Pasadena, Calif. -- The more freshman tailback Keegan Herring touches the ball, the closer he gets to solidifying his role as the go-to running back in the ASU offense.
In Saturday's loss to UCLA, the Peoria, Ariz., native had a career high 27 carries, tallying 129 yards and a touchdown.
"I had a great practice, and the coaches are confident in me," Herring said afterward.
That practice has paid off as Herring now has 771 yards on the season and is three yards shy of breaking Loren Wade's 2003 record for rushing yards by a freshman.
"A lot of freshmen kind of wear out at the end of the season, but Keegan hasn't done that," coach Dirk Koetter said.
With sophomore tailback Rudy Burgess playing special teams and making a lot of receptions out of the backfield, Koetter needed someone to help carry the load at tailback. This week, Herring asserted himself to do just that.
"Keegan had his strongest week of practice to date, so we planned to use him more," Koetter said. "You have to say that he looks pretty bright at tailback."
Herring ran for seven of the Sun Devils' 29 first downs, including moving the chains twice on a third-down play.
On second thought
There were five plays reviewed during the game, with four of them being overturned. The game was delayed for a total of 15:34 because of the reviews.
On the opening kickoff of the second half, ASU wide receiver Terry Richardson lost the ball as he was being tackled, and the Bruins recovered the fumble. However, the officials overturned the original call, stating that Richardson was down by contact prior to losing control.
Late in the game, UCLA senior tight end Marcedes Lewis attempted to catch a pass from senior quarterback Drew Olsen, but ASU senior linebacker Jamar Williams defended the ball well. Despite Williams' defense, Lewis got his hands on the ball. The call on the field was an incomplete pass, but the replays showed otherwise, and the play was ruled a 17-yard gain.
The only play that was not overturned was a game-tying touchdown catch by Richardson, where he reached across the goal line on a 5-yard reception late in the first half.
No flags, almost
ASU committed only two penalties for a total of 25 yards the entire game, it's lowest of the season. The previous low was five for 50 yards against USC.
Extra point
Olsen's first touchdown pass to junior wide receiver Joe Cowan broke former Bruin Cade McNown's school record for single-season touchdown passes. It was Olsen's 26th of the season.
Reach the reporter at thomas.j.kelley@asu.edu.
