Different place, same story.
The ASU football team (2-3, 1-2 Pac-10) struggled in its first road contest of the season Saturday, falling 24-14 at Cal in a familiar fashion.
The Sun Devil running game was once again ineffective, while their defense had trouble containing the Cal offense.
Even without standout sophomore running back Jahvid Best, Cal (4-1, 2-0) controlled the contest from the onset with its running game.
Redshirt freshman running back Shane Vereen was busy taking screens and handoffs from senior quarterback Nate Longshore. Vereen totaled 144 yards of total offense, 51 of them receiving.
Longshore started in place of sophomore Kevin Riley.
ASU junior Dimitri Nance fumbled on ASU’s first possession after a Cal field goal put the team up 3-0. The Golden Bears took over on the ASU 41-yard line and marched down the field with ease, using a heavy dose of Vereen.
Longshore connected with senior wide receiver LaReylle Cunningham for a 19-yard touchdown to give Cal a 10-0 lead with 5:16 left in the first quarter.
ASU junior linebacker Mike Nixon intercepted Longshore on Cal’s next possession, but the Sun Devils couldn’t capitalize. ASU took over on the Cal 42-yard line but was forced to punt after three plays.
The Golden Bears scored on its ensuing possession, exploiting ASU sophomore cornerback Omar Bolden to take a commanding 17-0 lead.
Bolden was beaten badly on a 30-yard Longshore completion to junior wide receiver Nyan Boateng during the drive that ended with a 22-yard touchdown reception by junior tight end Cameron Morrah. Bolden had single coverage on Morrah but slow him down near the goal-line.
ASU proceeded to put together its first good drive on the ensuing series. The Sun Devils marched 70 yards on 10 plays to bring the score to 17-7. ASU senior quarterback Rudy Carpenter hit junior wide receiver Kyle Williams on a slant, before he ran into the end zone untouched for a 30-yard score.
Carpenter was picked off by Cal sophomore cornerback Chris Conte with 9:04 left in the third quarter. The Golden Bears scored three plays later on a 19-yard pass from Longshore to Boateng to bring the score to 24-7.
ASU responded with a 14-play, 68-yard scoring drive that was capped off by an 8-yard run by senior running back Keegan Herring. Herring was stalled at the Cal 4-yard line, but the pile pushed him into the end zone to give ASU the score.
Williams had a great punt return early in the fourth quarter to bring ASU to Cal’s 45-yard line. But the drive ended with Carpenter’s second interception of the game. Carpenter finished 20 of 35 for 165 yards, 1 touchdown and 2 interceptions.
The game was effectively ended on a menacing sack of Carpenter by Cal senior linebacker Zach Follett with 6:41 left in the game. Carpenter fumbled for a 15-yard loss and ASU was forced to punt.
Reach the reporter at alex.espinoza@asu.edu.
