ASU’s offense stalls, penalties pop up in 1st half vs. Oklahoma State
Sep 10, 2022, 6:22 PM | Updated: 8:07 pm
Arizona State could not capitalize on a strong start in the first half of Saturday’s road matchup against No. 11 Oklahoma State.
The first Sun Devil drive started off on the right foot as running back Xazavian Valladay picked up 42 yards on the ground. He rushed for 116 last week against Northern Arizona.
Xazavian Valladay turned it on!
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📱 https://t.co/DeUwaMDYQh#Pac12FB | @ASUFootball pic.twitter.com/B78ygzkCcn— Pac-12 Conference (@pac12) September 10, 2022
The Sun Devils marched to the OSU 9-yard line, but quarterback Emory Jones missed tight end Messiah Swinson in the back of the end zone on third down.
Freshman kicker Carter Brown hit a 27-yard field goal to open the scoring.
The Sun Devils never recreated the production of their first drive, as they gained 81 yards of offense over their next six possessions and went into halftime down 17-3. The Cowboys won the game 34-17.
The run game started strong, but OSU figured out ASU’s attack quickly. After the Sun Devils gained seven yards per rush in the first quarter, they picked up 1.2 on average in the second.
ASU ran the ball 20 times compared to 12 throws from Jones.
The Sun Devils were out-gained 227-158.
The ASU defense held OSU back at first, shutting out the Cowboys through the opening 21 minutes Saturday.
Senior linebacker Kyle Soelle ended OSU’s first threatening drive with a takeaway late in the first quarter, intercepting OSU quarterback Spencer Sanders to stifle a nine-play drive at the ASU 22-yard line.
But, the Sun Devils only led 3-0 until OSU broke through.
The Cowboys’ first touchdown came off a Sun Devils turnover, a fumble lost by Valladay.
Penalties became an issue for ASU’s defense, as a misguided roughing the passer penalty against defensive lineman Joe Moore late in the second quarter gifted OSU a chance to score, which the Cowboys took advantage of to take a 14-3 lead. A dropped interception by Jordan Clark didn’t help.
ASU committed four accepted penalties for 50 yards in the first half, including two roughing the passer calls.
The Sun Devils dropped to 1-1 this season after the loss.
