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The Harold Edwards experiment at QB does not begin well. First pass is intercepted, ASU sets up at our 38.
ASU comes out running - 4, 12, and 4 yard pickups. But 1 and 2 yard carries follow and they have to set up for a 38 yard field goal. It is money. 3-0, 11:51 remaining in first quarter.
Kickoff goes out of bounds, we start at the 40.
2nd Edwards pass is complete to WR Cliff Byrum. He, of course, fumbles. ASU recovers and starts at our 41. Two plays, two turnovers. Byrum sucks: 3 fumbles in 65 minutes of play.
3rd and 3, Rosenbach steps in front of a pass. But it never happened, as we are flagged for roughing the passer. But ASU loses yards on the play, just like we did on this ruling in the last game. They are now back at our 49.
The defense is still in a turnover frame of mind. DE Joe Banducci strips the ball, which is recovered by CB Alvin Brown. He motors down to the 2 yard line.
One play drive - Brown up the middle for 2. 7-3, 9:20 left in quarter.
ASU QB Caldwell picks up a big 3rd and 8 with a 16 yard connection to WR Coleman. CB Brown hit him hard, but Coleman held on. Ball near midfield.
We stuff their running back in the backfield for a loss of 15. He should have gone down when we first hit him ...
But ASU picks up 3rd and 30 as we bite hard on a play fake. 32 yard gain to WR Aaron Lipscomb. Just horrible.
DE Baker forces another fumble after dropping into coverage. DE Banducci recovers it. Another turnover-filled game. Four in less than ten minutes so far.
3 and out on offense. We are doing a horrible job on 1st down over the last 2+ games.
Backup RB Karl Bahnsen runs for 20 yards. He has 36 in 3 carries.
On 2nd play of drive Wallace finds WR Whittle all alone at midfield. He could have walked the last 40 yards on a 68 yard TD pass. 10-7, 2:28 left in first quarter.
Byrum makes a good run after a dump pass, picking up 20 yards.
WR Ben Jackson bails out his QB by fighting for a ball in traffic. 30 yard gain after a holding call.
Screen pass for 15 to Stablein.
ASU has an OLB named Cannonball Jones. Classic.
Cannonball is called for a roughing the passer, setting up a first and goal at the 3.
Edwards finds Stablein for the TD. 14-10, 13:15 left in half.
QB Caldwell is chewing us up. He picks up 6 on 3rd and 6 to move into Bruin territory.
RB Bahnsen breaks off a 22 yard run. We are making this guy look like Jim Brown.
The defense holds inside the red zone.
35 yard field goal is good, 14-13, 8:23 left in half.
3 and out. Two tackles for Cannonball.
3 and out for ASU, as we get a sack from a DT on 3rd and 10.
Penalties are slowing us down quite a bit in this game. 4 for 75 in first 25 minutes.
We move the ball up near midfield before being forced to punt.
ASU returns the ball 31 yards, much to our chagrin.
An offensive pass interference call against the Sun Devils wipes out a big play on 3rd and 10. Caldwell isn't able to pick up another insane 3rd down conversion and they punt.
We lose a 3rd down pickup on a holding call. We are only able to pick up 10 of the needed 18 yards and punt.
ASU starts from their 42 with less than a minute remaining in the half.
They move the chains, but burn through the last of their timeouts to do so.
Banducci records a sack. Spike. 16 yard gain on 3rd down to keep the drive moving.
They line up a 47 yard field goal and it is true. 16-14 ASU at the half.
Halftime Notes:
Caldwell is 14/23 for 218 yards. 1 TD, 0 INT. We have to get in his grill in 2nd half.
Brown only has 6 carries for 20 yards. I would like to see him get some more touches.
6 penalties for 81 yards at half. Cut these down and we win this game.
ASU comes out moving the ball slowly but surely on offense. We force a fumble but can't recover it near midfield. They keep moving the chains, mixing run and pass. A 3rd and 6 pass sails high, but Lipscomb soars to get it and finds that there isn't anyone close enough to make the tackle. 21 yard TD. 23-14, 10:33 left in 3rd.
Brown starts off with 3 straight carries, picking up a first down.
Stablein gains 26 on a pass play, into Sun Devil territory.
A pass play that would have set us up with 1st and goal at the 2 is brought back by a holding call. Sigh.
Edwards is picked by a linebacker. End of a drive. Pretty dispiriting start to the half.
ASU is on the move again. Lipscomb makes another big play in the passing game.
RB Burleson picks up 2 first downs.
We slow them down when they hit the 20.
Field goal from 33 yards splits the uprights. 26-14, 1:14 to play in 3rd quarter.
Alvin Brown returns the kick to their 45. One of the better returns we've seen this year.
We go 3 and out as Derrick drops a screen pass on 3rd down with room to run.
33 yard pass to Lipscomb. He is over 100 yards, as is Whittle.
ASU misses a 41 yard field goal. Maybe this is the chink in the armor we are looking for? At this point ASU has outgained us 2:1.
They kill Edwards on a sack. He holds onto the ball.
But we are punting - 11:18 left, their ball up 2 scores.
Caldwell picks up 3rd and 7 with a screen pass. They are 10/16 on 3rd today.
Once again Arizona State fails to convert a field goal. This miss was from 48 yards out.
We have a 4th and 1 at our 39, 7:16 to go. Of course we punt ... grumble.
ASU picks up a pair of first downs, time is winding down.
CB Brown forces a fumble, but we can't get to it before an ASU lineman dives on it.
They pin us on our 4 yard line with their punt. Less than 3 minutes to play.
Nothing like a delay of game penalty inside the 10.
Edwards picks up a pair of 1st downs through the air.
Another penalty - dammit.
Byrum picks up 14 before stepping out of bounds on 3rd and 15. Near midfield, less than a minute to play.
We hit the TD Larscheid for a 35 yard gain to move the chains. 1st TO.
11 yard gain to Byrum, down to the 4. 2nd TO.
3 yard screen pass, Brown tackled on 1. Last TO. 0:41 remaining.
TD pass to Larscheid. 26-21, 0:35 left.
I have yet to see an onside run successfully in 5 1/2 years of Pac 10 play. And this is not the first one. Game over.
We never expected to have a perfect season, but I didn't think this team was going to beat us either.
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