Arizona State Vs. Missouri: Taylor Kelly Graded Highly In Losing Effort

Though the Arizona State Sun Devils couldn't escape a matchup with Missouri with a 3-0 record, they did manage to play well and keep the fans' spirits up. Managing 13 unanswered points in the fourth quarter had something to do with this, but Mizzou was already up by many at that point, so ASU fell 24-20 in the end. That didn't stop House of Sparky, SB Nation's blog for the Sun Devils, from giving the team some solid postgame grades, which started with quarterback Taylor Kelly.

However, in the fourth quarter, he channeled the aura of another Idaho born Sun Devil quarterback and became a dangerous playmaker. Kelly made several key plays, including two key third down conversion passes to Marion Grice in which he extended plays and avoided pressure before unleashing his pass. At one point, he posted 13 consecutive completions.

Unfortunately, Kelly's final pass attempt of the night was intercepted by Kenronte Walker when it was a bit off the mark, and that sealed the loss for ASU. Still, Brad Denny of House of Sparky gave Kelly a solid 'B' for his performance on Saturday, and it's easy to see why.

Kelly finished with 14 of his 23 passes completed, 178 yards and a touchdown. Unfortunately, he had two interceptions on the day, and is getting his grade based on his play in the second half and, namely, the fourth quarter. Without his performance, Arizona State would have very few silver linings to hang their hat on following their first loss of the season.

More commentary on the Arizona State Sun Devils can be found at House Of Sparky. For more on the Missouri Tigers, visit Rock M Nation.

Arizona State Falls To Missouri 24-20 Despite Comeback Attempt

It was too little too late for the Arizona State Sun Devils as they fell to the Missouri Tigers 24-20 Saturday night in Columbia.

The Sun Devils committed four turnovers, had several special teams miscues and trailed by 17 points in the fourth quarter, however ASU had the ball with a chance to win the game late in the fourth.

Trailing 24-7 early in the fourth quarter, Arizona State scored on a Marion Grice 2-yard touchdown run to pull ASU within 10. After a Missouri three and out, the Sun Devils marched down the field on a five play drive and punched the ball in the endzone with another Marion Grice touchdown run, this time from 9-yards out.

However, a botched snap cost ASU the extra point and the Sun Devils trailed 24-20 with just over 11 minutes left in the game. The Sun Devils struggled on special teams all night, ASU gave up 44 punt return, Josh Hubner had an 11-yard punt because of a botched snap, and Jamal Miles fumbled a punt return, all of which led to Missouri touchdowns.

Arizona State had a chance to win it late, as the Sun Devils were inside the Missouri 20 yard line with less than two minutes left in the game. However, Taylor Kelly threw an interception in the endzone to seals the Sun Devils' fate.

The Sun Devils struggled in the first half as Arizona State had five punts and an interception on their first six drives. Arizona State finally got on the board when Kelly found D.J. Foster for a 33 yard touchdown pass midway through the second quarter.

Arizona State finished with seven penalties for 54 yards, and Missouri won the time of possession battle by almost ten minutes.

Up next for Arizona State is a home matchup against Utah next Saturday night.

ASU Vs. Missouri Score: Devils' Deficit Increases To 24-7

Sloppy play from the Arizona State Sun Devils continued in the third quarter, as the Missouri Tigers increased their lead to 24-7 at the end of the third quarter in Columbia, Mo.

Missouri took advantage of another short field created by more special teams woes. A mishandled snap at the ASU goal line forced punter Josh Hubner to kick while being dragged down by Missouri defenders. He managed to get his punt off, but Missouri needed just five plays to convert the 33-yard field into a touchdown.

After a first half of offensive struggles, Arizona State started the third quarter by moving to Missouri's 34-yard line, but a sack and a false-start forced the Devils to punt.

Late in the quarter, Missouri botched a punt of its own, giving Arizona State a short field. Taylor Kelly currently has the Sun Devils in business at Missouri's 10-yard line at the quarter's end.

More commentary on the Arizona State Sun Devils can be found at House Of Sparky. For more on the Missouri Tigers, visit Rock M Nation.

Arizona State Vs. Missouri Halftime Update: Devils Down Just 17-7 Despite First Half Domination From Mizzou

Although the lead feels like it should be much greater, Arizona State is only down 17-7 to Missouri despite going 0-5 on third downs and turning the ball over twice in the first half.

Corbin Berkstresser (11-of-19, 72 yards, one interception) has filled in admirably for James Franklin, taking some big hits behind a makeshift offensive line yet still consistently moving the ball. On the other end, Taylor Kelly has struggled in his first road start, completing only 5 of his 12 passes for 62 yards while also throwing his first interception of the season.

