SB Nation Arizona - ASU Falls Apart In 2nd Half, Oregon Wins 41-27

Dennis Erickson Explains ASU Decision To Punt Down 14 To Oregon In 4th Quarter

2011-10-19T02:31:13Z

There were a lot of takeaways for the Arizona State Sun Devils following their 41-27 loss to the Oregon Ducks. The main focus from coach Dennis Erickson was on defensive penalties in the first half and sense of blown opportunities. Quarterback Brock Owseiler talked about offensive players "trying to break out of things we normally do and kind of do something on your own".

One discussion point for fans and media after the game, however, was coach Dennis Erickson's decision to punt the ball on fourth down with his team down 14 points with under 8 minutes remaining in the fourth quarter.

As Erickson remembered it, his team was near their own 25-yard line facing a 4th down conversion attempt that was too risky. If it was 4th and 1, he said he would have gone for it but facing a longer situation with the ball where it was he felt a failure to convert would have ended the Sun Devils chances.

On the replay (available at ESPN 3), we can see after Osweiler ran 14 yards on 3rd and 16 that about 10 seconds ran off the play clock before the punt unit came on facing a 4th and 2 at the ASU 32. There was no urgency in getting set and the clock expired right as the snap was made. The five-yard delay of game pushed it back to 4th and 7 at the ASU 27 and the Sun Devils punted.

The Sun Devils defense did get the stop after the punt but only after Oregon ran 3:13 off the clock. ASU got the ball back on their five and drove 87 yards in 3:37 before the drive ended with Jamal Miles dropping a sure touchdown in the end zone which ended up in the hands of the Duck defender and essentially ended the game.

Take what you will from Erickson's explanation. It was his call to make and ultimately, that one decision didn't decide the game.

College Gameday Sign Photo: Did Brock Osweiler Cry During 'Dolphin Tale'?

2011-10-17T22:08:30Z

Brock Osweiler of the Arizona St. Sun Devils is tall. Really tall. 6'8" in fact. Tallest quarterback in college football. Didn't know if you knew that or not. Might not have heard it. People don't seem to talk about it.

But here's something you definitely should know. Brock Osweiler is a sensitive soul. Dan Fogarty of Sportsgrid captured this image thanks to the fine folks at Mocksession. Take a look at the sign on the left.

At first glance this looks like an insult. But think about it for awhile. Is it really that bad?

I mean, let's face it, it'd be hard for any of us to keep our emotions in check if we had to watch a movie about a struggling dolphin trying to swim. I think this is actually an ASU fan, and this is really an attempt to humanize the tallest football quarterback in the country. Because you didn't know that already, right?

Now this. This is clearly an ASU diss.

For more on ASU football and Osweiler, head to House of Sparky.

ASU Vs. Oregon: Ducks' Speed And Execution Too Much For Devils In 41-27 Defeat

2011-10-16T06:19:51Z

In a season of great leaps forward and streaks broken, Arizona State fell back into old habits in their 41-27 loss to Oregon on Saturday.

Entering the game, ASU was ranked No. 18 in the nation and in total control of the Pac-12 South. Standing in their way was No. 9 Oregon and their lightning fast offense. Even with the Ducks' star running back LaMichael James missing the game, the Ducks were still loaded with explosive playmakers.

The Devils opened with a three-and-out, but a Kenjon Barner fumble gave ASU excellent field position, which they promptly converted into a 20-yard touchdown pass from Brock Osweiler to Gerrell Robinson.

A defensive stand by the Devils' defense was wasted by a bad drive by the offense, and the Ducks then took advantage on the next drive. An ASU personal foul aided the Ducks as they soon scored on a 16-yard De'Anthony Thomas run.

The Devils did show great resolve in answering back immediately. Despite their running game being completely shut down, ASU drove 77-yards in seven plays that ended with a 25-yard scoring pass from Osweiler to Mike Willie.

ASU appeared to have forced the Ducks to punt after a thrid down incompletion, but a Bo Moos roughing the passer call extended the drive, and in typical Oregon blitzkrieg fashion, they soon scored the tying touchdown after three Darron Thomas passes.

A Shelly Lyons interception appeared to primed the Devils for a big swing, but the drive stalled and ended in a 37-yard field goal by Alex Garoutte. Late in the second half, the Devils were driving deep into Ducks' territory when a taunting penalty on Gerrell Robinson after his clutch catch pushed the Devils back. On the very next play, Osweiler was intercepted in the endzone by Cliff Harris, who returned it 50 yards. Three plays later, Thomas threw another touchdown pass to give Oregon a 21-17 lead that they took into halftime.

