TEMPE, Ariz. – Saturday night’s showdown between hot offenses and struggling defenses had the makings of an old-fashioned, Tombstone-style shootout in the Arizona desert.
But when the teams reached for their guns, Northwestern’s fired blanks.
No. 18 Arizona State (2-1) outgained NU (2-1) 773 to 416 and outscored it 52-21, while NU only brought about questions.
“I don’t think we came out and played Northwestern football,” said junior wide receiver Shaun Herbert, who caught two of NU’s three touchdowns. “We made a lot of mistakes out there on the field.”
The Cats scored on their second possession, taking a 7-0 lead on Herbert’s seven-yard touchdown reception from senior quarterback Brett Basanez.
But it was their first possession, one that ended at the Arizona State 26 with a missed field goal by junior kicker Joel Howells, that told the story for the Cats. NU allowed the Sun Devils to race by with 31 unanswered first-half points, while NU left its points on the field, coach Randy Walker said.
NU’s red zone numbers – three touchdowns in four trips – were deceiving. One came in the fourth quarter after backup quarterback C.J. Bacher came in with Arizona State up 31 points. NU also squandered three trips into Sun Devil territory, ending two 10-play drives without points.
“We need to put the ball in the end zone,” Basanez said. “We need to score. Gosh, it’s just so disheartening. We moved the ball pretty well.”
One offensive element missing most of the night was true freshman running back Tyrell Sutton. Despite carrying the ball 15 times for 98 yards, Sutton was a small part of Walker’s game plan early – on the first six possessions, the Cats threw the ball 19 times and ran six.
Sutton, who rushed for 318 yards and six touchdowns in the first two games, took eight of his 15 carries eight or more yards – including a string of five straight of 10 or more.
The lack of a running game led to quick drives for NU. The Cats held the ball for more than two minutes only once in nine first-half possessions, while the quick-strike Sun Devils built a 38-14 lead on 532 yards of total offense.
“Going back on and off the field, it’s tough to get settled,” senior linebacker Tim McGarigle said. “But that’s not an excuse. They just outplayed us today.”
Basanez said the emphasis on the pass was simply the offense taking whatever Arizona State would give them. The Sun Devils contained the running game as they shot through the NU line and dropped Sutton for four- and five-yard losses in the first half.
When it worked, the passing game was productive, with seven receivers catching passes, and Basanez and Bacher combining for a 25-of-38, 236-yard and three-touchdown day.
Only mistakes and lack of production in their opponents’ half of the field prevented the 15-point underdog Cats from living up to their reputation as a fearsome offense.
“(This game is) one we’ve got to be able to flush,” Herbert said, “and get ready for the Big Ten season next week.”
Reach Patrick Dorsey at [email protected].
