EL PASO, Texas - Sophomore quarterback Sam Keller could have been playing in a dirt lot in nearby Juarez, Mexico. The surroundings didn't matter as much as the result.
Keller engineered a frenzied fourth-quarter comeback Friday that was capped by a 19-yard touchdown pass to freshman tailback Rudy Burgess with 43 seconds left, lifting the ASU football team to a 27-23 win over Purdue in the Vitalis Sun Bowl.
The dramatic victory, seen by a capacity crowd of 51,288 at Sun Bowl Stadium, eased the pain from a 34-27 loss against UA in the regular-season finale. It also set the tone for next season, when Keller will be expected to do more of the same in place of heralded senior quarterback Andrew Walter.
Keller resembled Walter on the game-winning drive, completing four straight passes to help No. 21 ASU (9-3) overcome a 23-20 deficit. Purdue (7-5) scored the go-ahead touchdown with 1:14 remaining when senior quarterback Kyle Orton gunned a 6-yard touchdown pass to junior tight end Charles Davis. The score was set up when Purdue sophomore Bernard Pollard, sprung free on a botched snap by sophomore Jason Burke, blocked freshman Chris MacDonald's punt.
Keller found junior wide receiver Moey Mutz for a 3-yard gain, then hit sophomore wide receiver Terry Richardson on a 32-yard pass down the sideline. Junior wide receiver Derek Hagan's 26-yard reception moved the ball to the Purdue 19, setting up Keller's screen pass to Burgess, who shook free down the sideline and sprinted into the end zone.
"We have special plays for situations like that, so we just did it," said Keller, who completed 25 of 45 passes for 370 yards and three touchdowns in his first collegiate start.
Keller insisted that he never doubted himself on the final drive. He might have been telling the truth, considering the poise he showed during a fourth-quarter scoring drive that put ASU ahead 20-16 with 6:23 left. That drive also ended in a touchdown pass from Keller to Burgess on a similar screen play.
"The maturity that Sam showed … I love his enthusiasm for the game," ASU head coach Dirk Koetter said. "A comeback win in your first start - what's the matter with that?"
Burgess made his biggest impact on the ground, rushing for 125 yards on 20 carries. The Sun Devils also got contributions from freshmen tailbacks Preston Jones and Antone Saulsberry, who combined for 62 yards rushing.
The most notable difference was found in ASU's defense, which kept constant pressure on Orton. Junior linebacker Dale Robinson and sophomore defensive tackle Jordan Hill each had a sack, and senior linebacker Justin Burks totaled 13 tackles.
Purdue threatened after Burgess' touchdown, as Orton completed three passes to move to the ASU 47 with 6 seconds left. Orton's Hail Mary toward the corner of the end zone was broken up by junior cornerback Josh Golden and junior safety Maurice London as time expired.
"We've never given up," said ASU freshman safety Josh Barrett, who started in place of injured senior Riccardo Stewart. "Our theme was ‘answer the scratch,' and that's what we did coming down in the last seconds of the fourth quarter."
Said ASU sophomore defensive end Kyle Caldwell: "We've been in this situation too many times. You've always got to have faith. We definitely didn't put our heads down."
Hagan claimed that he didn't hold on the game-winning touchdown as Burgess trampled over Purdue freshman cornerback Paul Long inside the 20-yard line. Purdue sophomore defensive end Ray Edwards was ejected after the play for arguing with an official.
"It was a block," said Hagan, who caught nine passes for 182 yards, scoring on a 27-yard touchdown pass from Keller early in the third quarter. "Everybody blitzed, so I had to pick my guy up and handle him."
Relieved that his blown snap didn't cost his team a bowl win, Burke had nothing but love for Burgess. Maybe a little too much love.
"I went up and actually hugged and kissed him," Burke said. "Not on the lips or anything like that."
Then there were Keller's heroics.
"I just thought that if I did my job and that if I did make the right plays, we would come out and be all right, because I've got so many great players around me," Keller said. "When you have to go in there and get it done as a quarterback in this offense, it has got to come to you."
It sure did - just in the nick of time.
Reach the reporter at brian.gomez@asu.edu.
