Arizona State Football: Is Oregon State Beaver Game a Much Needed Scare?

The Arizona State Sun Devils had their worst game of the 2011 season in a 35-20 victory over the Oregon State Beavers on Saturday that was much closer than the score indicates.

The Sun Devils were able to hold on to the victory, but the pitiful performance against the worst team in the Pac-12 should be much more concerning than a loss earlier in the season to an undefeated Illinois team.

But was this game a needed scare?

The Sun Devils Won’t Play This Bad Again

I can assure you that ASU will not play this bad again. Arizona State only has one game left against a ranked opponent (Oregon), and the Sun Devils should be favorites in all but one game. Starting quarterback Brock Osweiler had one of the worst games of his career, and his three interceptions likely won’t be matched.

ASU Secondary Can Make Big Plays

I keep going back to the game and trying to figure out whether the Beavers had little respect for the Sun Devils secondary, or much respect for the ASU run defense.

I think it’s a little bit of both.

Arizona State only had three interceptions prior to the game on Saturday.

Oregon State’s Sean Mannion passed the ball 66 times against the Sun Devils, completing 40 of them for 364 yards with just one touchdown to four interceptions.

Every Great Team Has a Scare

The last three conference champions have all had scares along the way to their to the top. In 2008, the USC Trojans were tested by the same Oregon State Beavers in a 27-21 loss in Corvallis.

In 2009, the Oregon Ducks were tested in the opening week against the Boise State Broncos. And in 2010, the Ducks were tested down in Berkeley against the Cal Golden Bears.

This 2011 Arizona State team has the potential to compete for a conference championship, and it should be reassuring that each of the last three champions have had a similar test.