Sophomore quarterback Taylor Kelly looks down field for a reciever. (Photo by Kyle Newman)Jersey combinations receive a lot of attention in college football, but ASU’s players may have been most proud of the t-shirts they were presented with after the game.
Following ASU’s (3-1, 1-0 Pac-12) 37-7 victory over Utah, the Sun Devils’ offense was presented with maroon shirts that had “security” written in gold. The defense’s shirts read “takeaway.”
“No turnovers tonight,” redshirt sophomore quarterback Taylor Kelly said. “We got our ball security shirt.”
If the offense has 100 percent ball security in a game and the defense creates three or more turnovers, then the team gets T-shirts. Saturday’s win against Utah (2-2, 0-1 Pac-12) was the first time the players received the T-shirts this season.
“When we have 100 percent ball security, we win every game,” ASU coach Todd Graham said. “It’s the first time we’ve had that all season, so I’m excited about that.”
Redshirt senior safety Keelan Johnson, redshirt sophomore linebacker Carl Bradford and redshirt senior linebacker Brandon Magee each came away with takeaways, but the experience did not catch them off guard.
“Yup, sure did,” Magee said when asked if he was expecting a dominant defensive performance. “We watched film, we studied. Everybody did their assignments. I’m surprised we gave up that touchdown, but it happens when you play good teams. We feel like we should have shut them out.”
Although redshirt junior defensive tackle Will Sutton was not credited with any turnovers (he hit Utah senior quarterback Jon Hays on Johnson’s interception), he had one of the most impressive performances of the night. Sutton only had four tackles, one for a loss, but was constantly in the backfield.
“Will Sutton is a monster, point blank,” Magee said. “They can’t even block him. I don’t have to do anything, I can just let him make all the plays.”
Graham echoed these sentiments.
“The best D-lineman in the country in my opinion,” Graham said. “He is so talented and explosive. I have not coached a guy better than him physically. He’s a smart guy and we’re starting to tap into that.”
However, Sutton felt his performance, albeit good, was not what it could have been.
“It felt like I kind of went down after the first half,” Sutton said.
Offensively, the Sun Devils did exactly what they wanted to do.
Offensive coordinator Mike Norvell wanted his offense to start fast and have explosive plays. It did.
The Sun Devils scored 21 first quarter points and are now outscoring opponents 49-10 in the opening frame this season. ASU also had seven plays longer than 20 yards.
“We came out to a great start,” redshirt sophomore quarterback Kelly said. “We decided to come out strong. We got in a good rhythm. We were up really quick, so we just came after them.”
Graham wanted the receivers to respond after a disappointing performance last week, and they did as well.
“That’s all I was focusing on, catching the ball,” senior wide receiver Rashad Ross said. “That’s what coach was telling us to do. You have to catch the ball, see the ball (and) look it in.
Ross finished with five catches for 87 yards and a touchdown.
ASU’s offense averaged seven yards per play and finished the night with 512 yards of total offense.
Notes
The Sun Devils have now won nine straight games against Utah and have also won seven straight meetings in Tempe.
Senior running back Cameron Marshall rushed seven times for 14 yards, but his first quarter touchdown gave him sole possession of third place for most rushing touchdowns in ASU history.
Redshirt junior center Kody Koebensky left the game early and did not return. Redshirt freshman Mo Latu filled in at center. Following the game, Graham said he was unaware of Koebensky’s status going forward.
Seemingly everything went right for the Sun Devils on Saturday, but the team did finish with eight penalties for 51 yards. Graham said the team can’t afford to commit that many penalties in the future.
Reach the reporter at william.boor@asu.edu
