensive weapons from 2018, Edwards is excited for what lies ahead.

“We’ve built somewhat of a foundation due to Manny and some of the seniors,” Edwards said. “I think going forward now with Eno and some of the guys coming back it kind of set a standard for what we try to accomplish.

“I think we have the ability to build something.”

All quotes in this article were obtained firsthand by Devils in Detail unless otherwise noted.