Replay the game with a transcript of our live blog here.
LOS ANGELES — Playing a Southern California team already ineligible for postseason play due to NCAA violations, the ASU football team inched closer to a similar fate.
Though not a result of broken rules, the Sun Devils moved one step closer to bowl elimination Saturday night, suffering yet another crushing defeat in the games’ waning minutes, falling 34-33 to USC at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
“It hurts inside,” ASU junior linebacker Brandon Magee said. “When you give it your all and you come up short like that, it hurts. You have to keep learning and move on. We have three games left.”
Missteps on both sides of the ball cost ASU once again, particularly on special teams.
Senior kicker Thomas Weber’s 42-yard field goal try to put the Sun Devils in front with 1:34 to play sailed wide left, but it was another gaffe on special teams that cost ASU dearly.
After ASU sophomore receiver Jamal Miles caught a nine-yard touchdown pass from junior quarterback Steven Threet, Weber’s extra point attempt was blocked by USC junior offensive tackle Tyron Smith. Redshirt freshman cornerback Torin Harris picked up the ball and returned it all the way to the end zone, giving USC two points.
The two points cut ASU’s lead to 33-31, meaning the Trojans only needed a field goal to take the lead.
“Obviously the key play was the blocked extra point for two points,” ASU coach Dennis Erickson said. “That’s a three-point turnaround right there. That was the difference in the football game. To let that happen is absolutely ridiculous.”
Erickson admitted that he thought about going for two after the touchdown, but was talked out of it by members of his staff.
“I thought about going for two and I was talked into going for one,” Erickson said. “Obviously it wouldn’t have been blocked if we went for two, but who knows what would have happened.”
USC ended up getting the needed field goal, a 29-yard boot by senior Joe Houston that put the Trojans up 34-33 with 3:06 to play.
Sparked by a 26-yard completion to running back Cameron Marshall, ASU drove downfield into USC territory to set up Weber’s kick.
To add to an already trying year for the former Lou Groza Award winner for the nation’s best kicker, Weber missed.
The Sun Devils fought hard just to get the game to that point.
In the first half, ASU jumped out to a 7-0 lead on the opening drive of the game, but then the offense couldn’t move the football the rest of the half. If the Sun Devils could have built on that lead, the game may not have come down to a field goal try.
“A game never comes down to one play,” Threet said “It may seem like it, but it never comes down to one play. We had a ton of opportunities up 7-0 in the first half to increase our lead and the offense couldn’t get it going.”
USC drove into ASU’s red zone five times in the first half and only came away with 14 points. The Sun Devils were fortunate to only trail 14-7 at the half because Houston missed two field goals and junior safety Clint Floyd intercepted USC quarterback Matt Barkley in the end zone on first and goal.
Things looked bleak early in the second half after Threet telegraphed an interception right into the hands of USC senior linebacker Malcolm Smith, who proceeded to take it 74-yards for a touchdown. USC completed a two-point conversion to extend its lead to 22-7.
“As much as I wanted to take [the intercepted pass] back as soon as I threw it, I can’t,” Threet said. “You have to move on to the next play.”
Every time the Trojans seemed to have delivered a knockout blow, ASU responded.
Threet found Gerell Robinson for a 21-yard touchdown strike to cut the Trojans’ lead to 22-14. USC brought the lead up to 29-14 with 4:39 to play in the third quarter, but the Sun Devils wouldn’t quit.
Senior cornerback LeQuan Lewis took the ensuing kickoff back 100 yards for a touchdown and when the Trojans were driving back down the field on their next possession, junior cornerback Omar Bolden intercepted Barkley and took it 66 yards to the end zone.
ASU’s two-point conversion attempt was no good, but suddenly USC’s lead was just 29-27.
The defense got the ball back and the offense drove down the field to take the lead. But if the previous eight games of this season were any indication of what was to come, something would go wrong.
It did and ASU again came up short in another close game. This one may ultimately cost the Sun Devils a trip to a bowl game for the third straight season. The Sun Devils must now win all three of their remaining games, including at home against No. 7 Stanford and at No. 18 UA, to earn bowl eligibility.
The Sun Devils have bounced back from tough defeats before, but adding another one to the mix will only test their resolve yet again.
“We have resiliency, we’ve had resiliency all year,” Erickson said. “Our resiliency is really going to be tested next week. Coming back after a game like this … those are hard. We had a chance to win it and didn’t make the plays.”
Notes
Before the game, ASU announced that senior punter Trevor Hankins was suspended one game by Erickson due to a violation of a team rule.
Hankins did not make the trip to Los Angeles and no details were provided about the violation. Weber punted in his place.
Reach the reporter at andrew.gruman@asu.edu
Replay the game with a transcript of our live blog here.
