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It wasn’t always pretty, but the ASU football team’s defense continually found ways to make big plays when it mattered most.
Four turnovers, a scoreless performance in the fourth quarter, and a variety of clutch plays proved to be the difference for the Sun Devils (3-1) as they cruised to a commanding 43-22 victory over No. 23 Southern California on Saturday night.
The victory kicked off Pac-12 conference play for ASU, and gave the Sun Devils their first win over the Trojans (3-1) since 1999, and its first win on home turf at Sun Devil Stadium since 1997.
“I thought our players showed so much resiliency particularly when we fell behind for the first time in the third quarter, came back and created turnovers,” coach Dennis Erickson said. “I think we had four turnovers and obviously they were key in the game.”
The Sun Devils returned to Tempe this weekend after a disheartening 17-14 loss at Illinois last week, in which they fell victim to costly turnovers. This week’s matchup placed them against a Trojan squad that features a plethora of offensive playmakers.
The defense was tasked with slowing down talented USC junior quarterback Matt Barkley. The Trojan signal caller threw for 227 yards and a touchdown. Sophomore wide receiver Robert Woods was his usual self, catching eight passes for 131 yards.
While both Barkley and Woods posted solid numbers, the defense held them in check down the stretch.
“Our game plan was just to play a lot of basic fronts and run a lot of basic plays,” senior linebacker Shelly Lyons said. “We didn’t want to make it too complicated, put in a bunch of plays or anything. Matt’s a great quarterback so we tried to keep it simple.”
The first half saw the Trojans’ offense march downfield toward the end zone only to be stopped by ASU. USC settled for three field goals from freshman kicker Andre Heidari.
Heading into Saturday’s game, junior linebacker Vontaze Burfict was a hot topic amongst USC players in the media. Burfict let his play speak for himself, collecting his first career interception in the second quarter and returning it 35 yards.
“I thought Vontaze had a heck of a game,” Erickson said. “I’m proud of all the things that he deals with and how he plays.”
ASU held a 21-9 lead heading into the start of the third quarter. That margin was short-lived, however, and USC came out firing after a quiet first half.
In the Trojans’ first drive, Barkley connected with freshman wide receiver Marqise Lee for a 24-yard touchdown. One possession later, senior running back Marc Tyler powered into the end zone for a 10-yard score and inched USC ahead 22-21.
“We knew they were going to come out and run some things that we hadn’t seen in the first half,” Lyons said. “That’s basically what happened. They got into some formations, and started running some plays that we hadn’t seen. So it took us awhile to adjust, but we did. USC is a good team so they weren’t going to go down without a fight.”
Just when it seemed like USC was taking over, the Sun Devil defense stepped up yet again.
Senior linebacker Colin Parker forced Tyler to fumble at 4:03 in the third quarter. Junior cornerback Deveron Carr recovered the fumble and ASU took over on offense.
Later in the second half, the Trojans kicked off the fourth quarter with possession on their own 37-yard line while faced with a 28-22 deficit. Later in the drive on third-and-five, Barkley was drilled, and senior defensive lineman Bo Moos quickly pounced on the loose ball to give ASU the ball on its own 14-yard line.
That turnover helped junior quarterback Brock Osweiler piece together a crucial touchdown drive to pad the ASU lead. With 6:48 left in the game, USC once again tried to spark an offensive rally.
But like they did all game long, the Sun Devils came up with another signature play.
On first-and-ten at the USC 40, Barkley’s pass was picked off by Lyons, who then bolted to the end zone for another ASU score.
“It felt great,” Lyons said. “It was my first pick in my career here. To take it to the house against SC in a crucial moment in the game, I can’t even explain it in words.”
That fourth turnover extended the ASU lead to 21 points and effectively sealed the win. The ASU defense did allow 22 points, 227 receiving yards, and 175 yards on the ground.
But it was the forced turnovers and crucial plays that made the difference.
“Defensively we didn’t have a lot of guys up front so those guys were warriors all day,” Erickson said. “But we made plays when we had to.”
Reach the reporter at greg.dillard@asu.edu
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