Utah vs. Arizona State: Game Grades, Analysis for the Sun Devils and Utes
It took overtime, but a front-runner in the Pac-12 South race indeed emerged on Saturday night in Tempe, Arizona as the Arizona State Sun Devils held off the Utah Utes 19-16.
Arizona State blew an early 13-3 lead and had nothing going offensively in the second half, but it found a way to win as it has done all season long. Meanwhile, Utah's magical recent stretch has come to a bitter end in a defeat that all but squashes their conference and outside College Football Playoff hopes.
Here's a look at game grades for both Arizona State and Utah.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
| Pass Offense | B- | C+ |
| Run Offense | A- | B+ |
| Pass Defense | A | A |
| Run Defense | B- | B- |
| Special Teams | B | B |
| Coaching | B+ | B+ |
Pass Offense: Arizona State ran for more yards than it passed for, which says more about the passing struggles than rushing potency. Taylor Kelly looked rusty again going 18-of-32 for 205 yards, one touchdown and one interception. He would've had two or three picks if it weren't for butter fingers in the Utah secondary.
Run Offense: Utah had the better rushing attack entering the game, but the Sun Devils ended the game with the superior performance. Freshman Demario Richard had a career day with 14 carries for 116 yards, and Kelly had 55 yards rushing—which would've been much more if sacks weren't factored in.
Pass Defense: The Utes can't pass the ball well against hardly anyone, but they struggled especially on Saturday against Arizona State's strong defense. The Sun Devils allowed just 57 yards through the air—2.6 yards per pass attempt. Yikes.
Run Defense: Stuffing the run was where the onus really fell on Arizona State's defense, and the Sun Devils held their own. Devontae Booker had his 146 yards, but it took nearly 40 carries to do so. As a unit, Utah had just 3.5 yards per carry.
Special Teams: Zane Gonzalez was 4-of-5 on field goals for the day, including the game-winning kick in overtime. Arizona State certainly lost the punting battle, but if there's one battle you don't mind being on the losing end of, it's that one.
Coaching: Arizona State hit a wall in the second half, but it looked largely due to execution rather than poor play calls. The Sun Devils were noticeably conservative at times but decisions almost always paid off in this low-scoring affair that Arizona State was able to squeak out.
| Pass Offense | D+ | D+ |
| Run Offense | B | B |
| Pass Defense | C+ | B |
| Run Defense | C | C |
| Special Teams | B- | C+ |
| Coaching | B- | B- |
Pass Offense: What pass offense? Travis Wilson was invisible through the air with only 57 yards for the game on 12 completions. Tight coverage on his receivers and constant pressure had him improvising all game long. Wilson threw for a touchdown, but that was one of very few effective passing plays from Utah.
Run Offense: The rushing attack more than picked up the slack for the passing game during Utah's second-half run, even opening up Wilson's rare opportunities through the air. Devontae Booker had another big game with 146 yards, but with every one of his 37 carries, Arizona State became more and more aware of the game plan.
Pass Defense: Utah's nasty defense kept them in this game when Arizona State could have blown it open, and the Utes' secondary was making plays. It took some beastly plays from Jaelen Strong to give the Sun Devils the big-play ability, but the Utes otherwise kept Kelly and Co. in check.
Run Defense: The Utes got after the passer at ease, but they couldn't get to the running backs with the same effectiveness. Arizona State scampered for 239 yards rushing on the day, and that's even more impressive when you consider a number of sacks diminished those rushing totals.
Special Teams: Punter Tom Hackett was Utah's best weapon for much of the game. With field position crucial, Hackett had eight punts and one went for 58 yards. But when the game was on the line, the special teams unit let Utah down as Andy Phillips missed an overtime field goal after going 3-of-3 during regulation.
Coaching: Utah's play-calling was head-scratching during many late moments in the game with a stubbornness to run the ball. But you couldn't blame them too much with the way the passing game struggled. Kyle Whittingham nearly looked like a genius when he iced his own kicker before a miss, but then Phillips missed the next try anyway.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
