[slideshow_deploy id='149980']It didn't happen how ASU football wanted it to, but it got its second straight road win and its first Pac-12 conference win of the season Saturday night, 38-24 over the Colorado Buffaloes at Folsom Field.
In the process, however, the Sun Devils (3-0, 1-0 Pac-12) saw two of their captains leave the game and not return after getting injured. Redshirt senior quarterback Taylor Kelly didn't return after apparently injuring his right foot/ankle, and redshirt sophomore linebacker Laiu Moeakiola left in the first half and was later seen with his right arm in a sling.
"All I know is he's out for tonight," Graham said of Kelly at his post-game press conference. "We'll evaluate tomorrow."
Nonetheless, ASU leaves Boulder, Colorado, 1-0 in Pac-12 play and in first place in the Pac-12 South. It's winning the rest of its Pac-12 games that is now in question, after the injuries and a defensive performance that highlighted more holes than it filled.
Colorado (1-2, 0-1 Pac-12) was consistently able to hold its blocks, find open receivers down field and shed tackles against the Sun Devil defense that has already faced issues in each of those categories.
Sophomore quarterback Sefo Liufau threw the ball 46 times, completing 31 of those passes for 278 yards and three touchdowns. One bright spot for the ASU defense was its two interceptions of the Buffaloes young quarterback — its first of the season.
At least for the Sun Devils, their offense showed no signs of trouble — at least when at full strength. Kelly led six scoring drives before his injury, capped off by a 50-yard touchdown run, the longest of his career.
If Kelly's injury turns out to be serious, ASU showed a glimpse of its offense without him in the final quarter of the game, one in which the Sun Devils didn't score. Spoiler: lots of run game. With backup quarterback redshirt junior Mike Bercovici in the game, ASU ran the ball 10 times to just five plays through the air.
It helps when a player like junior running back D.J. Foster is on your team. Foster ran the ball 20 times for 147 yards and a touchdown. He added one more touchdown through the air as one of his four catches for 59 yards.
Meanwhile, Bercovici through the air completed two of his four passes for just eight yards.
Graham gave no new information on the injuries after the game, but ASU will have a week and a half to get Kelly and Moeakiola healthy for UCLA on Thursday, Sept. 25. If they aren't ready to go, expect Bercovici and freshman Christian Sam to step in to their roles, respectively.
Reach the reporter at ewebeck@asu.edu or follow him on Twitter @EvanWebeck
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