Oct. 25, 2008
Box Score | Quotes | Notes | Game Action
TEMPE, Ariz. -
By Matt Storey, ASU Media Relations
A quick-strike offense keyed Oregon's 54-20 victory over Arizona State on Saturday in front of a crowd of 69,406 at Sun Devil Stadium. The loss drops ASU to 2-5 (1-3 Pac-10) on the season.
Seven of the Ducks' nine scores came on drives that lasted two minutes or less. Running backs Jeremiah Johnson and LeGarrette Blount scored two rushing touchdowns each, while quarterback Jeremiah Masoli had a rushing and passing touchdown in leading Oregon to its fourth straight win over the Sun Devils.
"We didn't tackle very well, we missed a lot of tackles and we had them in the right position to make plays and we just didn't make plays," head coach Dennis Erickson said. "They were clearly better than us. Hopefully there will be better times ahead. I know there will be."
The Sun Devil offense also struggled in the loss. After a three-and-out on the team's first drive, the next two possessions ended in interceptions thrown by Rudy Carpenter. The second came after an Oregon fumble had set ASU up with a first-and-goal on the 8, but Carpenter's pass to Michael Jones on third down was picked off by cornerback Walter Thurmond III.
With Oregon leading 13-0 early in the second quarter, the Sun Devils' fourth-and-one attempt was foiled when Carpenter fell as he dropped back to pass. The Ducks scored a touchdown on the ensuing possession to take a commanding 20-point lead, and their lead was never less than 17 after that.
"The bottom line is that every game we fall behind and we dig ourselves a hole," Erickson said. "I thought we could change it when we went for it on fourth down, and I'd do the same thing again. You're trying to change the momentum of the game, and something like that happens."
Carpenter finished the game 17-of-33 for 146 yards with a passing and rushing touchdown.
Freshman running back Ryan Bass led the Sun Devils on the ground with 56 yards on 10 carries, while Dimitri Nance had 30 rushing yards on just four carries. Nate Kimbrough had 66 yards on four receptions, and Jones had six catches for 50 yards and a touchdown.
"We really haven't had that one person just step up and lead the team," Jones said of the offensive struggles. "We just have to stick together; we can't put our heads down. We can't quit. We can't give up. We just have to keep playing harder."
The Ducks finished the game with 304 rushing yards. Masoli led the way with 85 yards on the ground, while Oregon's top three running backs - Johnson, Blount and Andre Crenshaw - combined for 153 yards on 25 total carries.
Masoli was also effective in the passing game, completing 17-of-26 passes for 147 yards. Chris Harper recorded five catches for 85 yards and a touchdown, while Terence Scott had five receptions for 60 yards and a score.
"I thought we had a great game plan defensively coming into the game," linebacker Mike Nixon said. "We have to be able to have the composure to take what we're taught onto the field. I felt like tonight the players let the coaches down, because they put us in a situation to succeed."
Travis Goethel led the Sun Devils with eight tackles, while Morris Wooten had four tackles, a fumble recovery and an interception. Wooten returned his interception to the 1 to set up ASU's first touchdown, a one-yard quarterback sneak by Carpenter that brought the Devils within 23-6 at halftime.
Oregon sealed the game in the second half, scoring on five of their six full possessions in the half and leading by as many as 41 points in the fourth quarter.
ASU returns to action on Saturday, traveling to Corvallis to meet Oregon State at 7 p.m.