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2021 Sun Devil Football Quick Game Recaps

Game 1: #25 ASU 41, Southern Utah 14 (Thurs., Sept. 2)
TEMPE, Ariz. -- On a warm, September night with a full crowd on tap, all felt right in the world again. With fans back in-person for the first time since November 30, 2019, the No. 25 Sun Devils put on a show in the season opener.
 
They dominated the Thunderbirds and cruised to a 41-14 victory in front of a packed, rejuvenated student section.
 
Rachaad White led the charge, rushing for 58 yards and two touchdowns on just seven carries. DeaMonte Trayanum, who was the highest-graded running back in the Pac-12 last season by PFF, also contributed a solid 52 yards and two touchdowns.
 
ASU rushed for six touchdowns in the game, upping its tally to 19 rushing touchdowns over its last three games dating back to last season - tied for the second-most in the FBS since at least 1996 for most rushing touchdowns over a three-game stretch (Nebraska had 22 over three games in 1997). 
 
This was the 25th time ASU had scored 40 or more points on opening day, as ASU outgained Southern Utah 421-224 in total yards and almost tripled the Thunderbirds rushing yards at 222-78.

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Game 2: #23 ASU 37, UNLV 10 (Sat., Sept. 11)
TEMPE, Ariz. -- The season is young, but the No. 23 Sun Devils are learning that the marriage of a dominant rushing attack and a stubborn defensive showing is a foolproof recipe for success.
 
For the second consecutive week, they masterfully paired the two, this time doing so to pummel the UNLV Rebels, 37-10, Saturday night at Sun Devil Stadium.
 
Jayden Daniels and Rachaad White outran the Rebels for much of the night, with Daniels setting a new career-high in rushing yards with 125. White chipped in with 90 of his own on 22 carries, reaching the end zone twice.
 
The Sun Devil defense was unbreakable in the second half, pitching a shutout and forcing the Rebels to punt on seven consecutive possessions. As the defense stood its ground, the offense quickly caught fire.
 
The Sun Devils ripped off 27 unanswered points, doing so via Daniel Ngata's 13-yard end-around, White's two scores, a 33-yard hookup from Daniels to LV Bunkley-Shelton and a Christian Zendejas 22-yard field goal.
 
After going into the half with a slim 14-10 edge, Daniels and the Sun Devil offense found its groove. They were propelled by a stretch in which they scored on four consecutive possessions to bury the Rebels, turning what was once a 10-7 deficit into a contest far out of reach.
 
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Game 3: #23 BYU 27, #19 ASU 17 (Sat., Sept. 18)
PROVO, Utah -- The momentum appeared to be in the Sun Devils’ favor in the third quarter when, trailing 21-17, Merlin Roberton intercepted Cougars quarterback Jaren Hall in ASU territory and returned it 60 yards before he was run down by BYU running back Tyler Allgeier, who stripped Robertston and helped the Cougars regain possession.
 
A 21-7 ballgame at the half, Robertson’s interception could have turned the tide for the No. 19 Sun Devils. But the Cougars stood their ground in the two quarters, and the Sun Devils couldn’t quite finish the comeback en route to a 27-17 loss at No. 23 BYU.
 
Jayden Daniels threw for a season-high 265 yards on 21-of-29 passing but had two interceptions. The Sun Devil run game was again efficient, with Rachaad White and Daniyel Ngata accounting for 153 of ASU's 161 rushing yards and both of ASU's touchdowns.
 
The Sun Devils were plagued by four turnovers and a slew of penalties, as they struggled with the crowd volume at LaVell Edwards Stadium. They  were flagged for seven penalties for over 50 yards in the final frame, including a pair of facemask calls. 
 
BYU capitalized on the final facemask call, using it as catalyst for a 12-play, 77-yard touchdown drive with 1:19 left in regulation to effectively put the game away. 

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Game 4: ASU 35, Colorado 13 (Sat., Sept. 25)
TEMPE -- To bury the Buffaloes, all the Sun Devils needed to do was reach into their big bag of tricks and summon a right-handed strike from … Ricky Pearsall, the wide receiver who had attempted just two career passes entering the game.
 
Up 21-10 in the opening minutes of the fourth quarter, Jayden Daniels flicked a pass just behind the line of scrimmage to Pearsall, who baited the defense, then relayed it back across field to Rachaad White, who used an escort of blockers to scamper 30 yards for a touchdown.
 
The pesky Buffaloes had made it as close as 14-10, but the Daniels-Pearsall-White connection was the exclamation point that stamped a 35-13 win against Colorado in the Pac-12 opener Saturday at Sun Devil Stadium.
 