Andrew Baggett sank a 46-yard field goal on the opening drive of the game to put the Tigers on the board first. A 21-yard rush from Kelly on the Devils opening play had fans thinking they might be in for a high-scoring affair but the drive stalled quick following that long run.

The Devils defense would hold tight on Missouri's next drive but Jamal Miles would fumble the punt return to setup a six-yard touchdown on a quarterback keeper from Berkstresser.

Things seemed like they might get out of control when the same man who forced the fumble, CB Kip Edwards, picked off Kelly on the second drive of the next possession. But Baggett would miss the field goal from 45 yards to give ASU a much-needed break.

Both teams would exchange multiple punts before Missouri broke through with a big 24-yard return from Marcus Murphy that would set the Tigers up nicely. Luckily for the Devils, that's when Berkstresser would decide to slip up for the first time of the day, throwing an interception to LB Brandon Magee on a questionable decision.

After ASU's drive went no where, Missouri would get a big boost when E.J. Gaines returned a punt 44 yards on a reverse to set the Tigers up on ASU's 18-yard line. From there, RB Kendial Lawrence would find pay dirt for the first time with a seven-yard touchdown scamper.

With time winding down in the second, Arizona State would finally come alive. Following a few intermediate passes to Miles and Kevin Ozier, RB D.J. Foster would finally get in on the action. After feeding him the ball for two carries, Kelly would get Foster the ball in space on a quick screen play. And Foster didn't waste the opportunity, following a great block from Rashad Ross to find the end zone from 33 yards out.

Missouri would get the ball back with a little more than two minutes left to play but couldn't get much going. Arizona State will now get the ball coming out of the locker room as they look to build on the spark that Foster provided.

Head on over to House of Sparky to get into the conversation.

ASU Vs. Missouri Score: Sun Devils In Halftime Hole, 17-7

Arizona State salvaged a rough first half with a late score and entered halftime trailing the Missouri Tigers 17-7 in the Sun Devils' first road game of the year.

Trailing 17-0, the Sun Devils put together a seven-play, 66-yard touchdown drive to help keep them in contention for the second half. After being in danger of finishing with under 50 yards of offense in the half, Taylor Kelly hit DJ Foster on a screen pass, and Foster ran 33 yards for a touchdown.

Previous to that score, things looked bleak for the Sun Devils, who gave up 72 yards worth of punt returns in the quarter. Missouri returner E.J. Gaines provided a 48-yard punt return with six minutes left in the half, setting the Tigers up with an 18-yard field. Four plays later, Kendial Lawrence punched in a seven-yard touchdown run to give Missouri a 17-0 lead.

A fumbled punt return by the Sun Devils gave Missouri a similarly-short field in the first quarter for their other touchdown drive.

Kelly finished the first half throwing 5-of-12 for 62 yards, one touchdown and one interception for the Sun Devils.

More commentary on the Arizona State Sun Devils can be found at House Of Sparky. For more on the Missouri Tigers, visit Rock M Nation.

ASU Vs. Missouri Score: ASU Down, 10-0 As Turnovers Plague Sun Devils

A pair of turnovers punctuated a sloppy quarter for Arizona State, as the Sun Devils have fallen behind the Missouri Tigers 10-0 after one quarter of play in Columbia, Missouri.

The biggest turnover came on a punt return by Arizona State's Jamal Miles. A booming 59-yard punt from Missouri's Trey Barrow pushed Miles back to near the ASU 15-yard line. His return momentum met Missouri coverage at the 25-yard line, where he fumbled, setting Missouri up with a very short field.

Four plays later, Missouri quarterback Corbin Berkstresser punched in a six-yard touchdown run for the 10- lead. Berkstresser, a freshman, is filling in for the ailing James Franklin, who is out with a shoulder injury suffered last week against Georgia.

An Andrew Bagget 46-yard field goal is the only other score of the game.

Arizona State finished the quarter with just 34 yards of offense, including a 1-7 showing from quarterback Taylor Kelly, who also has an interception on the night.

More commentary on the Arizona State Sun Devils can be found at House Of Sparky. For more on the Missouri Tigers, visit Rock M Nation.

ASU vs. Missouri: James Franklin's Injury Could Mean Corbin Berkstresser's Debut

The Missouri Tigers could turn to redshirt freshman Corbin Berkstresser on Saturday afternoon as the Arizona St. Sun Devils come to town. Everyone believed James Franklin would make the start leading up to 24 hours before kickoff, but reports have since surfaced that his shoulder is bothering him once again.

