Freshman running back Demario Richard scores a touchdown in the Sun Bowl against Duke, Saturday, Dec. 27, 2014 at Sun Bowl Stadium in El Paso. ASU won 36-31. (Ben Moffat/The State Press)EL PASO -- Coach Todd Graham opened the 2014 season by telling his players that the incoming freshman class was the best one he ever had.
The freshmen proved their coach right in the Hyundai Sun Bowl in El Paso Saturday afternoon, emerging as key figures in No. 15 ASU's (10-3) 36-31 nail biter over Duke (9-4).
Saturday marked the final game in the careers of stars such as redshirt senior quarterback Taylor Kelly and redshirt junior wide receiver Jaelen Strong, but the MVP of the bowl game proved to be neither.
It was freshman running back Demario Richard, who had four touchdowns and 63 total yards, including what ended up being the game-winning touchdown catch with 4:45 remaining.
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"(Demario Richard) is a guy who can be as good as he wants to be," Graham said. "He's a force, he's got a great skill set, and only beginning to learn. He's going to be a great one."
"It's a great win, but now it's time to get working in the offseason," Richard said.
The game-winning touchdown was set up by freshman running back Kalen Ballage, whose 96-yard kickoff return set up the Sun Devils on Duke's 4-yard line. Ballage was physical running in ASU's backfield during the game, rushing five times for 15 yards.
"(Ballage) kind of had a freshman look and I mean I -- motivated him," Graham said. "I told him, 'You should play like that every play.'"
"I heard some of the Duke cheerleaders and fans behind me saying, 'You're going to drop it', so that fired me up," Ballage said. "I caught it and just got going."
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Kelly got off to a great start in the game and looked like his former self for seemingly the first time since injuring his foot against Colorado, completing 24 of 34 passes for 240 yards and two touchdowns. Strong picked up his 12th career 100-yard game in finishing with 103 yards on seven catches. Junior running back D.J. Foster led the Sun Devils with 121 total yards, and senior defensive lineman Marcus Hardison was named as the game's top lineman.
But where these veterans shone, others faltered. After jumping out to a 20-3 lead, the Sun Devils allowed Duke to crawl back into the game, eventually taking the lead with 5:03 remaining. ASU allowed Duke senior wide receiver Jamison Crowder to break free on a 68-yard punt return, and only watched as Duke converted a fake punt and a wide receiver pass to come roaring back.
It was the freshmen who stepped up to the plate.
It was ASU's defense that sealed the win, anchored by freshman defensive lineman Tashon Smallwood. Smallwood played all 77 plays for the Sun Devils, finishing with six tackles.
Smallwood was joined on defense by fellow freshmen such as linebacker D.J. Calhoun and defensive backs Armand Perry and Chad Adams.
The game's biggest play also came from a newcomer, as junior defensive back and Grossmont College transfer Kweishi Brown snagged Duke quarterback Anthony Boone's pass in the corner of the end zone with less than a minute to go. Brown had another major play earlier in the game, stripping Crowder in the red zone to set up an ASU field goal.
"It was fitting," Graham said, remarking the concerns he heard all season about having only two returning starters on the defensive end. "I knew where we were defensively (when Taylor Kelly got hurt). I knew how far we had to come."
For a coach with back-to-back 10-win seasons, to say the future only appears brighter is an accomplishment in itself. But, when looking at who has contributed for the Sun Devils this season, it's hard to say he's wrong.
"We've got a bright future," Graham said. "All of these freshmen, all these guys like Jordan Simone are coming up to me saying, 'We've got to get ready to go back. We're ready for Camp T.'"
"If you don't want to be a Sun Devil, you're crazy," Richard said. "You've got some of the best coaches in the Pac-12, and it's always a grind every week."
With these freshmen, the next goal is simple: do better. The expectation remains the same.
"We've said we were going to compete for the Pac-12 South every year and we've done that," Graham said. "But you have to win some, too, and to do that we've got to take the next step. These seniors have laid the foundation, and we're doing it the right way. We're building the right way."
"Not to be cocky, but I think Arizona State is a place that some people should really look out for," Ballage said. "We're a very young team, and we made some simple mistakes. If we don't make those mistakes and grow and mature as a team, we're going to be something special.
Kelly, widely recognized as the team's main leader, saw many great qualities in the classes to come.
"(Richard and Ballage) are great leaders," Kelly said. "They're special human beings off the field, on the field. They're leaders. They wait their turn every single week, being patient and once they got their opportunity they took off with it."
ASU and its youth will look to improve right away, as the Sun Devils open their 2015 season against Texas A&M; in Houston on Sept. 5.
Reach the assistant sports editor at fardaya@asu.edu or follow @fardaya15 on Twitter
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