The Arizona St. Sun Devils got off to a decent start this weekend against the Oregon St. Beavers, but a poor showing in the second half halted any chance they had of pulling the road upset in Corvallis. With just a handful of games remaining on the schedule, ASU is running out of time to pad its resumé with hopes of reaching a big-time bowl game.
Following the 36-26 loss, House of Sparky reviewed the game and handed out grades. As you might have expected, they weren't too pleased with the results, especially with the offense. Here is what they had to say about quarterback Taylor Kelly, who has been one of the team's better players this season.
Quarterback: D-
(Kelly) hit his first six passes, and then...it all went to hell. Kelly regressed in the face of Oregon State's pressure, showing bad footwork, poor decision making and was inaccurate throughout the night, missing several open targets. His numbers -- 22 of 41 for 153 yards, one touchdown and one interception -- don't illustrate his poor play all night. The coaching staff did him now favors with the playcalling, but the fact remains that the highly efficient quarterback we've seen over most of the season was nowhere to be found on Saturday.
The only unit that fared even close to well was ASU's front-seven on defense; the defensive lined received a C+ for their efforts, while the linebackers got C-.
The Devils will need to get refocused in a hurry because they have a date with what's likely going to be a frustrated USC team next weekend. If Arizona State hopes to pull off the road upset, Kelly is going to have to play better against a vulnerable Trojans secondary.