Daniels was terrific all night, completing 18-of-25 passes for 236 yards while running for 75 yards and two scores. In the first quarter, Daniels eclipsed 5,000 total yards in his Sun Devil career.
 
The Sun Devil defense aced a tough test against the Buffalo rushing attack, led by Jarek Broussard, last season's Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Year. Broussard touted the rock 12 times for 35 yards, totaling just three yards in the first half. 
 
The Buffaloes converted on just five of 15 third down attempts, as they were held to 250 total yards of offense.
 
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Game 5: ASU 42, at #20 UCLA 23 (Sat., Oct. 2)
PASADENA - A second-half shutout, a handful of explosive plays and down went the big, bad Bruins. The Sun Devils stormed into the Rose Bowl and knocked off No. 20 UCLA, 42-23, in Pasadena in a pivotal Pac-12 South clash on Saturday night.

The 19-point victory is the second-largest on the road over an AP-ranked opponent in program history, topped only by a 21-point win at No. 20 BYU in 1994. ASU is now 6-6 under Herm Edwards against AP-ranked opponents. 

Jayden Daniels threw for 286 yards on just 13-of-18 passing with two touchdowns and no picks. Rachaad White added yet another multi-touchdown effort while DeaMonte
Trayanum
found the back of the end zone in his first game since the opener. 

ASU rushed for 172 yards against a UCLA team that entered the game fifth in the nation in allowing just 64 rushing yards per game. It was ASU's 10th straight game with over 150 yards on the ground - its longest streak since 12 games between 1975-76.   

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Game 6: ASU 28, Stanford 10 (Fri., Oct. 8)
TEMPE -- Sun Devil cornerback Jack Jones jumped the route of Stanford’s wide receiver John Humphreys to intercept Tanner McKee's throw and, before being wrestled to the ground, had the wherewithal to lateral the ball to a nearby DeAndre Pierce, who scampered home for a 27-yard touchdown.

Just when they needed it most, the acrobatics of Jones caused Sun Devil Stadium to erupt and helped clinch a 28-10 win Friday night against the Cardinal.

The Sun Devils' first three offensive drives in the game were as pretty as they were efficient, scoring three touchdowns on a total of 22 plays. Everything offensive coordinator Zak Hill dialed up seemed to puzzle the Cardinal, and the Sun Devils helped themselves to a quick 21-7 start.

But when the offense stalled a bit, turning in five consecutive scoreless possessions that allowed the Cardinal to creep back into the game, it was the Sun Devil defense that supplied the scoring, thanks to Jones’ acrobatics.

Jayden Daniels was smooth and elusive for much of the night, completing 14 of 23 passes for 175 yards and running for 76. He opened the scoring in the first quarter with a 51-
yard touchdown run, the second-longest dash of his career.

The Sun Devils' third straight win pushes them to 3-0 in Pac-12 play for the first time since 2012 while also matching their best six-game record to begin a season under Herm Edwards.

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Game 7: at Utah 35, #18 ASU 21 (Sat., Oct. 16)
SALT LAKE CITY – A 21-7 halftime lead put the Sun Devils in prime position to steal a win in Salt Lake City.
 
But surrendering 28 unanswered second half points stung the Sun Devils, as they dropped the Pac-12 South duel against Utah on Saturday.
 
ASU was dealt its first loss in Pac-12 play, dropping to 3-1 in league play and 5-2 overall.
 
Jayden Daniels threw for 237 yards on 20-of-31 passing with two touchdowns and no interceptions, setting the table for the Sun Devils’ efficient first half. But he and the offense couldn't get anything going in the second half, and the defense struggled to get off the field. Tight end Curtis Hodges had arguably his best game as a Sun Devil, as he reeled in four catches for 74 yards and a touchdown.
 
Tyler Johnson had two tackles for loss but ASU largely struggled to make plays in the backfield, recording no sacks and just three tackles for loss in the game. 
 
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Game 8: Washington State 34, at ASU 21 (Sat., Oct. 30)
TEMPE -- Three turnovers on its first three possessions, a 28-7 halftime deficit and the Sun Devils were stunned in front of a packed house at Sun Devil Stadium. 
 
Andre Johnson hauled in a career-best five receptions and Ricky Pearsall totaled 83 receiving yards, but it wasn’t enough to piece together a second-half comeback.
 
On Saturday, they were bested by the Washington State Cougars, 34-21, to tumble to 5-3 on the season in 3-2 in conference play.
 
Jayden Daniels completed 23-of-35 passes with one touchdown, but threw two interceptions. The offense stalled out for much of the afternoon, turning the ball over five times, the most since 2010.
 
