Fork Report: ASU wins Pac-12 road opener at Cal

Sure, you could read the box score and know who won, but we all know that won’t tell you everything that happened in a football game. So, we will give you a fork report, providing you with the analysis, quotes and notes from ASU’s September 29 win over California. Final score: Arizona State 27, California 17.

The Good:

The Sun Devils — behind the arm of Taylor Kelly, the legs of Cameron Marshall and a stout defense ended a 15-year drought with their first victory at Cal since 1997. Kelly passed for 292 yards and three touchdowns while Marshall rushed for a season-high 65 yards. The defense harassed Cal quarterback Zach Maynard, sacking him six times.

The Bad:

Alex Garoutte entered the game having missed only one field goal—a 51 yard attempt against Utah, but he missed three times (38, 37 and 30 yards) including twice in the fourth quarter when the Sun Devils offense stalled inside the red zone.

He Said It:

“So proud of our players,” head coach Todd Graham said. “This was a real team. This was a hard team to defend.”

Noted:

For the second straight game and the second time this season, the Sun Devils did not commit a turnover. Ball security has been a top priority of Graham’s since his arrival.

Coming Up Next:

The Sun Devils do not play again until Thursday, October 11. They will be at Colorado that day for a game that kicks off at 6 p.m. and will be televised on ESPN.