Sun Devils defeat Rainbow Warriors in a stormy game
TEMPE, Ariz. – Saturday afternoon saw on-and-off rain in Tempe, with clouds releasing rain in spurts into the evening, including within an hour before kickoff, creating a gloomy day. The game had a short half-time delay as a thunderstorm rolled through the area.
Arizona State needed a get-right game after getting dominated on all facets of the ball a week ago in a gloomy game against Baylor. The Sun Devils improved in most areas on execution, but were far from perfect.
Arizona State football (3-2, 1-1 Big 12) eased to a 30-12 victory over Hawaii (1-5, 0-3 Mountain West). The defense looked good shutting down Hawaii to 316 yards.
“I want to play better,” head coach Kenny Dillingham said. “This is a team that can continue to grow, and you’ve got to find a way to win games while you’re growing.”
In particular, the run defense was excellent. The Sun Devils held the Rainbow Warriors to 64 yards on 22 carries.
The pass defense was good. Junior defensive back Kyan McDonald had his first career interception in the third quarter. Freshman defensive lineman Julian Hugo stormed the Rainbow Warriors backfield, recording his first two career sacks.
“Defensively, I thought we communicated better,” Dillingham said. “We had people on people, which I know sounds boring and fundamental, but that wasn’t always the case last week.”
Junior cornerback Rodney Bimmage Jr. struggled at times. He had a pair of pass interference calls on back-to-back plays. The defense struggled with penalties as they took four for 46 yards. They held Hawaii to 252 yards through the air.
Freshman running back Cardae Mack stormed for a 67-yard touchdown run, his second career touchdown and the longest offensive play this season. Mack’s first career touchdown came earlier on a one-yard run off a direct snap, a position he is comfortable with as he played cornerback in high school.
“Everybody did their part,” Mack said. “I’ve been practicing hard, doing everything right in practice.”
Mack averaged 11.8 yards per carry on his birthday. His 154 rushing yards are the most by a Sun Devil freshman in Mack’s lifetime. The last time someone had more was Keegan Herring ran for 197 yards against Northwestern in 2005.
The rushing attack rolled like thunder, 7.7 yards per carry for 231 yards, the most against an FBS opponent this season. Senior running back Kyson Brown had 29 yards on five carries. Junior quarterback Cutter Boley even burst out a 20-yard run, averaging five yards a carry.
Only 52 of the 231 rushing yards came in the first half. Only 27 of the 189 pass yards came in the second half.
“I think that (the 27 pass yards) was just part of the product of the half,” Dillingham said. “It was just a product of us not having a lot of snaps.”
The offensive line saw changes as senior Makua Pule took over at center for junior Tana Alo-Tupuola. Alo-Tupuola was out due to a personal matter, according to Dillingham.
The pass offense was fine as a whole. Boley did not have any turnovers and managed the game well, which is expected when teams are up by multiple scores.
Senior wide receiver Reed Harris continued to be a presence. He picked up 91 yards and two touchdowns on the night. Harris has matched his career-high in receiving touchdowns in a season at five.
“Reed’s (Harris) confidence level is sky-high,” Dillingham said.
Senior wide receiver Omarion Miller had a solid game. Miller hauled in six receptions for 78 yards, including a 49-yarder.
The third-down offense was okay, going 3-10. The Sun Devil offense had three three-and-outs.
Senior punter Nick McLarty had another rough game that featured a tipped punt. He averaged 34.8 yards, including the block on five boots. He averaged 41.2 yards per punt on the four not-blocked kicks.
Sixth-year kicker Carson Smith missed a 37-yard field goal as a storm was letting up. He made his three extra points and a 47-yard field goal.
A hurricane blew through Mountain America Stadium last week on the field, but this week, the Sun Devils conquered the storm and are closer to seeing a rainbow.
“(We) brought juice during the week,” junior linebacker Martell Hughes said. “I feel like that (passion) was the biggest thing that was missing last week.”
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