The good
The final score may not have indicated it, but the Sun Devil defense played well enough to put the team in position to win. ASU tallied four sacks to the Beavers' two, and also forced OSU junior quarterback Derek Anderson into throwing three interceptions that ASU returned for a total of 71 yards. They also were able to hold junior Beaver tailback Steven Jackson, a potential All-American, to four yards per carry.
The bad
The Sun Devils played a nightmarish game as far as mistakes go. Let's count the ways: three interceptions, two lost fumbles, seven penalties for 76 yards and getting stuffed on two fourth down and one situations, all while converting just two of their 16 third-down attempts. ASU did gain 381 yards of offense, but that fact makes the surplus of mistakes even harder to swallow when all of the team's blown opportunities are taken into account.
The ugly
The Beavers play in one of the worst facilities in the Pac-10, Reser Stadium. For starters, the field is made of carpet-like artificial turf. But the stadium's problems reach far into the stands as well. Besides having a tiny capacity of just over 36,000, undersized for a Pac-10 school, the stadium has one large bleacher with a press box and another very small bleacher on the opposite side that resembles a junior college stadium. There are few working bathrooms, too, as fans must make use of a line-up of Port-A-Potties.
The turning point
With the game tied at seven and a little more than five minutes remaining before halftime, ASU appeared to hold the Beavers to a three and out. But on the punt, sophomore wide receiver Matt Miller roughed OSU senior punter Carl Tobey, giving the Beavers a first down. OSU scored a touchdown three plays later, part of the 17 points they added before halftime, and never relinquished the lead.
ASU MVP
Ironically, the Sun Devils excelled against the Beavers in one of their primary weaknesses from the last two seasons: running the football. Sophomore tailback Hakim Hill emerged from five possible tailbacks on the roster to snatch the starting spot and likely won it for the remainder of the season as he rushed for 115 yards on 24 attempts. He also caught six passes for 92 yards.
OSU MVP
Redshirt freshman cornerback Brandon Browner had a career day as he pulled down three interceptions in the game. He also defended a game-high four passes and tallied four tackles. Senior wide-out James Newson pulled down six catches for 124 yards, including a 28-yard touchdown reception.
Injury update
No new injuries.
Up next
ASU returns home to Sun Devil Stadium to face USC on Saturday. The Trojans had been ranked No. 3 in the nation before losing 34-31 to California Saturday.
