Going into Saturday night's contest, ASU football was pegged as the underdog against the No. 5 Washington Huskies (6-1, 3-1). However, the evening ended with the Sun Devils (3-3, 2-1) celebrating a 13-7 victory.
The high-scoring UW offense came out flat in its first drive. ASU’s defense forced an early third and long that didn't stand a chance at being converted.
After a solid defensive effort, redshirt junior quarterback Manny Wilkins methodically marched the Sun Devils down the field.
ASU was able to capitalize on its first drive with important runs from senior running back Demario Richard and sophomore wide receiver N’Keal Harry.
However, it was senior tailback Kalen Ballage who found the end zone on a 1-yard run.
The Sun Devils were up 7-0 with 5:26 left in the first quarter.
After ASU’s 16-play, 63-yard drive, UW’s offense continued to struggle.
An early 20-yard burst up the middle from UW senior running back Lavon Coleman was soon followed by a few short-yardage plays. A lackluster second drive resulted in a punt for the Huskies.
Wilkins and company failed to keep up their early success. After a couple short runs, ASU was forced into a third and five and could not convert.
Even with the forced Sun Devil punt, the Huskies' struggle continued. A sack from redshirt junior defensive lineman Renell Wren was later followed by third and 26.
The first quarter would end with the Huskies facing a fourth and 20.
The Washington punt would be partially blocked by freshman wide receiver Curtis Hodges. ASU began its drive on the UW 35-yard line.
A short run from Ballage was followed by two incompletions from Wilkins. Freshman kicker Brandon Ruiz got ASU three more points with a successful 52-yard field goal.
Washington’s next drive began on its own 24-yard line and didn't last long.
After two plays of minimal gain redshirt senior linebacker Alani Latu and senior defensive lineman Tashon Smallwood combined for a sack.
The Huskies punted on fourth and long.
A 10-yard grab from Harry soon gave the offense a spark. After a successful quarterback sneak from Wilkins on fourth and one, he completed a 36-yard pass down the right sideline to redshirt junior wideout Jalen Harvey.
Despite the big play, the Sun Devils would rely on Ruiz to hit a chip shot 25-yard field goal.
ASU led 13-0 with 5:44 left in the first half.
The head-scratching play for the Huskies continued as the team quickly found itself facing another third and long. However, a broken play gave birth to a huge 24-yard catch from Coleman.
The Huskies' junior quarterback Jake Browning’s sack evasion didn’t last much longer. He soon found himself on the ground after senior linebacker DJ Calhoun brought him down on third down.
ASU received the punt and began possession on its own 19. Nevertheless, the Sun Devils wouldn’t find much success on their final drive of the quarter.
UW didn’t attempt any trickery on the final play of the half, and ASU maintained its lead at halftime 13-0.
The Sun Devils looked to continue their first half success on the first drive of the second half. However, after a gain of a yard on three plays, ASU would punt.
Browning was dealt unfortunate circumstances after taking a brutal hit from redshirt junior linebacker Christian Sam. A Huskies touchdown was negated by a holding penalty.
Washington was desperate for a surge and made the call to go for it on fourth and three from the ASU 32-yard line. The desperation proved prosperous as UW converted.
On the next play Browning completed a 13-yard strike to senior wide receiver Dante Pettis.
Nonetheless, the Huskies’ offense stalled, and the special teams were not much better as the UW kicker missed on a 27-yard field goal.
Wilkins quickly took the offense down the field with completions of 23 and 14. However, an incomplete pass in the end zone intended for redshirt senior wide receiver Ryan Jenkins took the air out of the crowd — and the offense.
The next play Wilkins was sacked and the Sun Devils would have to punt.
After a quick first down, Browning lost his touch and overthrew his receivers multiple times. Several ugly passes resulted in UW punting, pinning ASU inside the 5-yard line.
Facing a difficult task to get outside of their own end zone, the Sun Devils couldn’t move the ball. They gave the ball right back to the Huskies on the ASU 41-yard line via a punt.
Browning soon found his favorite target in Pettis. The two connected on passes of 12 and 13 yards.
UW was forced to settle for a seemingly easy field goal. However, the kick was anything but easy as the Huskies’ 21-yard kick hit the post and missed.
ASU ended the quarter with possession leading 13-0.
As the final quarter began with cheers from Sun Devil fans, but they didn’t last long as ASU had trouble moving the ball. The Sun Devils found themselves in a punting situation.
Browning had no chance on the ensuing UW drive. He was leveled on three-straight plays before the Huskies punted.
Wilkins took the energy from the crowd and found his groove. He completed passes of 5, 3, 17 and 2 before missing on a deep shot to Harvey.
On fourth and six the, Sun Devils opted to attempt a 47-yard field goal. However, Washington took over after ASU missed wide left on the kick.
UW had possession on its own 29 with 9:04 remaining in the game.
With a win on the line, ASU’s defense stepped up. The Huskies faced a third and six with no offensive rhythm to speak off.
Browning scrambled around the pocket and eventually found Pettis for the first down.
The very next play was a 17-yard run down the right sideline by junior tailback Myles Gaskin.
However, it seemed too good to be true for the Huskies; Browning delivered a bullet to sophomore wide receiver Quinten Pounds to move the chains for a first down.
The Huskies capitalized on the drive with a 1-yard quarterback sneak from Browning.
ASU just needed to hang onto the football for roughly 5 minutes, and with a 20-yard completion to Harry, the Sun Devils were set to put the game away.
Although the Sun Devils were ready to finish off the Huskies, it wouldn’t be a true ASU upset without another iconic Wilkins’ hurdle.
After the jump ASU was unable to convert on a third and three. Nonetheless, Wilkins sealed the game with a miraculous fourth down 30-yard completion to junior tight end Ceejhay French-Love with 1:56 left in the game.
The Sun Devils would close out the 13-7 upset in victory formation.
Reach the reporter at atotri@asu.edu or follow @Anthony_Totri on Twitter.
Like State Press Sports on Facebook and follow @statepresssport on Twitter.