ASU's chances appeared to get a huge boost on Oregon's first drive that opened the second half. Darron Thomas was injured on a run and did not return. After a brief bump from the shock of being without their starting running back and quarterback, the Ducks soon were back.

Before that, Arizona State did manage to re-take the lead, after a 51-yard swing pass to Jamal Miles was capped by a touchdown run by Cameron Marshall to put the Devils ahead 24-21.

Then the Ducks ground game went into full on beast mode.

With backup quarterback Bryan Bennett in the game, the Ducks ran De'Anthony Thomas and Kenjon Barner right down the Sun Devils' throats. Even Bennett got into the action, with a 36-yard run among his 65 yards for the game. Both Thomas and Barner scored touchdowns in the third quarter, and another Oregon field goal early in the fourth quarter gave Oregon a lead that would never be threatened.

It surely wouldn't be in danger with the conservative playcalling of Dennis Erickson. On the next drive, he opted for a 30-yard field goal instead of attempt a fourth and seven at the Ducks' 13, and later opted to punt with just under eight minutes left in the game and trailing by 14 points, following another Oregon field goal.

The Ducks were able to run out the clock while ASU appeared defeated on both offense and defense. The final Sun Devil drive with under a minute left ended with a perfect touchdown strike to Jamal Miles being bobbled and then intercepted.

It was that kind of night.

Oregon finished with 327 yards on the ground, including Barn'er career-high 171.

Yet, this should be a mere speed bump to the Sun Devils' season. The Sun Devils head into their bye week with a solid 5-2 record and are 3-1 in conference play, and still firmly in control of the South division.

ASU Vs. Oregon: Ducks Pulling Away Despite Darron Thomas Injury

2011-10-16T05:03:05Z

A first half personified by "what ifs" gave the Sun Devils equal parts optimism and regret, as they trailed No. 9 Oregon 21-17 at the break, thanks to the usual complement of stupid penalties and ill-timed turnovers.

Oregon took the ball to begin the second half after deferring to start the game.

The drive looked promising after a nice second down run by quarterback Darron Thomas, but he injured his left knee on the play and was taken off. On the next play, Will Sutton shot through the line to drop running back Kenjon Barner for a loss to force an Oregon punt.

The Sun Devils looked prime to answer back and regain the lead. They wasted no time, as Jamal Miles took a swing pass 51-yards to the Oregon 16, and the third Cameron Marshall run following was good for the go-ahead touchdown that gave ASU a 24-21 lead.

With backup quarterback Bryan Bennett in the game, the Ducks re-committed to the run. Barner and De'Anthony Thomas made it look easy as the Ducks were able to drive 68-yards in 1:50 and take a 28-24 lead on Thomas' three yard run.

The pressure was on to answer back to the Ducks' blitzkrieg attacks, but a three and out forced a quick punt, but thankfully a good roll pushed the Ducks back to their 12-yard line. However, Bennett immediately reeled off a 36-yard run to take the ball to midfield. A controversial ruling on a Bennett fumble was upheld and Oregon kept possession. Two Barner runs later and the Ducks had extended their lead to 35-24.

ASU managed to get a first down, but a key third down conversion was called back after and offensive pass interference call. The next pass fell incomplete, and the Sun Devils had to punt.

However, the defense finally stepped up, and forced a three-and-out of their own, and the Ducks punt was fair caught at the ASU 20. Sadly, a short Marshall run was followed by two straight sacks and the Devils had to punt from near the goal line, and Oregon took over at their own 40.

They continued to gash the Devils with the run, but a taunting penalty on Thomas set up a third down and long to open the fourth quarter.

Ducks Turn Tables On Sun Devils, Take Lead Into Half

2011-10-16T04:15:36Z

Arizona State is right in their game with No. 9 Oregon for two reasons, at least: Their offense has shown it can move the ball and complete passes over the soft middle the Ducks are giving the Devils, and ASU has done a very good job defending Oregon's vaunted running offense.

But ASU is behind on the scoreboard at halftime because of a key interception thrown by Brock Osweiler near the end of the half, which the Ducks turned into one of their fast touchdown drives, and personal foul penalties by one guy you expect -- Vontaze Burfict -- and one you don't --Gerell Robinson.

Truth is, ASU deserves to be ahead in this game. They've made a number of big plays. Osweiler is lighting up the secondary and there was a semblance of a running game before the interception. Osweiler is not letting the noise get to him and the offensive line is protecting him incredibly well.

