Injury-Ridden Devils Fall Short Against WSU, 37-32

TEMPE, Ariz. -- An injury-ridden Sun Devil football team showed an admirable amount of moxie but the squad's late rally came just short in a 37-32 defeat against Washington State on Saturday in Tempe, Ariz.

After a promising first quarter that saw the Sun Devils (5-3, 2-3 Pac-12) take a 7-0 lead while forcing two three-and-outs, the Devils never fully recovered as the Cougars (5-2, 4-0 Pac-12) reeled off 21-straight points in the second and third quarters to stake a 31-14 advantage. ASU was unable to overcome the deficit despite outscoring WSU, 18-6, over the final quarter and some change. 

The Sun Devil defense held its own despite several critical injuries, holding the Cougars to -52 rushing yards while producing seven sacks. Koron Crump led the charge with a career-best 3.0 sacks while DJ Calhoun added 3.0 tackles for loss on seven total tackles. Marcus Ball had his third consecutive game leading the team in tackles. ASU finished with 11.0 total tackles for loss and held the potent Cougar offense under 400 total yards.

Tim White returned a fourth-quarter punt 75 yards for Arizona State's first punt return for a touchdown since Jamal Miles took a 78-yard punt return to the house in 2011. Wide receiver Fred Gammage then floated a pass to tight end Kody Kohl to complete the two-point conversion, cutting the Washington State lead to just eight points with 11:15 remaining in the contest. 

The Devils cut it to a five-point game with 4:46 remaining on a Zane Gonzalez 29-yard field goal but couldn't get a stop in the waning minutes of the game as the Cougars picked up a couple first downs and were able to wind out the clock on the final possession of the game.
 
Manny Wilkins started the game for the Sun Devils but exited late in the first quarter, ending the night 5-6 for 39 yards and one three-yard rushing touchdown. The redshirt sophomore was replaced by freshman Dillon Sterling-Cole who completed seven passes for 86 yards in the first significant reps of his career, while freshman Jack Smith completed his first pass as a Sun Devil to White for 40 yards to set up Demario Richard's eventual touchdown rush to close out the third quarter.

Wide receiver N'Keal Harry caught six passes for 76 yards while Kalen Ballage rushed for 82 yards on 12 attempts and added a touchdown. The Devils rushed for three touchdowns on the evening, moving their season total to 21 and easily eclipsing the 2015 total of 19. 

The Sun Devils will hit the road next weekend, traveling to Eugene, Ore., for a date with the Oregon Duck on Saturday, Oct. 29, with the game scheduled to be broadcast on the Pac-12 Networks.