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.