by Connor Pelton, Sun Devil Athletics Media Relations Assistant
CORVALLIS, Ore. – Explosive performances on both sides of the football allowed Arizona State to roll on Saturday, cruising to a 40-24 victory over Oregon State on a cold and foggy afternoon at Reser Stadium.
The victory pushed the Sun Devils (6-5, 5-3 Pac-12) to over .500 for the season and clinched bowl eligibility heading into next week's Territorial Cup matchup. It also marked the seventh time since 2010 that Arizona State will finish the regular season with at least six wins.
"We had a great week of practice and our guys were really dialed in," said head coach Todd Graham after the victory. "I thought we went out and dominated. Everything we did was with a laser focus and it got us a big win."
Senior running back Demario Richard made his presence known early and often on this day, ultimately totaling 119 yards and three touchdowns. The game marked Richard's third straight performance going over the century mark.
SUN DEVIL CAREER RUSHING
Woody Green (1971-73), 4,188
Freddie Williams (1973-76), 3,424
J.R. Redmond (1996-99), 3,299
Wilford White (1947-50), 3,173
Leon Burton (1955-58), 2,994
Demario Richard (2014-present), 2,987
SUN DEVIL CAREER RUSHING PAC-10/12 ERA
J.R. Redmond (1996-99), 3,299
Demario Richard (2014-present), 2,987
Darryl Clack (1982-85), 2,737
Cameron Marshall (2009-2012), 2,700
Keegan Herring (2005-08), 2,635
Quarterbacking the balanced offensive attack was junior Manny Wilkins, who threw for 125 yards and ran for 60 more. The signal caller finished the afternoon with two touchdowns, both of which came in the game's first six minutes.
The first of those scores came on an efficient four-play, 69-yard drive to start the game. Wilkins would find wide out Kyle Williams on a 23-yard strike for the first score of the contest, then hit freshman Curtis Hodges five minutes later on a one-yard fade route to make the score 14-0.
"That was awesome," Graham said when asked about Hodges' catch. "They (wide receivers) came prepared to play and I was really excited for Curtis to get his first collegiate touchdown."
Following a dominating start on the offensive side of the ball, it was the Sun Devils' special teams and defensive units who combined for the next score of the day. After a punt downed at the four-yard line forced the Beaver offense to start in the shadow of their own goal line, defensive tackle JoJo Wicker sacked Darell Garretson in the end zone to make the score 16-0 after 15 minutes of play.
The second quarter would look much like the first, and this time it was Richard who was rewarded with a pair of trips to the end zone. The back scored on a 17-yard scamper on the first play of the second stanza, then capped off a nine-rush, 11-play drive later in the quarter with an easy one-yard score.
Arizona State's 30-7 advantage at the end of 30 minutes marked the program's largest halftime advantage since November 30, 2013, when the Sun Devils led Arizona by the same score.
"Our goal was to come out and play fast," said Richard. "Personally, I think it comes back to putting in the necessary work during the week."
It was freshman kicker Brandon Ruiz who got the scoring started in the second half, putting points on the board after the defense forced a punt coming out of the locker rooms. His try from 45 yards was true all the way, pushing the lead to 33-7 while extending his streak to nine straight games with a field goal.
After Arizona State's defense dominated the rest of the quarter, another productive possession to start the fourth put the game on ice. The Sun Devils marched 78 yards in just seven plays, the drive culminating with another three-yard touchdown run by Richard.
Ruiz's ensuing extra point made the score 40-10, marking the second time in the last three games the Sun Devils have scored at least 40 points.
Arizona State finished the afternoon with a wide advantage in total yards (453-375) and out-gained Oregon State on the ground 286-106. The team also converted on all four of its trips to the red zone, meaning they are 40-of-41 in that category (No. 2 in the country) for the season.
With bowl eligibility achieved, the Sun Devils now set their sights on next week's Territorial Cup showdown. The Senior Day contest is set to kickoff at 2:30 p.m. at Sun Devil Stadium.
"I'm excited to get done with this one and get to work on next week," Graham said when asked about the rivalry game. "That one means a lot to our fan base and program."
CORVALLIS, Ore. – Explosive performances on both sides of the football allowed Arizona State to roll on Saturday, cruising to a 40-24 victory over Oregon State on a cold and foggy afternoon at Reser Stadium.
