The Arizona State defense is capable of big things

TEMPE, Ariz. — Arizona State dropped to 1-6 on Saturday with its 15-7 loss to Washington, but the defensive performance was nothing to be ashamed of. ASU was a 27.5-point underdog, and the game had a point total set at 60.5. Yet the Sun Devils had a lead heading into the fourth quarter with just 10 total points on the board.

The Arizona State defense is one of the best in the conference

Washington is a top 4 offense in the country in yards per game averaging 507.1. They’re eighth in the nation in points per game averaging 39.7. Both of those stats are including the game against ASU. Yet, the Sun Devils held Washington to just 288 yards of total offense and 15 points, both the fewest the Huskies have had in a game since 2021.

“Our defense has been playing really, really, really good football the entire season,” head coach Kenny Dillingham said.

Washington’s senior quarterback Michael Penix Jr. is a Heisman candidate and leads the nation with more than 2,500 passing yards. ASU held Penix to 275 passing yards, a 41.4 quarterback rating, and intercepted him twice. His QBR was the lowest since he transferred to Washington in 2022. His passing yards were his lowest output in a competitive game since joining the Huskies, with the exception being a 229-yard effort in a 54-7 blowout over Colorado in 2022.

“We have one side of the ball that failed and is facing that adversity,” Dillingham said. “We have another side of the ball that had extreme success and is facing the adversity of people telling them they’re good.”

The ASU defense is underrated and underappreciated

The Sun Devil’s defense has been underappreciated all season because they have continued to give up 20-plus points per game and lose. But that underappreciation has motivated them to show up focused and determined each week to show the potential they possess and be the backbone of a team struggling to score.

Points and yards allowed by the defense don’t consider the situations they are put in throughout the game.

“The only reason that we’re not statistically probably a top 15 defense is our offense has struggled, special teams have given short fields and they didn’t get takeaways early in the season,” Dillingham said. “So, you have to use all three downs to get somebody off the field every drive.”

Finally forcing turnovers

ASU won the turnover battle for the first time all season with two interceptions and two forced fumbles Saturday. This was the first game the Sun Devils had forced multiple turnovers in a game this season.

“Most good defenses have one or two drives a game where they get off the field with turnovers and you saw that,” Dillingham said. “So hopefully that continues to build, but I couldn’t be happier with our defense’s plan.”

The challenge now for the ASU defense is to build on this performance until the offense can match their production. The Sun Devils have started a stretch of elite Pac-12 opponents. That means there’s an opportunity to make a new statement each week.

“Stay focused on the task at hand and just be the best version of ourselves,” Dillingham said. “Today, tomorrow, and every single day we take the football field.”

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