Arizona State-Oregon: Sun Devils Throw Away Pac-10 Tilt Against Ducks

If fans thought Arizona State’s one-point loss to Wisconsin was disheartening, then there probably isn’t a word strong enough to describe how Sun Devil fans are feeling after their 42-31 loss to Oregon.

Losing to the fifth-ranked team in the country may have been expected, but ASU certainly did not expect to put up almost 600 yards of offense and turn the ball over seven times.

ASU had more total yards than the Oregon Ducks, but the Sun Devils made far too many mistakes and extended their losing streak against the Ducks to seven.

Last week, I talked about the five things the Sun Devils needed to do to pull off the upset. ASU needed to limit big plays, cut down on penalties, capitalize in the red zone, avoid turnovers, and be special on special teams.

While Sun Devil fans may have been encouraged by the play at Wisconsin, they were certainly disappointed to see ASU did not accomplish even one of these five goals.

Limit Big Plays

The Ducks came into the game with the most explosive offense in the country. They had also scored at least one touchdown on defense in every game this year. While ASU limited the big plays for the majority of the night, the Ducks had a few big plays that had huge impacts on the game.

Redshirt sophomore running back LaMichael James started the scoring for the Ducks with a 40-yard touchdown run. On the ensuing possession, ASU quarterback Steven Threet threw an interception that sophomore safety John Boyett returned 39 yards for a touchdown. Oregon had two big plays early that killed ASU's momentum.

The Sun Devils regained momentum, but again lost it late in the half when a 61-yard pass from quarterback Darron Thomas to tight end David Paulson led to an Oregon touchdown right before the half.

The Ducks' final big play came in the third quarter, when Thomas hit a wide-open Josh Huff for a 54-yard touchdown pass that put the Ducks in front by a score of 35-24.

Cut Down on Penalties

Nine penalties for 90 yards. Penalties are things that simply cannot happen when you are playing against a Top Five team. Penalties have plagued ASU throughout Erickson’s tenure and are a sign of a lack of focus and discipline. If ASU wants to compete against top-ranked teams in the future, they will need to learn to stay disciplined and cut back on the penalties.

Kick Extra Points, Not Field Goals

ASU’s red zone struggles are nothing new and they were visible again Saturday night. Thomas Weber missed a field goal on ASU’s first drive of the game. ASU also came away without any points in the red zone when they were stopped on a 4th-and-one and when Cameron Marshall fumbled the ball at the two-yard line.

When good teams get into the red zone, they score touchdowns, plain and simple. So far this year, the 2-2 Sun Devils have been inconsistent in the red zone and it has cost them in each of the two losses. If they want to improve and compete in conference play, the Sun Devils need to get the ball into the end zone. 

No Turnovers 

Steven Threet and the ASU offense threw this game away. Threet threw four interceptions and ASU turned the ball over a total of seven times.

There is not really much that needs to be said or explained about this one.

"You can't win if you turn the ball over seven times, plain and simple," Threet said. "There's no other way to put it."

Turning the ball over is costly no matter who you are playing, but when you are playing against the fifth-ranked team in the country, turnovers become lethal. 

Continue To Be Special on Special Teams

While special teams were the highlight during the Wisconsin game, they did not do anything special against Oregon. The Ducks kickoff coverage was much better than the Badgers and managed to contain the Sun Devils. With the exception of Weber’s missed field goal, ASU’s special teams did not mess up, but they were unable to provide ASU with a spark.

Next Up

Arizona State will look to get back in the win column Saturday as they travel to Oregon to take on the Oregon State Beavers, who are coming off of a 37-24 loss to Boise State.