Sun Devils fall to Oklahoma State

The Sun Devils welcomed their second non-conference opponent of the season, the Oklahoma State Cowboys. Arizona State would look to get revenge following their 34-17 loss in Stillwater last season.

The Sun Devils collapse in rematch with Oklahoma State

It was a hot and steamy kickoff with the kickoff temperature at a whopping 104 degrees. Kenny Dillingham said earlier in the week he wanted the crowd and also the heat to become a home-field advantage for the Devils.

This was also the second start for freshman quarterback Jaden Rashada.

The Devils won the coin toss and elected to defer to the second half.

The first half

It appeared early on in the game that the defenses would be the bright spot for both teams. Both teams struggled on offense last week, which carried over some to the beginning of the game. The first three total drives of the games eclipsed a grand total of 39 yards.

Despite the slow starts from each offense, it would be the Devils that would strike first in the game. Jaden Rashada led a 77-yard touchdown drive ending in a direct snap touchdown from running back Cameron Skattebo. The 13-yard touchdown gave the Sun Devils an early 7-0 lead.

Throughout the first quarter, ASU showed some new wrinkles in their offense going with the “wildcat” formation and running it through Skattebo. It was not until 12 minutes remaining in the second quarter that an action in the endzone occurred from both sides.

As mentioned, the Cowboys’ offense went through trials and tribulations before it finally found the endzone. After a shaky punt by ASU, Oklahoma State had prime field position starting on the ASU 43. Tonight’s quarterback carousel for the Cowboys saw Alan Bowman get the start and he led the Cowboys down the field quickly.

The Cowboys offense marched 43 yards in just seven plays to tie the game at seven early on in the second quarter.

After the OSU touchdown, the offenses got as hot as the temperature at kickoff. Arizona State immediately responded with a touchdown of their own to retake the lead.

The Sun Devils strike

Just four plays into the drive, Jaden Rashada linked up with Elijah Badger for a 65-yard touchdown. After an offside penalty on Oklahoma State, Dillingham elected to keep the offense on the field and go for two. The gamble paid off with Skattebo taking another direct snap into the endzone.

ASU retook the lead 15-7 halfway through the quarter. It would not be without a fight from the Cowboys going into the half.

The ensuing drive the Cowboys responded with points of their own. Although it may have not been a touchdown, Cowboy kicker Alex Hale nailed a 52-yard kick. That would be all she wrote for the first half as ASU took a 15-10 lead into the locker room.

The second half

For Sun Devil fans, their hopes were that the second half would work out better than it did last week against Southern Utah.

Right out of the gates, ASU got the ball and went for it on fourth and one from the Oklahoma State 40. As they did many times in half one, the Devils went with a direct snap to Skattebo. Unfortunately for the Devils that did not pan out and resulted in a turnover on downs.

Gunner Gundy came into the game at quarterback for Oklahoma State and made an immediate impact. Gundy, son of head coach Mike Gundy drove the Cowboys right into the endzone on his first drive.

The sixty-yard drive was capped off with a short, three-yard touchdown pass to De’Zhaun Stribling. Oklahoma State took their first lead of the night, 17-15.

Things did not get any better for the Sun Devils down the stretch of the second half.

On the following drive, Rashada had a pass intercepted by Oklahoma State’s Lyrik Rawls. Despite the interception, Rashada lucked out with some help from the defense. The Sun Devil defense stood up to the task which led to a missed field goal by the Cowboys.

With an interception and missed field goal on back-to-back drives, all the momentum and energy was sucked out of the game for both teams. The next three total drives only compiled a grand total of 23 yards. Two of those drives, one by each team, were three and outs.

The fourth quarter

It seemed that the next team to strike in the fourth quarter had the best shot to win, and that is exactly what happened.

After a three-and-out from the Sun Devils and a huge drop by Xavier Guillory, the Cowboys started near midfield and did not waste their prime field position. After a slow and methodical 10-play drive, the Cowboys finally lit up the scoreboard again with a 22-yard field goal. The Oklahoma State lead increased to five.

With the game still up in the air for either team, the Sun Devils had a chance to put themselves back in the lead with a late score.

On a third down in their own territory, Arizona State decided to do a direct snap with tight end Jalin Conyers. Conyers would be stuffed with the Cowboy defense setting up a critical fourth down. Knowing the game was in the balance, Dillingham took a timeout to make sure he had his best play call in hand.

Dillingham elected to run a shotgun pass on fourth and two. The pass was incomplete resulting in a turnover on downs.

Knowing a score would end the chances for the Sun Devils, Oklahoma State elected to remain aggressive on the following drive. The aggressiveness would pay off as the Cowboys reached the endzone. Oklahoma State’s third QB of the night, Garret Rangel, tossed a 16-yard touchdown to wideout Brennan Pressley. Pressley walked into the endzone untouched thanks to miscommunication from the defense.

The Cowboys took a 27-15 lead and never looked back.

Arizona State would have one more drive that resulted in another turnover on downs but that would be all she wrote for the night.

The Cowboys came into Tempe and beat the Sun Devils 27-15 for the second consecutive season.

Looking ahead

As for ASU, the second half looked similar to the one a week ago: going into the locker room with a lead both weeks and struggling on both sides of the ball in the second half.

The Sun Devils will look to bounce back next week, at home yet again, against Fresno State. Kickoff at Mountain America Stadium is slated for 7:30 p.m.

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