ASU Sun Devils dominate first half, hold on to defeat Notre Dame: By the Numbers

Many wondered if Arizona State was up to the task of defending its top 10 ranking against another top 10 team.

The Sun Devils looked hungry to prove skeptics wrong early into their matchup with No. 10 Notre Dame on Saturday afternoon at Sun Devil Stadium.

The Fighting Irish struck first with a 46-yard field goal roughly nine minutes into the contest, but ASU reeled off 17 points before the quarter ended, thanks to forcing a fumble and an interception.

Todd Graham’s group didn’t stop there as senior defensive back Damarious Randall intercepted a tipped pass and returned it 59 yards to put the Sun Devils up by 21 not even a minute into the second quarter. ASU would add 10 more points before the end of the half, and Notre Dame didn’t record its first touchdown until 11 seconds left in the second quarter.

Despite the Sun Devils’ 24-point halftime lead, the Fighting Irish went on a tear in the second half and made it very interesting for a while, scoring three unanswered touchdowns.

ASU quarterback Taylor Kelly then led a five-play, 75-yard drive in the fourth quarter to stop the bleeding, capped by a four-yard touchdown pass to freshman Demario Richard, and the Sun Devils were back up by 10 with four and a half minutes to go.

The home team padded its lead with two more touchdowns — one offense, one defense — before the clock ran out, emerging with a 55-31 victory. The ninth-ranked Sun Devils improved to 8-1 overall with the win, dropping Notre Dame to 7-2.

Here’s a look at Saturday’s thrilling contest by the numbers:

1st

It was the first time ASU has ever beaten Notre Dame. The two teams had met only three times prior, including last October in Arlington, Texas — a 37-34 Fighting Irish victory.

2

Richard had just one touchdown to his name in his short Sun Devils career prior to Saturday. He not only ran in a score from one yard out in the first quarter, but he later recorded the first receiving TD of his career, a four-yard pass from Kelly. On the afternoon, the freshman recorded 50 yards rushing on 13 carries and added three catches for 51 yards. Not too shabby.

3

Kelly was picked off once by Notre Dame, marking his third game in a row that he has been intercepted. The senior QB completed 17 of 28 passes for 224 yards and three touchdowns in the victory.

5

ASU running back D.J. Foster started out the year with three straight games rushing for more than 100 yards, including one over 200. The junior broke a five-game drought of being held under 100 yards by tallying 120 on 21 carries (5.7 yards per rush) against the Fighting Irish. He also had one catch Saturday for 10 yards.

7

The Sun Devils recorded a season-high seven sacks Saturday, which also marked the most the Fighting Irish have given up since 2007.

7:07

It did not take the Sun Devils long to put up points once they got rolling. ASU scored its four first-half touchdowns in a span of just 7:07.

14

ASU has won 14 straight games when it forces two or more turnovers. The defense intercepted Everett Golson four times Saturday, including two returned for touchdowns, and recovered one of his fumbles.

23-0

The Sun Devils are now 23-0 under head coach Todd Graham when leading at halftime.

31-9

Beating the Fighting Irish when they score first has proven to be a tough task. Notre Dame came into Saturday’s game with a record of 31-8 under head coach Brian Kelly when scoring first. Make that 31-9 now.

34

ASU’s 34 first-half points was the first time any team has scored 31 or more points against Notre Dame since 2007 (allowed 31 first-half points to Michigan). It was a game of runs, as the Sun Devils scored 34 in a row prior to Notre Dame’s streak of 28 unanswered points spanning from late in the second quarter to midway through the fourth. ASU then put up the final 21 points in the contest.

446

Even though Golson was intercepted four times, he picked apart the Sun Devils defense, mostly in the second half, for 446 yards — the most anyone has thrown against ASU this season, and the first QB to go over 300 yards on the Devils since Brett Hundley had 355 yards passing in UCLA’s 62-27 blowout win on Sept. 25. Golson had two passing touchdowns while completing 22 of his 41 passes.

Arizona Sports’ Jaime Eisner contributed to this report.