After taking a 41-36 lead with 4:56 left in the Cactus Bowl, ASU football had the opportunity to attempt a two-point conversion and take a seven-point lead over West Virginia. Instead, the team elected to kick a field goal.
WVU then took the lead with a touchdown drive, giving ASU 2:19 to score.
“We were supposed to go for the two-point play (but didn’t), and that’s my responsibility,” said ASU head coach Todd Graham. “That’s my fault.”
WVU won 43-42. Despite the high score, the game started slow.
The first quarter ended with WVU holding a 6-3 lead until junior quarterback Skyler Howard found redshirt sophomore wide receiver Ka'Raun White for a a 53-yard pass. ASU only scored one field goal in the first quarter with an interception by redshirt junior linebacker Salamo Fiso.
The Sun Devils finally took the lead over West Virginia in the second quarter with a four-play drive that ended in a touchdown pass to Devin Lucien. ASU finally had a 10-9 lead.
WVU answered this move by taking a 16-10 lead on an 80-yard drive. The Mountaineers scored their second touchdown when the Sun Devils scored a field goal after a long drive to the one yard line.
WVU head coach Dana Holgorsen said this touchdown was a sign of improved passing.
"We worked hard on the passing game," said WVU head coach Dana Holgorsen. "We made a couple adjustments. Really proud of Skyler."
With WVU leading 22-13 and trying for the point-after, a blocked kick was recovered by redshirt junior wide receiver Tim White, who returned it for a defensive PAT.
The play put ASU within a touchdown with WVU leading 22-15. The blocked PAT was just the second in Cactus Bowl history and the first by ASU since 2010. It was the first time WVU missed the extra point since 2013.
White recorded 289 all-purpose yards: 79 were receiving, 177 came off kickoff returns and 33 were from punt returns. He broke the school single-season record for kickoff return yards. He attributed his success to the blockers.
"They do all the hard work," he said. "I just have the easy job, see the hole and hit it."
The Sun Devils managed a field goal on the final drive of the half, bringing the score to 22-18, West Virginia leading.
The second half was, like the first, defined by lead changes and clutch moments. Redshirt senior quarterback Mike Bercovici capitalized on the first possession. A 40-yard pass from Bercovici to White was the biggest play of the drive, and a two-yard pass to White got ASU a touchdown and a 25-22 lead.
West Virginia followed with a 75-yard drive, which ended on a 64-yard touchdown pass to freshman wide receiver Gary Jennings.
White answered with another touchdown just minutes later to give ASU a 32-29 advantage.
A WVU touchdown pass to junior wide receiver Daikiel Shorts put the Mountaineers up 36-32, and an interception by freshman defensive back Kareem Orr helped ASU complete a field goal to bring them to within a point.
Continuing the night’s theme of lead changes, a 58-yard touchdown pass from Bercovici to senior wide receiver Gary Chambers put ASU up 42-36. Graham’s decision not to try for two points after the touchdown came back to haunt ASU, as a WVU touchdown with about two minutes left in the fourth quarter gave the Mountaineers a 43-42 lead.
"It's about time it fell together," said Howard on WVU's offensive success. "Our goal throughout this season was to get better each week on offense, keep improving each week. It finally started clicking."
The Sun Devils, who had dropped four of their last six coming into the Cactus Bowl, drop another close game — similar to the outcomes of their games against Oregon and Cal.
"It's leadership. That's why you win close games and why you lose close games," said ASU head coach Todd Graham after the 43-42 loss. "We just didn't finish. Too many mistakes."
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