Total yards on offense are about the same on both sides. But Oregon has a history of flipping the switch in the third quarter and the Ducks will open the second half with the ball. The Devils could use a key stop right away, but saying that, this is still anyone's game as neither team has proved it can or will blow away the other.

The Sun Devils have at this point turned Oregon QB Darron Thomas into a passer, which might not be a bad move. Oregon needs to regain its running game; if so it's defense should be able to bend a lot and break once or twice without costing the Ducks a win.

ASU Vs. Oregon: Osweiler Comes Out Hot, Helps Sun Devils To 14-7 Lead After First Quarter

2011-10-16T03:11:49Z

The ASU Sun Devils came out strong and found their rhythm on offense against the Oregon Ducks as the first quarter progressed. The Sun Devils lead 14-7 after the first quarter.

ASU received the ball on the opening kickoff but proceeded to struggle on the first drive and go three-and-out. After the punt, though, Arizona State forced a fumble off of running back Kenjon Barner to regain possession at the Oregon 36-yard line. Four plays later, quarterback Brock Osweiler found Gerell Robinson for a 20-yard touchdown and an early 7-0 lead.

Both teams exchanged punts before the Ducks took over at the ASU 47-yard line. The Ducks used three plays to drive down the remainder of the field, scoring on a 16-yard run by De'Anthony Thomas to even the game 7-7.

The Sun Devils went right back to work after the ensuing kickoff. Osweiler went six-for-six on completions as the Sun Devils drove down the field, hitting Mike Willie on a 25-yard throw that soared just above the defender's arms for a 14-7 lead.

ASU contained the Ducks offense on the following drive- with help from a penalty that called back what would have been a long rushing touchdown by Barner- and managed to hold off the Ducks on a 4^th-and-11 trick play that came up short by just inches. ASU regained possession and are driving down the field.

Osweiler has played very well so far, throwing for 112 yards and two touchdowns on 10-of-12 passing. The run game has been slow so far, with Jamal Miles leading the way with only nine rushing yards on one carry. Willie leads the ASU receivers with 46 yards and one touchdown on two receptions.

The Sun Devils will start the second quarter at the Oregon 37-yard line.

ASU Vs. Oregon: TV Schedule, Announcers, Start Time, And More

2011-10-15T19:00:12Z

Arizona State and Oregon will be on the national stage Saturday night as ESPN's College Gameday televises the action. It's a huge game for both teams, and not something you're going to want to miss, so here's everything you need to know:

Teams: #18 Arizona State Sun Devils at #9 Oregon State Ducks

Kickoff: 7:15 p.m. (PDT)

Stadium: Autzen Stadium, Eugene Oregon (capacity 54,000)

TV Coverage: ESPN, in a nationally televised game. Brent Musburger and Kirk Herbstreit will call the action with Erin Andrews on the sidelines. The game will also air on ESPN 3D.

Radio: The IMG-Sun Devil Sports Network will carry the game live on their 10-station radio network, including flagship station Sports 620 KTAR AM. Tim Healey (play-by-play) and former Sun Devil quarterback Jeff Van Raaphorst (color analyst) will call the action. The Oregon game will air on 620 AM. The game is also being broadcast nationally on Sports USA Radio.

Previous Matchups: The Ducks have won the last six matchups between the two teams, including the last two at Autzen Stadium. ASU last beat the Ducks in 2004.

All-Time Series: Arizona State leads the series 16-15, going back to 1966.

For more in-depth analysis of this game, check out the Speak of the Devils podcast, now on iTunes and head over to House of Sparky.

ASU vs. Oregon College Game Day: Lee Corso Is A Hater, Picks Ducks To Win (PHOTO)

2011-10-15T16:52:33Z

Lee Corso, America's favorite College Game Day analyst because of his wild and wacky antics, has a history of picking the Oregon Ducks to win big games. That trend continued on Saturday as he picked the Ducks to knock off Arizona State.

Corso has been solid on his predictions this season and is 6-1 in primetime games leading up to Saturday. Will that trend continue, or will it be a case of, "Not so fast my friend!"?

We have a photo of the festivities from earlier this morning:

Regardless of who the "experts" pick to win, fans of both teams should be in for a great game of football tonight. The Pac-12 showdown has big BCS implications and it could be a potential preview of the conference championship game that will be played in a few months.

Will Brock Osweiler and the Devils be up to the challenge of stoping one of the premiere offensive teams in the country? We'll find out soon.