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Game 9: ASU 31, USC 16 (Sat., Nov. 6)
TEMPE, Ariz. -- The Trojans hardly had an answer for Rachaad White.
 
He juked, hurdled, slipped and bullied his way past nearly every USC defender who tried to tackle him Saturday evening, galloping for 202 yards and three touchdowns on 28 carries. In the Sun Devils’ 31-16 win over the Trojans, White earned the school’s sixth 200-yard rushing game in conference play.
 
They were the most for a Sun Devil rusher against the Trojans since J.R. Redmond's 214-yard effort on October 3, 1998. He also eclipsed 1,000 career rushing yards, a feat he accomplished in the first half of tonight's game.

The Sun Devil defense never wavered, either. Entering Tempe as the Pac-12's highest passing offense at 315.2 yards per game, the Trojans failed to find any semblance of rhythm. Kedon Slovis threw for 131 yards and one interception and his counterpart, Jaxson Dart, threw for only 89 with an interception.

The Trojans found the end zone just once, on a second quarter rushing touchdown, and added a trio of field goals the rest of the way. USC, which had scored at least 26 points in seven of eight games this year, tied a season-low of 16 tonight.

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Game 10: ASU 35, at Washington 30 (Sat, Nov. 13)
SEATTLE – For the second consecutive Saturday, the evening belonged to Rachaad White.
 
He scurried for 237 all-purpose yards tonight against the Huskies -- 157 of which came in the second half -- with 184 on the ground and 53 through the air. He had two second-half touchdowns and was a fixture in the Sun Devils’ first come-from-behind victory in the fourth quarter when trailing by two possessions since the historic Territorial Cup game at Arizona in 2018. 
 
The Sun Devils rallied from a 10-point deficit in the fourth quarter to topple the Huskies, 35-30.
 
The Sun Devils outscored the Huskies, 21-6, in the final frame to pull ahead despite some late theatrics from the Huskies. Jayden Daniels was 10-of-16 for 90 yards with a touchdown and a pick, but added 56 yards and a touchdown as ASU rushed for 286 yards as a team, going over 250 yards on the ground for the seventh time in its last 13 games. 
 
ASU's defense bounced back from a forgettable opening frame where it allowed 14 points, eight first downs and 106 total yards to hold the Husky offense to just 160 yards over the remainder of the game and only nine more first downs.
 
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Game 11: at Oregon State 24, ASU 10 (Sat., Nov. 20)
CORVALLIS, Ore. -- It’s tough to win on the road in the Pac-12, but even trickier with a depleted roster. The Sun Devils were without 13 players on its preseason two-deep depth chart, five of which were starters. They’d muster only 266 yards of total offense before tumbling into a three-possession hole early that proved to be insurmountable.
 
On Saturday, they dropped the penultimate contest of the season, 24-10, in Corvallis.  
 
ASU cut it to a touchdown early in the fourth quarter but OSU iced the game on a fourth-and-short that ended up resulting in a 47-yard touchdown on the ensuing Beaver possession to put the game out of reach. 
 
Rachaad White was stifled in the run game after putting up over nearly 400 yards in the last two games but still managed yet another 100-plus yards of total offense thanks to a career-high 86 receiving yards on six catches. It was the 10th time in 14 games at ASU that White has recorded over 100 all-purpose yards. 
 
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Game 12: ASU 38, Arizona 15 (Sat., Nov. 27) 
TEMPE, Ariz. -- The Wildcats were trailing by two scores and looking to slice into the Sun Devils lead when Jack Jones intercepted Arizona quarterback Will Plummer and returned it for a 78-yard score, extending the ASU lead to a game-high 23 points and effectively slamming the door on a potential Wildcat comeback.
 
Make it five years, five consecutive Territorial Cup wins for the Sun Devils.
 
The Sun Devils dominated the 95th installment of the Territorial Cup Game between their in-state rival, 38-15, on Saturday afternoon at Sun Devil Stadium.
 
Jayden Daniels and Rachaad White combined for 184 of the team's 228 rushing yards, as each added a touchdown. With his second quarter score, White moved into a tie for 6th in ASU single season history with 15 total touchdowns. He also eclipsed the 1,000-yard rushing mark for the season on ASU's final drive of the game.
 
Daniels found Ricky Pearsall twice for two touchdowns and the defense bent but never broke all afternoon. The Sun Devils limited the Wildcats to a trio of field goals in critical red zone moments and forced a pair of huge turnovers, including the Jones pick-six that all but clinched the win.