Franklin underwent surgery on the shoulder during the offseason and took a couple of big hits against Georgia last week. With a lot of quarterback uncertainty currently in Columbia, Berkstresser would be the starter tonight if Franklin is indeed unable to play. He is not the dual-threat option that Franklin is, but he's got a cannon arm and comes in at 6'3 and 235 pounds.

As with any young quarterback with little game experience -- Berkstresser has thrown five passes for 60 yards and a touchdown this season -- you would think he could be prone to mental errors, especially against an improving ASU defense. Should he make the start, you would have to think Mizzou would run the ball early and often with tailbacks Kendial Lawrence and Marcus Murphy.

No official announcement has been made by the Tigers on Franklin's status for tonight's game, but it would appear that all signs point to Berkstresser making his first start. The Sun Devils might not have very much video of the redshirt freshman, but you would have to think Franklin missing the game could tip the scales in their favor.

For more on ASU football, be sure to check out House of Sparky.

ASU vs. Missouri 2012: Sun Devils Must Win Turnover Battle, Throw Effectively To Pull Upset

The Arizona St. Sun Devils have a chance to make a statement on Saturday night as they travel to Columbia to take on the Missouri Tigers. The Devils have beaten up on Northern Arizona and Illinois, although neither team is looking like much a threat this season. That will change on Saturday night against the Tigers, who received votes in both major polls during the preseason.

Our ASU blog, House of Sparky, listed a couple keys to this week's game. Here they are.

#1 Win the Turnover Battle

Missouri's offense rarely gets stopped; the best way to beat them is forcing mistakes. At the end of the first quarter against No. 7 Georgia, it was knotted at zeros. To start the second quarter, Mizzou marched on an 11-play, 47-yard drive to take the lead, but they soon fumbled. ASU needs to have the same approach, searching for strips and jumping passing lines.

Expecting ASU to play completely clean football is a nice goal, but more realistically the Sun Devil Faithful hopes for no more than one turnover. If ASU has one or less turnovers, they will be in prime position to win.

#2 Make Missouri Running Backs Gain Yards

Daring Missouri backs to run is a dangerous task, but a risk that should be taken. Franklin is a dynamic player, requiring extra corners and safety to worry about the pass. Tigers senior starting running back Kendial Lawrence has been phenomenal so far, sporting 162 yards and two touchdowns.

I respect Lawrence's ability, but Mizzou wants to air it out or run with Franklin. ASU defensive ends need to contain, limiting Franklin's running ability. Devilbacker Carl Bradford will also be key in marking Franklins every footstep.

For more keys to the game for the Sun Devils and a final prediction, be sure to check out House of Sparky.

ASU Vs. Missouri: James Franklin A Game-Time Decision, According To Report

It's looking like Arizona State might get a reprieve at quarterback for the second straight week. After Illinois quarterback Nathan Scheelhaase was not able to go in the decisive Sun Devils victory last week, Missouri Tigers signal-caller James Franklin might be out this week as well.

Here were the current reports.

In response to rumors, Mizzou source tells me Missouri plans on starting Corbin Berkstresser at QB tomorrow vs. ASU, Franklin questionable.

— Ashley Zavala (@ZavalaA) September 14, 2012

Can confirm @zavalaa's report that #Mizzou QB James Franklin is a game-time decision because he's dealing with a sore shoulder.

— Eric Blumberg (@BlumbergOTB) September 14, 2012

Dave Matter of the Columbia Daily Tribune filed this report as well.

Missouri has declined comment on speculation that backup quarterback Corbin Berkstresser will replace injured starter James Franklin tomorrow against Arizona State. In an email to the Tribune, MU team spokesman Chad Moller said the team will not confirm any speculation unless there's substantive news to report.

If Franklin is unable to go, Corbin Berkstresser will start at quarterback on Saturday against the Sun Devils. Berkstresser completed all five passes in relief of Franklin in a rout of Southeastern Louisiana, and had to spell Franklin for a few plays against Georgia when the starter's helmet popped off.

Franklin played very well against Arizona State last year, completing over 60% of his passes, throwing for over 300 yards, and piling up two touchdowns in an overtime loss in Tempe.

Talk about the ASU-Missouri game with Sun Devil fans at House of Sparky and with Tiger fans at Rock M Nation.

Arizona State Vs. Missouri Preview: James Franklin Seeks Vengeance Following Last Season's Nail-Biter

The Devils stunned the Tigers last season in front of an ESPN audience with a 37-30 overtime win. But can ASU be victorious again as they head to SEC territory to take on James Franklin and friends for the grudge match?