Redshirt sophomore quarterback Taylor Kelly (left) looks for an open receiver over Missouri redshirt junior linebacker Andrew Wilson during the Sun Devils’ 24-20 loss against the Tigers on Saturday. (Photo courtesy of Danielle Kasper of The Daily Maneater)COLUMBIA, MO - Missouri is unofficially nicknamed the “Show Me State,” but ASU simply showed it is yet to find an answer for road games.
When redshirt sophomore quarterback Taylor Kelly’s pass to senior wide receiver Jamal Miles was intercepted in the end zone, the Sun Devils’ (2-1) fate was sealed and their road woes again became a topic of discussion.
After falling 24-20 to Missouri (2-1, 0-1 SEC), the Sun Devils have lost six of their last seven games played away from Sun Devil Stadium.
“They just made plays when they needed to and we didn’t,” ASU coach Todd Graham said. “That’s what it boils down to.”
In the days leading up to the game, Graham said he didn’t feel players were as amped up for road games and that turnovers, if committed, would be extremely detrimental.
He was right.
The Sun Devils turned the ball over four times and admittedly came out of the gates with less-than-desirable intensity.
“In the first half we didn’t match Missouri’s energy,” redshirt senior guard Andrew Sampson said. “We came out kind of flat. Our tempo was down because our energy was down.”
When all was said and done, the Sun Devils simply didn’t convert on third down. The team finished a dismal 2-of-12 on third downs and did not convert a single one in the first half.
“We missed a few plays on those third downs that we should have had and that was the reason why we couldn’t get our momentum going,” Kelly said.
After quick starts against NAU and Illinois, the Sun Devils’ offense was stifled early and did not put points on the board, until freshman running back D.J. Foster caught a screen pass from Kelly and scampered 33 yards to the end zone with two and a half minutes remaining in the first half.
Foster’s touchdown brought the score to 17-7, but the Sun Devils had already dug themselves an inescapable hole despite a ferocious comeback in the second half.
Conversely, the Missouri offense, led by redshirt freshman quarterback Corbin Berkstresser, scored on its first two possessions and jumped out to an early 10-0 lead.
The Tigers only mustered 318 yards of offense, but capitalized on short fields and ASU turnovers.
The Sun Devils turned the ball over four times, in addition to turning it over twice on downs, providing Missouri with ample opportunities.
“At the end of the day we beat ourselves,” Graham said. “The No. 1 point today in our meeting was taking care of the football. “We’ve been very careless with the ball in practice and we’ve got to do a better job. Hopefully that’ll wake us up.”
Kelly turned the ball over three times, but was instrumental in ASU’s 13-point fourth quarter. Kelly finished the night with 178 passing yards and 59 rushing yards. He also threw for a touchdown, but left disappointed.
“I’m obviously down, but we beat ourselves tonight with the turnovers,” Kelly said. “We’ve got to get back at it tomorrow with film then start back with film on Monday and get back at it at practice to have a better week.”
Reach the reporter at william.boor@asu.edu
