Redshirt junior safety Jordan Simone celebrates with his teammates after forcing a Washington three-and-out in the first half of the Sun Devils' game against the Huskies. ASU leads 10-0 at halftime. (Photo by Andrew Ybanez)The stormy weather in Seattle mirrored the play of both ASU and Washington in a sluggish first half featuring eleven punts, and no points through nearly 25 minutes of game time.
In the second quarter, redshirt senior quarterback Taylor Kelly passed Jake Plummer on the list of total offensive yards, good for third all-time in program history.
UW's defensive front didn't allow Kelly much room to breathe, as both teams traded punts throughout the first quarter, struggling to extend drives with reported 50 mile per hour wind gusts about a mile from Husky Stadium in Seattle.
In his first start back from injury, and more than a month of inactivity, Kelly's legs looked fresh, and his mobility appeared to be unhindered. Kelly finished 8-15 with 111 yards passing, and netted 26 yards on the ground, though ending up with just a single positive yard after being sacked three times by the Huskies' aggressive front seven.
On the other side, redshirt freshman Troy Williams made his debut in relief of sophomore Cyler Miles, who was sidelined.
The Sun Devils tacked on the first points of the night with 4:58 to go in the half, capping a six play, 50 yard drive with a 16 yard touchdown pass from Kelly to redshirt junior wide receiver Jaelen Strong.
Redshirt senior defensive lineman Paul Crawford blocked a 40-yard field goal attempt by sophomore kicker Cameron Van Winkle to keep UW off the scoreboard, while sophomore kicker Zane Gonzalez punched a 33-yarder in with under a minute to go in the half to give ASU a double digit lead heading into the locker room.
The Huskies have the option to receive the second half kickoff.
Reach the assistant sports editor at smodrich@asu.edu or follow him on Twitter @StefanJModrich
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