Valedictorian: Sophomore running back Demario Richard racked up 111 yards on just 16 carries, and scored a touchdown on ASU's first trip to the red zone Saturday.
Richard helped start the month of November off on a positive note in one aspect: the exponential growth of the Sun Devil ground game. In September, ASU averaged 163.5 rushing yards, followed by 195.5 in October. ASU eclipsed 200 total rushing yards for just the third time this season, with Richard leading the charge yet again.
Another week, another inefficient performance on third down. The Sun Devils converted just half (10 of 20) of their third down opportunities and were undone by two key turnovers: A fumble by senior wide receiver Devin Lucien that halted a momentum-building drive and an interception by redshirt senior quarterback Mike Bercovici that clinched the game for the Cougars.
Only Lucien and senior D.J. Foster had more than 50 receiving yards, but the running game was strong once again, as Richard and sophomore running back Kalen Ballage accounting for 97 percent of the team's 202 rushing yards.
Maybe redshirt sophomore quarterback Luke Falk had ASU's number all along. For most of the first half, however, the Sun Devil defensive line (freshman JoJo Wicker in particular) did an excellent job up front, making Falk uncomfortable and even forcing a turnover — an interception by freshman field safety Kareem Orr.
But bottling up Falk was merely a temporary solution to the obvious problem that was ASU's secondary. Senior cornerback Lloyd Carrington and sophomore cornerback Kweishi Brown looked lost in coverage, and the Cougar receivers broke through poor tackles with ease in the second half.
The Sun Devils surrendered 497 yards to Falk through the air, including three explosive plays for more than 20 yards and two for more than 50 yards. Head coach Todd Graham said Saturday's second half effort was one of the worst defensive performances in his tenure with the program, and frankly, there won't be much disputing of that assertion.
Junior punter Matt Haack pinned Washington State inside its own 1-yard line, and junior kicker Zane Gonzalez was perfect on the afternoon. But the punt coverage team allowed a 30-yard return by junior Gabe Marks that gave Falk and Co. the ball at the ASU 16-yard line and resulted in the first Washington State touchdown of the afternoon.
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Reach the sports editor at smodrich@asu.edu or follow @StefanJModrich on Twitter.
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