Coming into Saturday's game, Oregon State boasted the Pac-10's leading rusher in sophomore tailback Steven Jackson and was averaging 37.5 points per game.
But when all was said and done at Sun Devil Stadium, ASU hadn't allowed a single touchdown. Because of Oregon State's potent ground attack, the Sun Devils switched their defensive scheme from their usual 4-2-5 to the 4-3.
"All along, the idea was to create confusion," ASU senior linebacker Solomon Bates said.
Confusion is quite the understatement. The Sun Devils frustrated the Beavers by holding Jackson to only 58 yards rushing.
ASU's defense clamped down in all aspects of the game. The Sun Devils applied constant pressure on sophomore quarterback Derek Anderson. Timely blitzes helped ASU account for seven sacks, three interceptions, two fumbles and 13 tackles for losses totaling 87 yards.
"The big play is our deal," Sun Devil senior linebacker Josh Amobi said. "We are looking for sacks, fumbles and interceptions."
If there were such a thing in football, Amobi would have hit for the cycle, in a sense. He recorded five tackles, three of which were for losses totaling 27 yards. Amobi also had a fumble recovery, an interception and a key sack in the waning moments to seal the win.
"We surprised them with our three-linebacker set, we made plays and we had fun," Amobi said.
ASU's big plays came at the key moments. Before Saturday, Oregon State had converted only 41 percent of its third-down attempts.
The Sun Devils held their ground on third down by limiting the Beavers to three conversions on 17 tries. Oregon State punted five times inside its own 25-yard line and three times from the end zone.
Through seven games, ASU has 13 interceptions, four more than it had all of last year. ASU's first two interceptions Saturday came on Oregon State's opening possessions.
Amobi was given a gift from Anderson on 2nd-and-10 at the Oregon State 45-yard line. On Oregon State's next possession, sophomore cornerback R.J. Oliver made an athletic grab on a tipped ball. The third interception came in the fourth quarter when junior cornerback Brett Hudson turned at the right time to make a pick.
The Sun Devils had Anderson's number all night long. Anderson was punished twice by sophomore defensive end Jimmy Verdon, twice by senior strong safety Alfred Williams, once by senior linebacker Mason Unck and once by junior defensive end Terrell Suggs.
Williams recorded his second sack in the final minute of play. After the ASU pass rush forced Anderson to roll out of the pocket, Williams used his speed to pounce on him for a 6-yard loss. The Beavers were forced to use their final timeout after the sack.
"What a great night for the defense," ASU head coach Dirk Koetter said. "We needed the defense to come through, and they did. They answered the bell."
Reach the reporter at skip.powers@asu.edu.
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