Those excited inside and out of the ASU football program believed the season would hinge on a Sept. 20 matchup with an SEC powerhouse.
But it seems a game against a middle-of-the-pack Mountain West Conference team a whole week earlier carries with it the most impact.
The now unranked Sun Devils (2-1, 1-0 Pac-10) were shocked Saturday by a 23-20 overtime loss to UNLV at Sun Devil Stadium.
Coach Dennis Erickson called the loss “sickening.”
“I didn’t have them ready to play, and I’ll take the blame,” he said.
The game was decided on sophomore kicker Thomas Weber’s potentially game-tying 35-yard field goal attempt in the first overtime period. It was blocked, knocked down like the hopes of those fans still remaining in the stands.
Weber has now converted 31 of his 33 career field goal attempts.
The fatal breakdown on the final play was just one of a slew of mistakes, Erickson said.
“We didn’t make any plays offensively,” the coach said. “We ran the football and just couldn’t convert third down.
“Defensively, we had them at third down a lot of times and they converted it.”
For the Sun Devils, there is little time for grieving with No. 3 Georgia coming to town next weekend.
“We got to deal with this one first,” Erickson said. “When we deal with that and look at it, then we’ll get ready for Georgia.”
Senior quarterback Rudy Carpenter, visibly dismayed, said he and other leaders on the team will keep the loss in perspective.
“I will say I know the character of this team is really good,” Carpenter said. “All this anger and aggression we have, we are going to put toward practice and we are going to come out and hopefully play a great game next week.”
Despite a two-game stretch in which Carpenter set a school record with 733 passing yards, the Sun Devils focused much of their offensive attack on the ground game on Saturday.
Junior Dimitri Nance led the Sun Devils with 92 yards on 20 carries.
Junior Shaun DeWitty, who has missed time with a hamstring injury, finished with 48 yards on 13 carries.
Erickson said the emphasis on the run was a result of a UNLV defense was strong against the pass.
The Sun Devils struggled mightily on third down, converting on only two of nine attempts.
ASU held a 20-13 lead and the ball with just over six minutes to play. Those advantages weren’t enough down the stretch.
As a result of ASU’s sputtering offense, UNLV got the ball back with just over three minutes remaining in the fourth quarter.
The Rebels made the most of the opportunity, driving down the field in 10 plays, the last of which saw freshman wide receiver Phillip Payne tie the game on a one-handed touchdown catch.
UNLV’s Kyle Watson then nailed a 20-yard field goal on the first drive of overtime, giving the Rebels their first lead and eventual winning margin.
How it reached the point of no return
Despite moving the ball easily in their first possession of the game, the Sun Devils had to settle for a field goal inside the UNLV 10-yard line, a trend that has consistently troubled ASU early in the season.
ASU’s first touchdown of the game came on a 22-yard touchdown pass from Carpenter to junior wide receiver Chris McGaha with just under five minutes left in the first half.
It was McGaha’s first touchdown of 2008. He did not get his first touchdown until the final game of last season.
The Sun Devils appeared to have the game under control in the third quarter when Carpenter hit junior wide receiver Kyle Williams with a 49-yard touchdown pass.
That was the team’s final score of the game.
The Sun Devils could muster only 46 yards of offense in the fourth quarter.
Carpenter was 13 of 23 with 242 yards and two touchdowns, but also threw the interception that led to UNLV’s first touchdown.
Reach the reporter at nkosmider@asu.edu.
