ASU football proved its momentum can elevate a team's performance in its 30-10 win over Utah at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City on Saturday.
After defeating then-No. 5 Washington the week prior, the Sun Devils (4-3, 3-1 Pac-12) keyed on its defense for a second straight week against the Utes.
Not only did head coach Todd Graham and company pick up their first win against a Pac-12 opponent on the road since 2015, the Sun Devils dominated in all three phases from the opening kickoff to the last play of the game.
Here is how ASU ended a two-game losing streak against Utah.
4
ASU intercepted Utah sophomore quarterback Tyler Huntley four times.
The last time the Sun Devils recorded four interceptions in one game came in 2014 against Washington State.
10
The Utes scored 10 points, despite entering Saturday's game averaging 31.2 points per game.
The 10 points scored was the lowest amount in a game by Utah since only scoring nine against UCLA in 2015.
200+
For the second time in three games, ASU ran for over 200 yards in a game. The Sun Devils totaled 205 yards on the ground against Utah and ran for 214 yards at Stanford.
The Utes came into Saturday's contest with the third best rushing defense in the Pac-12 (119.7 yards per game).
3
Freshman kicker Brandon Ruiz kicked three field goals for ASU in the first half, which at one point, gave the team a 9-0 lead.
Ruiz tied his career high, which was set originally in a win over Oregon on Sept. 23.
265
After Washington managed only 230 yards against ASU, the Sun Devils' defense held Utah to 265 yards of total offense.
The last time ASU held its opponent under 300 yards of total offense in back-to-back games was 2014 at home against Stanford and at Washington.
13
ASU possessed the ball for over 13 more minutes than Utah.
The Utes entered Saturday with the best time of possession in the Pac-12 at 33:07. The Sun Devils ranked third in the Pac-12 at 32:37.
15
ASU ran 15 more plays than Utah did on Saturday.
Graham said running more plays was one of the biggest reasons why his team won.
18-0
ASU is 18-0 when holding opponents under 20 points since 2012.
That formula has certainly worked the last two weeks against Washington (seven points) and Utah (10 points).
After giving up points in 17 straight quarters, ASU's defense has not given up a point in six of the last eight quarters.
Reach the reporter at jpjacqu1@asu.edu or follow @joejacquezaz on Twitter.
Like State Press Sports on Facebook and follow @statepresssport on Twitter.
