Oct. 6, 2007
Box Score | Notes | Action Photos
By Matt Storey, ASU Media Relations
It's safe to say that freshman kicker Thomas Weber has adjusted well to college football.
His 37-yard field goal with less than a minute remaining proved to be the game-winner Saturday, as the ASU football team earned a hard-fought 23-20 victory over Washington State.
"It's exciting," Weber said. "Only the sixth game in my career, and to hit a game-winning field goal makes everything feel great."
The kick kept Weber perfect on field goal attempts to start his ASU career, as he is now 11-for-11 on the season.
"11 times I loved him," head coach Dennis Erickson said of his kicker's play this year. "That was pressure, to win a football game. He's come a long way."
The victory, which was not secure until Cougars kicker Romeen Abdollmohammadi missed a potential game-tying 46-yard field goal attempt with 12 seconds left, kept the Sun Devils perfect on the season.
"We were able to go on the road in a very tough place to play and win," Erickson said. "We were fortunate enough to make our kick, they weren't. So we're 6-0 and 3-0 in the league, and that's where we wanted to be."
ASU's defense continued to play an instrumental role in the team's success, as cornerback Justin Tryon's 69-yard interception return for a touchdown in the third quarter meant the Sun Devils had picked off a pass for the sixth consecutive game this season. It was also ASU's third defensive touchdown of the year.
Running back Ryan Torain led the Sun Devil ground attack with his second straight 100-yard rushing game, carrying 24 times for 116 yards. That included 69 yards on eight carries in the fourth quarter, three of those carries helping to set up Weber's field goal on the game-winning drive.
"He is a work horse for us and he is hard to tackle," Erickson said of Torain. "He made a lot of big plays for us."
Quarterback Rudy Carpenter fought through seven sacks and two first-half interceptions to finish 19-27 for 217 yards and two touchdown passes.
"We kept saying their backs were against the wall," Carpenter said of Washington State. "They were 0-2 in conference, and it was a must-win for them. We had to come out and weather the storm."
Seven different Sun Devils caught passes in the victory, with sophomore Kyle Williams leading the way with six receptions for 71 yards and a touchdown.
Fellow sophomore Chris McGaha had a career-high 63 yards on four catches, while junior tight end Brady Conrad filled in for injured starter Brent Miller with four receptions for 36 yards and his first career touchdown catch in the fourth quarter.
Linebacker Robert James led the ASU defense with nine tackles, the fifth time in six games that he led the Sun Devils in tackles, while safety Troy Nolan and linebacker Travis Goethel had seven tackles each.
Weber was the star of ASU's special teams, not only hitting the game-winning field goal but averaging 41.5 yards per punt and downing two inside the 20-yard line after taking over the punting this week.
"Tom punted well in practice last week," Erickson said. "I thought he punted it extremely well in that game, and we'll continue to go that way."
The game remained scoreless into the second quarter, as ASU's first five drives ended in three punts and two interceptions while the defense forced the Cougars to punt on each of their first four possessions.
However, after Carpenter's second interception of the first half, Washington State struck first with a 35-yard field goal by Abdollmohammadi.
The ASU offense finally came alive late in the second quarter, as Carpenter capped off a 12-play, 72-yard drive with an 11-yard touchdown pass to Williams. Carpenter carried the load on the drive, going 5-5 for 66 yards to get the Sun Devils on the scoreboard.
Cougars quarterback Alex Brink then led his team on a quick four-play, 80-yard scoring drive to answer the ASU touchdown. Brink connected with Jeshua Anderson on a 47-yard completion on a third down from the Cougars' own 21, and then he found Brandon Gibson on the next play for a 32-yard touchdown to give his team a 10-7 lead at the half.
Washington State's opening drive of the second half was momentarily extended by an ASU roughing the kicker penalty on a punt, but Tryon intercepted Brink on the next play and returned it for a touchdown and a 14-10 Sun Devil lead.
The Cougars would respond again later in the third, taking the lead back when Brink found Devin Frischknecht for a 13-yard touchdown.
ASU then answered on its ensuing possession, as Carpenter went 5-6 for 54 yards to lead a 10-play, 62-yard scoring drive that ended with Conrad's three-yard touchdown catch. Weber's PAT attempt was blocked, so the Sun Devils lead was 20-17.
A Weber punt early in the fourth was downed at the Washington State 2-yard line, but the Cougars went on an 18-play drive from there, and an Abdollmohammadi 38-yard field goal tied the game with less than four minutes remaining.
The Sun Devils began what would prove to be the game-winning drive on their own 35, and two Carpenter completions combined with a Washington State personal foul moved them inside the Cougar 40-yard line.
Torain then carried the ball three straight times for 27 yards, and three plays later, Weber's 37-yard field goal gave ASU the lead again.
Washington State did not go away quietly, as Brink's 34-yard completion to Anderson moved them into ASU territory, but Abdollmohammadi's 46-yard field goal attempt sailed wide left to seal a Sun Devil victory.
NOTES: ASU's 6-0 start is its best since an 11-0 start to the 1996 season in which the Sun Devils won the Pac-10 and finished the season ranked No. 4 in the nation...It is also their first 3-0 start in Pac-10 play since 2002... The win was ASU's fourth straight over Washington State and second straight at Martin Stadium...Tryon's third-quarter touchdown was the first score of his career.