Instant Analysis: Arizona State

(AP Photo/Lance Iversen)

The Beavers road struggles continued on Saturday with a 52-24 loss to Arizona State in Tempe. The Beavers have now lost 22 straight road games dating back to 2014. There were points where the Beavers looked competitive against the Sun Devils, (mostly on offense) but they were ultimately blown out in the end.

Biggest Positive: Jermar Jefferson had another monster day running the football for the Beavers. They went to him early and often as he was the only player that was consistently getting positive yards on offense. Jefferson finished the day with 31 carries for 254 yards and two touchdowns. His 254 yards is second in school history for yards in a game and the most yards ever against Arizona State. Sadly, Jefferson's huge game was overshadowed by ASU's running back Benjamin Eno who ran for 312 yards and three touchdowns. Jefferson has been a pleasant surprise for the Beavers's offense this year and has stepped up big time for Artavis Pierce who is still out with an elbow injury for a couple more weeks. He's proven that he can run the ball against PAC 12 defenses, and when Piece is eventually healthy again, the Beavers will have a dominant duo in the backfield.

Biggest Negative: The defensive secondary was not good on Saturday night. Not only were they getting beat by Arizona State receivers but they were missing tackle after tackle from both Manny Wilkins and Benjamin Eno. Arizona ended up running for 396 yards and passing for 162. The 162 passing yards seems like it isn't too bad but considering Manny Wilkins only passed the ball 25 times, ASU obviously wasn't trying to beat the Beavers through the air. Through two PAC 12 games (Arizona and Arizona State) the Beavers have given up 838 yards rushing. The defensive line is just as much to blame as the secondary for that stat but the inability to tackle by the secondary has allowed for huge yardage run plays to happen almost at least once a drive. The tackling needs to get better if the Beavers want to have a chance to stop any PAC 12 offense and have a chance to win a PAC 12 game.

Biggest Surprise: Conor Blount didn't play terrible Saturday despite not having the best stats. He was playing injured practically the whole night and got sacked five times. Blount finished the game completing 14 of 23 passes for 145 yards and a touchdown. He was pressured nearly every time he went back to pass but made some good plays with his feet to avoid the pressure and get positive yards. The biggest of these plays came in the third quarter when blount stepped in the pocket, then ran towards the right sideline making the Arizona State defenders think he was going to run but throwing at the last second to a wide open Noah Togiai in the back of the end zone. This was a big play that got the Beavers back to within 14 points and was a moment that impressed me as I saw it. I think Blount has played well throughout the season but has been faced with multiple challenges including a sub-par offensive line and the loss of Artavis Pierce. I think he still has the starting spot locked up for at least the next game.

The Beavers go back home to Reser next Saturday to play Washington State. It will be a huge test for the secondary was WSU's quarterback threw for 435 yards today against Utah. I think it's going to be a tough week next week for the Beavers but they usually play well against Washington State at home.