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Sun Devils snap six-game skid

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Senior running back Keegan Herring celebrates a touchdown during Saturday's game against Washington at Husky Stadium in Seattle. Herring had his best game of the season on Saturday with 144 yards on 22 carries. (John McLellan/The (UW) Daily)

For the better part of three quarters Saturday in Seattle, the ASU football team appeared to be on a path to history nobody in the program wanted to be a part of.

But an offensive explosion to end the game gave the Sun Devils (3-6, 2-4 Pac-10) a much-needed 39-19 victory against Washington and allowed the program to avoid a school-record seventh straight defeat.

Led by two touchdown connections between seniors, quarterback Rudy Carpenter and wide receiver Michael Jones, the Sun Devils scored 23 unanswered points over the game’s final 18 minutes.

With that rush of momentum, ASU cruised past the Huskies (0-9, 0-6 Pac-10), who set a school record with their eleventh straight loss.

The win kept ASU’s postseason hopes alive, but the Sun Devils must win their remaining three games to become bowl-eligible.

“It’s a win and believe me, after six losses in a row, it’s great to have,” coach Dennis Erickson said during his postgame radio interview.

ASU’s offense re-encountered its seasonlong struggles in the first half Saturday, as three trips into the red zone resulted in three field goals from sophomore kicker Thomas Weber.

The defense gave ASU its first lead early in the second quarter when senior safety Troy Nolan recovered UW junior fullback Paul Homer’s fumble and returned it 44 yards for a touchdown. It was Nolan’s second touchdown return in as many weeks.

The defensive unit swung momentum in ASU’s favor again in the third quarter. With the Sun Devils trailing 19-16, redshirt freshman James Brooks sacked Husky redshirt freshman quarterback Ronnie Fouch for a 12-yard loss back to UW’s 8-yard line.

“That was the turning point in the game because it changed the field position,” Erickson told KTAR.

After a 13-yard punt return from senior Nate Kimbrough, ASU started the subsequent drive on the UW 41-yard line. Eight plays later, Carpenter found Jones for a 6-yard touchdown to give the Sun Devils a lead it would never relinquish.

The ASU defense forced a three-and-out on UW’s next possession and a 16-yard punt return by Kimbrough gave the Sun Devils the ball at midfield.

ASU took advantage of the field position and went on an 8-play, 49-yard drive that ended in a 2-yard touchdown pass from Carpenter to Jones.

ASU’s senior class as a whole stepped up in a big way on Saturday.

Jones finished with a career-best 11 receptions for 146 yards and the two touchdowns.

Carpenter completed 22 of 31 passes for 218 yards.

With his performance against the Huskies, Carpenter joined Andrew Walter as the only Sun Devils to eclipse 10,000 career passing yards.

Senior running back Keegan Herring had his best game of the season with 144 yards on 22 carries. It was the second straight contest in which an ASU running back reached the 100-yard mark.

Herring’s 29-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter was the Sun Devils’ third in as many drives and put ASU on top 37-19.

Junior Shaun DeWitty added 47 yards on 12 carries.

Running behind a new offensive line, the Sun Devils totaled 182 rushing yards, the team’s highest total of the season.

Freshman Zach Schlink made his first career start at left guard, and junior Shawn Lauvao moved from that position to right tackle.

Schlink did, however, leave the game in the second half with knee and ankle injuries.

Erickson said Schlink’s status is uncertain pending the results from an MRI.

ASU’s defense scored again in the fourth quarter when junior defensive end Dexter Davis forced an intentional grounding penalty by Fouch in the end zone. That play resulted in a safety and ASU’s 39-19 winning margin.

Reach the reporter at nkosmider@asu.edu.


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