Redshirt sophomore quarterback Taylor Kelly delivers a pass downfield during the Sun Devils’ 45-14 win over Illinois Saturday. (Photo by Sam Rosenbaum)
Leading up to ASU’s bout with Illinois Saturday night, coach Todd Graham repeatedly mentioned how curious he was to see how his team handled adversity.
Turns out, he has to wait another week, as the Sun Devils (2-0) steamrolled Illinois (1-1) 45-14.
“I feel like this was a big test for us, going up against a Big Ten team, and a very strong one at that,” Graham said. “We went out and dominated them.”
The Sun Devils jumped on the Illini from the onset. ASU’s first drive, which covered 68 yards over eight plays, concluded when senior running back Cameron Marshall fumbled the ball on the one yard line. Although the Sun Devils failed to finish the drive, it was apparent the offense was in rhythm.
“(On) most of our plays, our coaching staff does a great job of scheming stuff, and our first option is usually there,” redshirt sophomore quarterback Taylor Kelly said.
Kelly and redshirt freshman quarterback Michael Eubank completed their first 16 combined pass attempts and led the offense into the red zone on each of its first five possessions, four of which ended in touchdowns.
“What our quarterbacks are doing right now is remarkable,” Graham said. “They’re checking and getting us into the right plays, the options, and the things they are doing are phenomenal. Those two are dynamic and they’re hard to stop.”
Kelly and Eubank finished the night with a combined 318 yards on 23-of-29 passing. Eubank threw two touchdown passes, both to junior tight end Chris Coyle, while Kelly threw the first one of the night to redshirt junior wide receiver Kevin Ozier.
“I think the reason why we are doing so well (offensively) is the coaches expect perfection out of us,” Coyle said. “They don’t accept anything less.”
The Sun Devils added 192 yards and three touchdowns on the ground. Eubank, Marshall and freshman running back D.J. Foster all rushed for scores.
Defensively, ASU was just as impressive, as it held Illinois to seven of 17 on third down conversions and forced three turnovers.
Freshman linebacker Carlos Mendoza, who started in place of redshirt senior linebacker Brandon Magee (concussion), hauled in two-second quarter interceptions. Mendoza left the game late in the first half after injuring his left shoulder, which he had surgery on in the offseason.
Mendoza did not return to the game and was wearing a sling on the sidelines during the second half, but Graham expects his linebacker to be OK and does not believe it is anything serious.
Graham constantly mentions the importance of discipline, not only on the football field, but also in all walks of life. The Sun Devils defense showed its commitment to discipline by going a second straight game without a single penalty.
“I love the way our guys are playing disciplined,” Graham said.
However, junior safety Alden Darby has the mentality of a playmaker and decided to freelance early in the third quarter, resulting in Illinois’ third turnover of the night.
“Only thing different about this interception compared to last week was last week I was supposed to read the quarterback and go to the ball,” Darby said. “This week I was in coverage and I had the tight end man to man and I looked at the quarterback and he’s looking away so I said, ‘I’m going to go run over there.’ I saw the ball in there air and got it.”
The Sun Devils are off to an impressive 2-0 start, but next week they face their first road test, against SEC foe Missouri. Following Saturday’s win, Graham said handling success is very hard to do. His players though are buying in and remaining mentally focused.
“We have to come out to every game and come away with a victory every week and prepare throughout that week,” Granham said. “We have to improve every week.”
Reach the reporter at william.boor@asu.edu
