The streak is over!

11 years. That’s a long cold streak to have against a single team. I had a friend in college who once had a cold streak in the bedroom, (I think you know what I mean without getting into details) and it wasn’t by choice or a lack of effort. It was just a mental/un- explainable block that prevented women from hopping in the sack with him for close to two years. The thing that was hard to explain was this is a good looking guy, and he was rolling with a crowd of Sorority girls at Arizona State. Not the most conservative group of girls you’ll find. While our other friends were punching notches on their belts at a record setting pace, my poor friend was stuck in neutral, maybe even reverse.

 ASU’s relationship with USC over the last 11 years reminds me of the pain my friend went through. While the Trojans won National Championships, Rose Bowls and big-time games; the Sun Devils consistently under achieved and spent time in garbage bowl games or stuck at home for the holidays. To make things worse USC won every head to head match up during that span and won in every way possible. They won in blowout fashion, they won after huge comebacks and they won when they were out played and had no business in winning at all (see last year). Many of ASU’s losses to USC over the last 11 years broke their season, keeping them out of bowl eligibility or in 2008 knocking them out of BCS bowl contention. All that pain is what makes Saturday’s win so sweet. Can’t comment on what my friend’s slump buster was like, but I’d imagine that was pretty sweet as well.

The Sun Devils played their most complete game in years in their 43-22 victory. Their defense succeeded with a “bend don’t break” performance and their offense simply made all the big plays en route to victory. It’s ASU’s second win over a ranked team this year, and as Ted Miller pointed out in his power rankings, they now have two better wins than anyone else in the Pac-12 and two better wins than many in the top 25. This win can be a huge springboard for the Devils and with the momentum, they have the chance to put together a pretty special year.

 Let’s get into the breakdown……….

 Tons of positives to take away after the win

 

1. Responding to the loss – The loss to Illinois was a tough pill to swallow, mainly because it was another case of ASU beating themselves. It wasn’t that Illinoiswas the better team, it was that penalties and turnovers gave them the win. But in football these things happen, you make mistakes, you don’t get the breaks and sometimes you lose games. What was so impressive on Saturday was that the Devils clearly addressed, worked on and fixed some flaws that previously cost them. The O-line that was abused in Champaign was fantastic against a better USC front, the running game that had been stagnant finally came to life, the big play that was invisible last week happened right away thanks to Cameron Marshall, and the sloppiness of turnovers and penalties was cleaned up. (No turnovers, 6 penalties for 78 yards)

For a team that has continued to make the same mistakes over the past couple years, it was refreshing to see them buckle down and improve on the areas that have failed them.

2. The Defense made big plays – ASU’s defense had only forced four turnovers through the first three games, on Saturday they forced four alone. The Trojans have a damn good offense, and at times it showed. Barkley was able to victimize the secondary in the third quarter and Running back Marc Tylor diced us at the same time, but besides that the Devils got the best of the match up. I thought Bo Moos, (4 tackles, 2 for loss) Greg Smith (key sack + forced fumble) and Deveron Carr (Fumble recovery, key pass breakup in the endzone) all had exceptional efforts. Linebackers Shelly Lyons and Colin Parker also had impressive games but that is becoming routine. A guy named Vontaze Burfict was alright as well, I’ll have more on him later.

 The thing that was impressive about the defense was they stepped up at key times. Three times when USC entered the red zone in the first half they held the Trojans to field goals. In the 4^th quarter when the game got tight, they forced three turnovers and didn’t yield a single point. It wasn’t a perfect effort, and there are still some flaws, but when the game was on the line they made the key plays.

3. Brock Osweiller – he took a step back with three turnovers against Illinois, but took a leap forward with his efforts on Saturday. 25-32, 223 yards, two touchdowns NO INTERCEPTIONS, pretty good numbers, but it was more about his play at key times that stood out. After giving up back to back touchdowns as well as the lead, Osweiller led a scoring drive, capped off by a Cameron Marshall rushing touchdown to put the Devils on top for good. He also did a better job using his feet to avoid sacks. After being sacked 6 times againstIllinois he showed more willingness to tuck it and get some yards up the gut rather than holding onto the ball.

 Something to think about – Osweiller and Barkley were members of the same recruiting class with Barkley being the top recruit in the nation and Osweiller an unknown from Montana. Barkley has received all the national attention and pub since then, but after watching the two dual on Saturday, who would you rather have? I’d take Oz, he’s getting better every day on the field, and he’s an absolute leader off. The best part about his performance was him bringing his five offensive lineman with him to the postgame press conference.

