Ranking the Arizona State Sun Devils’ 2014 football victories

Jan 5, 2015, 11:14 PM | Updated: Jan 6, 2015, 2:41 am

After winning the Pac-12 South in 2013, Arizona State head coach Todd Graham had his work cut out for him in 2014.

Gone from the defensive side of the football were nine starters from last year’s squad, including two-time Pat Tillman Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year Will Sutton and all-conference linebacker Carl Bradford.

The defense grew up quickly and the offense remained formidable as the Sun Devils won 10 games, marking the first time in nearly 40 years ASU had notched double-digit victories in consecutive seasons. The Sun Devils are one of just 12 FBS teams in the nation to be able to make that claim.

Starting with their season-opening rout of the Weber State Wildcats and ending with their triumph over the Duke Blue Devils in the Hyundai Sun Bowl in El Paso, here’s a look back at all ten of ASU’s wins in 2014, ranked from best-to-worst.

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10. ASU 45...Weber State 14 - It may be nitpicky to rank this win tenth, because ASU did exactly what it was supposed to do -- dominate a mediocre FCS opponent. D.J. Foster had 147 yards rushing and three touchdowns as the Devils cruised past a Wildcats team that would finish the year 2-10.

9. ASU 38...Colorado 24 - Yes, it was a 14-point road win over a conference foe, but ASU didn't play all that well in beating the Buffaloes. Taylor Kelly threw three touchdown passes before leaving with a foot injury that would sideline him for a month and D.J. Foster ran for 147 yards and a score. But the defense got gashed for 545 yards of offense, the third-most ASU would surrender all year.

8. ASU 58...New Mexico 23 - The Sun Devils allowed the Lobos to hang around in the first half, but dominated the second thirty minutes, outscoring UNM 26-2 the rest of the way. D.J. Foster ran for a career-high 216 yards on 19 carries and the Devils rolled up 621 yards of offense.

7. ASU 52...Washington State 31 - Taylor Kelly threw for 232 yards and four touchdowns and D.J. Foster ran for 96 yards and three scores as the Sun Devils continued their dominance of the Cougars. The defense did their part too, forcing five Wazzu turnovers.

6. ASU 24...Washington 10 - The Sun Devils welcomed QB Taylor Kelly back from a three-game absence and braved harsh, windy conditions to down the Huskies. Kelly found Gary Chambers on a 7-yard touchdown pass with three minutes left to break a 10-10 tie and freshman Armand Perry added a 61-yard interception return for a TD to ice it.

5. ASU 36...Duke 31 (Hyundai Sun Bowl) - The Sun Devils led by as many as 17 points in the first half, but fell behind 31-30 with just five minutes left. But freshman Kalen Ballage uncorked a 95-yard kickoff return which set up fellow freshman Demario Richard's fourth touchdown of the day to retake the lead just :18 later. DB Kwieshi Brown sealed it with an interception in the end zone with :45 left, and ASU had their second bowl win in three tries under head coach Todd Graham.

4. ASU 19...Utah 16 (OT) - The Sun Devils proved they could win low-scoring affairs in this one. Zane Gonzalez tied things at 16-16 with under six minutes to go when he booted a 30-yard field goal, then won it with a 36-yarder in OT after normally reliable Utah kicker Andy Phillips missed from 35 yards.

Arizona State running back D.J. Foster (8) carries against Stanford during the first half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Oct. 18, 2014, in Tempe, Ariz. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)

2. ASU 55...Notre Dame 31 - The Sun Devils got their first-ever win over the Irish (then 10th in the country) in roller-coaster fashion. ASU led 34-3 late in the first half, but the Golden Domers got within three points midway through the fourth quarter. The Devils then responded with three TDs in a 4:30 span to finish the signature win.

1. ASU 38...USC 34 - In terms of sheer excitement, this is one of the all-timers in Sun Devil history. Trailing 34-25 with just three minutes left, QB Mike Bercovici spearheaded a furious comeback that ended with the "Jael Mary" touchdown pass to Jaelen Strong with no time remaining. Bercovici ended the game with 510 passing yards and five touchdowns.

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