Arizona State Slowly Pulls Away In Dominant Win Over Southern Utah

TEMPE, AZ – After a shortened 2020 season due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Arizona State Sun Devils welcomed the Thunderbirds of Southern Utah to the desert to kick-off the 2021 campaign, Thursday night.

Having been walloped 45-14 by San Jose State one week earlier, life didn’t improve much for the Thunderbirds early in this contest.  Southern Utah quarterback Justin Miller was intercepted on the fourth play of the game by Sun Devil free safety, Deandre Pierce.  This led to an immediate DeaMonte Trayanum running touchdown.  Within seconds, it was already 6-0 Sun Devils.

Southern Utah went to running back Dayne Christiansen throughout the night.  But after a Christiansen fumble in the first, Jayden Daniels marched the Sun Devils into enemy territory and running back Rachaad White capped off the drive with a 26-yard touchdown to make it 13-0 with 8:42 still to play in the first quarter.   And so itt seemed the rout might be on.

Miller and the Thunderbirds had other plans, though, for the moment.  While Christiansen continued to move the ball on the ground, Miller went for the aerial attack and completed a 20-yard pass to tightend Philip Brown.  On the Sun Devil 7-yard line, wide receiver Judd Cockett ran in for the score, followed by a Carson Reed point after touchdown to cut the deficit to 6. 

After that score, Southern Utah struggled to get much going, while the Sun Devils quickly got back to work. The ground and pound was working to near perfection for ASU, as they added two rushing TD’s in the 2nd quarter to take a 28-7 lead into the locker room at the half.  A key point though for ASU was their lack of discipline, resulting in being cited for 11 penalties costing them 120 yards in the first half.

In the second half, Jayden Daniels stayed in a QB, and go some work done with his legs, running for 26-yards over 3 plays.  Then handing the ball to Rachaad White for another three running plays.  The Sun Devils marched 61 yards down the field in 7 plays, eventually setting up a Ricky Pearsall 26-yard touchdown run to make it 34-7 after the opening drive of the 2nd half. 

As the third quarter winded down, a Sun Devils fumble would give the Thunderbird some life as they took over at the ASU 40 yard line. It took them just four plays to get running back David Moore into the end zone on a 21-yard rushing score. Thus would cut the lead for the Sun Devils to 34-14.   

Arizona State rested starting QB Jayden Daniels heading into the fourth and allowed back-up quarterback Trenton Bourguet to run the offense.  However, it was Daniyel Ngata who controlled the running game late in the third and throughout all of the fourth, securing the final score of the with a 9-yard rushing touchdown to put the final seal in the Sun Devils 41-14 victory.  The odds makers in Vegas once again looking oh so smart (Total 55.5).

Stat Round Up for Southern Utah: 

– RB Dayne Christiansen finishes with 26-yards rushing on 8 carries, 11-yards receiving.  

  – QB Justin Miller completed 18 of 27 passes for 141 yards.

Stat Round Up For Arizona State:

  – QB Jayden Daniels completed 10 of 12 passes for 132 yards.  

    • RB’s Rachaad White and DeaMonte Trayanum had two rushing touchdowns each, as they combined for 116 yards on the ground.  

The Sun Devils, now 1-0 on the season, host UNLV September 11th.  While Tarleton State heads to Cedar City, Utah to take on 0-2 Southern Utah September 18th.

 

Written by Scott Finkelmeyer

(Image Credit: courtesy Robert Kline and CactusRanch.com)

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