Oct. 20, 2001
Recap| Final Stats
Arizona State 41 (4-2, 1-2 Pac-10), Oregon State 24 (2-4, 1-3 Pac-10)
Official Start Time: 7:03 p.m.
Game Time Temp: 85?
Attendance: 54,114
Flowers Notches Sixth-Best Rushing Game In ASU History: Senior tailback Delvon picked up his second 100+-yard rushing game of the year and the fourth of his career... he became only the 19th player in ASU history to rush over 200 yards in a game with his 226 yards... the 226 total is the sixth most in school history and the most since Ben Malone set the school record with 250 yards vs. Oregon State on Oct. 27, 1973... the last Sun Devil to rush for 200 yards in a game was J.R. Redmond, who rushed for 214 yards vs. USC on Oct. 3, 1998... the senior from Los Angeles, finished the night with 222 yards on 22 carries and two touchdowns... he averaged 10.1 yards per carry... in addition to his 74-yarder in the third quarter, Flowers added a nifty 28-yarder in the fourth to give ASU a 27-24 lead... it was the second multi-touchdown game of his career, also scoring two vs. Arizona in 1999... Flowers had a pair of 100-yard games in 1999 and picked up a 159-yard game earlier this year vs. San Jose State... he set a career high for rushing yards in a game, passing his old mark of 161-yards rushing vs. Oregon in 1999... for the season, Flowers remains ASU's leading rusher, netting 545 yards in his six games for a 90.8 average per game.
A Long Run For Flowers: The 74-yard TD run by Delvon Flowers early in the third quarter was not only a career high for the senior tailback, but also the longest run from scrimmage this year by ASU... the previous high was a 41-yard reverse by freshman wide receiver Darryl Lightfoot vs. Louisiana-Lafayette... the 74-yard scamper is the longest run by a Sun Devil since J.R. Redmond (current New England Patriot) had a 80-yarder vs. UCLA on Oct. 2, 1999 (28-27 win in Tempe)... Flowers' previous long run of his career was a 40-yarder in 1999.
Stingy Defense Leads Devils To Win: Holding Oregon State to five three-and-outs on the Beavers last six possessions, the Sun Devil defense came up huge down the stretch... the ASU defense held Oregon State to only 37 total yards in the fourth quarter and 92 total yards in the second half... Alfred Williams, Jason Shivers, Mason Unck and Solomon Bates all led ASU with 8.0 tackles apiece... sophomore Terrell Suggs had four tackles, including a forced fumble, sack and TFL.
Taplin to Dennard, An Unusual Combination: The 23-yard touchdown strike from wide receiver Justin Taplin to Ryan Dennard late in the fourth quarter all but sealed the Devils first Pac-10 victory of the year... it was the first completion this year by a player other than a quarterback... tailback Mike Williams was 0-for-1 with an interception last year... Taplin had a solid game after being slowed by a recent ankle injury, returning four punts for 84 yards.
Devils Continue Dominance in All-Time Series: With the win tonight, ASU continues to lead the all-time series with the Beavers... ASU is now 20-7-1 all-time vs. Oregon State, including a 15-3 mark in Tempe... the Sun Devils extended its winning streak vs. the Beavers to six games and have lost only one of the last 10 meetings... in fact, ASU has earned a victory or tie in 21 of the last 22 meetings... ASU's last loss to the Beavers came in Corvallis in 1993.
ASU In Pac-10 Home Openers: Being the last Pac-10 team to play a conference game at home had its rewards... ASU erased its 0-2 Pac-10 record by beating the Beavers... this is the second latest start for a Pac-10 home opener in ASU's 24 seasons of Pac-10 play... ASU is now 14-9-1 in Pac-10 home openers, including three straight... the Devils have won seven of their last eight Pac-10 home openers.
Krohn to McDonald... Long Yardage Once Again: ASU quarterback Jeff Krohn and wide receiver Shaun McDonald hooked up for the second longest play from scrimmage this year by the Sun Devils... the 63-yard touchdown pass and reception is the second longest TD strike of the year, falling five yards short of a 68-yard play that Krohn and McDonald hooked up on in the Stanford game in the second quarter... of McDonalds eight TD's this year, five have been longer than 45 yards... for the night, the sophomore from Shadow Mountain High School picked up his second 100-yard receiving game of the year with 5 catches for 123 yards... for the season McDonald is ASU's leading receiver with 22 catches for 502 yards and eight TD's.
Sun Devil Notes: The 36-yard field goal attempt by Mike Barth that was blocked in the second quarter ended a streak of seven consecutive field goals in 2001 and 12 in a row dating back to the 2000 season... the 43-yard kickoff return by senior Tom Pace in the third quarter was second only to his 51-yarder in the season-opener vs. San Diego State... Justin Taplin's 62-yard punt return in the fourth quarter is a season-high for ASU... the previous long punt return was a 29-yarder by Lightfoot vs. San Jose State... it is the longest by an ASU player since a 81-yarder by Shaun McDonald last year vs. USC... head coach Dirk Koetter notched his first career Pac-10 win.
Beaver Notes: The 1-yard TD run by Ken Simonton was his 53rd career rushing TD, moving him out of a tie for ninth place in the NCAA rushing TD record books... his 53 TD's (324 points) also ranks 17th in NCAA history in overall scoring... the 40-yard TD reception by sophomore tight end Tim Euhus (Eugene, Ore.) was his 15th catch of the year, but his first career TD... Heisman Trophy candidate Simonton ended the night with 74 yards on 20 carries and one touchdown... senior quarterback Jonathan Smith was 23-for-39 for 238 yards and two touchdowns... he was sacked twice and did not throw an interception.