4. The running game – Finally ASU was able to have some success on the ground.Marshallcarried the ball 25 times, for 141 yards and three touchdowns. The big run down the sideline was great, but I was impressed with his ability to continue to get the tough yards inside and out.Marshallis an NFL type talent who weighs close to 220 lbs. The Devils need to continue to establish him and add some balance to this offense. 25 carries is a good number for him, he has the ability to wear down a defense.

5. Vontaze Burfict – Pretty much everyone on the planet has hammered home the battle between him and Barkley, so I’m just going to touch on what he did. His interception in the 2^nd quarter was simply awesome, one of my favorite plays I’ve seen in my 6-plus years of being a Sun Devil fan. Here’s the clip, enjoy watching it one more time.

I thought one other crucial play by Burfict came on his stuff during USC’s two-point-conversion effort.Taylorfound a hole up the middle only to be met and drilled by Burfict at the goaline. ASU had just given up 13 unanswered points, and while the conversion may not have made a huge difference on the scoreboard, I thought the positive play gave some life to the entire team. From that point on, ASU looked like a different team.

6. Jamal Miles – Miles had nine catches for 55 yards and a touchdown in what was another great effort for the junior slot receiver. I just love the way this guy plays the game, he makes something happen every time he touches the ball. The repetition of the bubble screen may get redundant to some fans, but I love it. What I love most about Miles is how hard he runs after the catch. He’s not a big guy, but he brings it every play.

 A play in the first quarter describes Jamal Miles in a nut shell. He took a bubble screen up field for a long gain only to be lit up by All American safety TJ McDonald. The hit was huge, but what stood out is Miles popping right back up like nothing happened. The kid is tough, and he may be ASU’s best offensive player. The more Miles touches the ball, the happier I am.

7. Chemistry – Watching ASU win and the way they celebrated on the sideline during and after was special. I get the impression that these guys really care about one another. Burfict and Omar Bolden dumping the Gatorade on Dennis Erickson, Osweiller bringing his lineman into the news conference, the dancing/hugs/chaos on the sideline, all great stuff. This is a fun team to watch and cheer for and they are becoming a likable bunch of guys.

If you haven’t watched Omar Bolden’s behind the scenes look at the game, DO IT NOW!

http://www.azcentral.com/video/1181849913001

Still some things to work on, let’s talk about the negatives

 

1. The secondary still has issues – Watching Barkley pick us apart in the third quarter was scary. Guys were getting burnt, safeties seemed out of position and USC was moving it with ease. I think the secondary has some talent, but they just need more experience. The good news, Barkley, Robert Woods and the other cast of athletes is the best passing team we will see all year (unless we face Standford in a conference championship game). Also, might Omar Bolden return after the bye week………????

2. The pass rush isn’t consistent – They came up with some sacks at key times, but for the most part Barkley had too much time. I’d like to see the linebackers blitz a little more, but Barkley had great numbers against the blitz coming into the game. Hopefully moving forward Burfict, Parker and Lyons will get after the quarterback more often.

3. The D Tackles Broke down – Moos and Will Sutton did some good things throughout the game, but the big USC line also wore them down in that third quarter. Sutton and Moos are both on the smallish side for D-tackles and big lines like USC can give them trouble. Remember, the Devils have a heralded freshman in Mo Latu who should see more PT as the year goes on. At 6’3 330 lbs, he could provide some bulk in the middle.

4. The kickoff and punt teams – They simply allow too many big returns, and kicker Alex Garoutte can’t get the ball to the end zone.

Moving forward

This was a great win for the Devils and could really lead to some big things down the road, but the Mizzou win was big as well and look what happened the next week. ASU has a very good and talented football team, but they aren’t at the level to take weeks off and take teams lightly. ASU should beat Oregon State and set up a showdown in Utah the next week, but they need to take it one week at a time. I hope they show up inspired this week because they need to build on this momentum.

 Big Picture

Simply a great win over a good USC team. Even with a laundry list of injuries this team is good enough to play with the best in the Pac-12. Coming into this game Ted Miller mentioned he thought USC was a top 15 team in the country. They very well may be and ASU just took them down. I believe there isn’t a team on the schedule that ASU can’t hang with.

One more bit before I run, give the ASU coaching staff some credit, they coached a hell of a game, and they put their players in the right positions. Maybe Erickson’s plan is finally coming into focus.