The victory pushed the Sun Devils (6-5, 5-3 Pac-12) to over .500 for the season and clinched bowl eligibility heading into next week's Territorial Cup matchup. It also marked the seventh time since 2010 that Arizona State will finish the regular season with at least six wins.
"We had a great week of practice and our guys were really dialed in," said head coach Todd Graham after the victory. "I thought we went out and dominated. Everything we did was with a laser focus and it got us a big win."
Senior running back Demario Richard made his presence known early and often on this day, ultimately totaling 119 yards and three touchdowns. The game marked Richard's third straight performance going over the century mark.
SUN DEVIL CAREER RUSHING
Woody Green (1971-73), 4,188
Freddie Williams (1973-76), 3,424
J.R. Redmond (1996-99), 3,299
Wilford White (1947-50), 3,173
Leon Burton (1955-58), 2,994
Demario Richard (2014-present), 2,987
SUN DEVIL CAREER RUSHING PAC-10/12 ERA
J.R. Redmond (1996-99), 3,299
Demario Richard (2014-present), 2,987
Darryl Clack (1982-85), 2,737
Cameron Marshall (2009-2012), 2,700
Keegan Herring (2005-08), 2,635
Quarterbacking the balanced offensive attack was junior Manny Wilkins, who threw for 125 yards and ran for 60 more. The signal caller finished the afternoon with two touchdowns, both of which came in the game's first six minutes.
The first of those scores came on an efficient four-play, 69-yard drive to start the game. Wilkins would find wide out Kyle Williams on a 23-yard strike for the first score of the contest, then hit freshman Curtis Hodges five minutes later on a one-yard fade route to make the score 14-0.
"That was awesome," Graham said when asked about Hodges' catch. "They (wide receivers) came prepared to play and I was really excited for Curtis to get his first collegiate touchdown."
Curtis Hodges out here making big man plays. ??
— Sun Devil Football (@FootballASU) November 18, 2017
Watch on the @Pac12Network! #ASUvsOSU pic.twitter.com/etcDywXlNg
Following a dominating start on the offensive side of the ball, it was the Sun Devils' special teams and defensive units who combined for the next score of the day. After a punt downed at the four-yard line forced the Beaver offense to start in the shadow of their own goal line, defensive tackle JoJo Wicker sacked Darell Garretson in the end zone to make the score 16-0 after 15 minutes of play.
DO THE SAFETY DANCE!
— Sun Devil Football (@FootballASU) November 18, 2017
JoJo Wicker forces the intentional grounding in the end zone and that's good for two points!
ASU 16 | OSU 0 pic.twitter.com/dWxI58KKG0
The second quarter would look much like the first, and this time it was Richard who was rewarded with a pair of trips to the end zone. The back scored on a 17-yard scamper on the first play of the second stanza, then capped off a nine-rush, 11-play drive later in the quarter with an easy one-yard score.
Arizona State's 30-7 advantage at the end of 30 minutes marked the program's largest halftime advantage since November 30, 2013, when the Sun Devils led Arizona by the same score.
"Our goal was to come out and play fast," said Richard. "Personally, I think it comes back to putting in the necessary work during the week."
It was freshman kicker Brandon Ruiz who got the scoring started in the second half, putting points on the board after the defense forced a punt coming out of the locker rooms. His try from 45 yards was true all the way, pushing the lead to 33-7 while extending his streak to nine straight games with a field goal.
After Arizona State's defense dominated the rest of the quarter, another productive possession to start the fourth put the game on ice. The Sun Devils marched 78 yards in just seven plays, the drive culminating with another three-yard touchdown run by Richard.
Ruiz's ensuing extra point made the score 40-10, marking the second time in the last three games the Sun Devils have scored at least 40 points.
Arizona State finished the afternoon with a wide advantage in total yards (453-375) and out-gained Oregon State on the ground 286-106. The team also converted on all four of its trips to the red zone, meaning they are 40-of-41 in that category (No. 2 in the country) for the season.
With bowl eligibility achieved, the Sun Devils now set their sights on next week's Territorial Cup showdown. The Senior Day contest is set to kickoff at 2:30 p.m. at Sun Devil Stadium.
"I'm excited to get done with this one and get to work on next week," Graham said when asked about the rivalry game. "That one means a lot to our fan base and program."