ASU (5-5, 3-4 Pac-12) lost to USC (7-3, 5-3 Pac-12): 38-17 on Saturday in Los Angeles.
If you didn’t see the game on Saturday, you can read a full summary here. Or, if you’ve watched any of ASU’s past four games, it was a variation on a theme. ASU has consistently started strong in the first few minutes of the first quarter, only to lose each game in painful fashion. It’s kind of like going on a good first date with someone, only to find out that the things you talked about on that first date are the only things they talk about, ever. Next!
Although Saturday’s upcoming game against Washington State looks winnable, the rest of ASU’s season looks bleak. Players are starting to focus on the Territorial Cup and our annual match-up against UA (happening on 11/23). Since the game is played down in Tucson this year, the team (and the seniors who will be taking the field for the last time) know it’s going to be tough. Even tougher after the month of play the Devils have had, where Taylor Kelly has had trouble connecting with his receiving corps and the ASU defense has been inconsistent.
Of the seven Pac-12 affiliated bowl games, ASU still has a hypothetical chance of being selected. No one is very hopeful, however. There are a lot of predictions being made by analysts, but fans are more excited about the last tailgate and the possibility of a win over the Wildcats.
There’s a lot that can be said that’s negative about the team and their performance over the past month. However, it’s not as easy to remember where the team was when Todd Graham took over, and the fact that each game represents more to those players than anything that myself or another observer can say. The Devils are trying to get it together, and they saw success at the beginning of the season. Even though that success hasn’t carried through until now, they deserve credit for how far they’ve come. But, as usual, they’ll still be measured by what they try to do with the rest of the season (and hopefully that means beating UA at home).
