After struggling in the second quarter, the ASU football team put their collective foot on the gas pedal to the floor all the way to the finish line.
The Sun Devils scored quickly on their first offensive drive of the second half. Junior running back DJ Foster took a handoff and ran for 49 yards on the first play of the third quarter. Later in the drive, redshirt senior quarterback Taylor Kelly found redshirt junior wide receiver Jaelen Strong for a 24-yard touchdown. Sophomore kicker Zane Gonzalez's extra point was blocked to make the score 38-21 in favor of ASU.
ASU forced a fumble on New Mexico's next drive and made the Lobos pay immediately. On the first play, Kelly found sophomore wide receiver Cam Smith for a 41-yard strike for six points. The extra point was good to increase the lead.
Neither offense could put points on the board for a stretch in the second half as the teams alternated turnovers and missed opportunities. Then, Foster took over on the ground. Foster capped off a seven play, 67-yard drive to bring the score up. But, ASU's special teams unit faltered again, allowing another blocked extra point. This time, it was picked up by the Lobos and returned for two points.
Foster ran his way into the record books during the game, gaining 216 yards on 19 carries in the game. It was the first time since Delvon Flowers ran for 226 yards against Oregon State in 2001 that an ASU running back broke the 200-yard mark.
ASU put the final nail in the coffin when the 17 year old freshman Demario Richard ran for a 46-yard touchdown. Gonzalez added the extra point to take a 58-23 advantage that they would carry to the finish line.
Reach the reporter at mtonis@asu.edu or follow him on Twitter @Tonis_The_Tiger
