After ASU netted only 1 yard on the ground in the first quarter, something had to change.
When the clock was reset to 15 minutes and the second quarter was ready to begin, a spark that the Sun Devils had all but forgotten reemerged to take the game over, almost single-handedly.
Junior running back Mike Williams exploded for a career day on the ground, rushing for a personal-best 162 yards on 40 carries, scoring four touchdowns. His 40 attempts were the second most in school history, and his four touchdowns tied him with 18 others for second all-time at ASU. The 162-yard performance eclipsed his previous best of 143, which he set against Colorado State in 2000.
Early in the season Williams was head coach Dirk Koetter's starter at the position, but he lost the job five games into the year.
"It's just a great feeling to get the ball over and over again and get in the rhythm of the game," Williams said. "It's kind of hard to get in the rhythm when you're second or third string."
With the success the team has seen in the air this year, the Wildcats felt it was key for them to take the big play out of ASU's repertoire and make them win on the ground. In the first half, UA primarily used a 3-4 defensive set, which places only three defenders on the line and gives an extra man to protect against the pass.
Their plan backfired.
"They tried to take away the deep pass, so we kept the ball on the ground," Williams said. "[Our offensive line] had the three guys blocked up front, and once you get to the secondary and make a couple of guys miss, you'll knock off a couple of long runs here and there."
ASU's first possession of the second quarter was instrumental in the outcome of the game. After the Sun Devils recovered a crucial UA fumble, Williams and the rest of the offense looked up and saw 94 yards to the goal line.
In a 10-play drive in which he carried the ball five times for 23 yards, Williams found an open corner of the end zone and gave the Sun Devils a 10-7 lead for his first touchdown of the day.
"They were playing three down a lot, so you've got to run the football against that," sophomore quarterback Andrew Walter said. "Mike was able to have a big game. Our offensive line made holes and he creased them off of that. It took a lot of pressure off of the passing game."
In the third quarter UA was right back to their original game plan, and again Koetter elected to call on Williams to carry the team.
Williams' success wasn't a mere product of UA's game plan. Making a crucial adjustment after his dismal first quarter, Williams began making the first hit, rather than being the first to get hit. His second efforts alone accounted for three of his touchdowns, where he ran around, through or simply took the defender with him into the end zone.
"Mike was a workhorse for us today," Koetter said. "He got us down there so he deserved to be the guy finishing it off."
But Williams elected to not take the credit for himself, hoisting the Territorial Cup MVP trophy, saying it was his teammates who deserved the award, not just him.
Reach the reporter at damien.tippett@asu.edu.
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