Redshirt sophomore linebacker Viliami (Laiu) Moeakiola strips the ball from Washington quarterback Troy Williams during the game against Washington on Oct. 25. ASU defeated Washington 24-10. (Photo by Andrew Ybanez)For 57 minutes, the Washington football team hung in tough, but in the end, it wasn't enough to pull the upset.
The Huskies (5-3, 1-3 Pac-12) fell to ASU 24-10 in Seattle on Saturday night. The Huskies managed just three points on offense as redshirt freshman quarterback Troy Williams made his first career start.
Williams went 18-for-26 for 139 yards through the air. Washington's main offensive strength was on the ground, as junior linebacker Shaq Thompson ran 21 times for 98 yards and senior running back Deontae Cooper totaled 70 on 11 carries.
The Sun Devils (6-1, 4-1 Pac-12) had redshirt senior quarterback Taylor Kelly starting for the first time since Sep. 13 against Colorado, but he was held in check by the Huskies. Kelly completed 56 percent of his passes in the game for 180 yards.
In the first half, ASU had control, scoring all 10 points in the half. First, Kelly connected with redshirt junior wide receiver Jaelen Strong for a 16-yard score with just under five minutes left in the half.
Strong, who has been ASU's most consistent receiver, caught just three passes for 55 yards. Strong was frustrated all night by junior cornerback Marcus Peters.
Later, sophomore kicker Zane Gonzalez converted a 33-yard field goal to give the Sun Devils a two possession lead at halftime.
The Huskies did not quit, however, and senior linebacker John Timu intercepted a pass and returned it for a touchdown midway through the third quarter, making it 10-7 in favor of the visitors.
The Huskies outgained ASU 171 yards to 118 yards in the second half, keeping them in the game. On the team's best drive of the game, Washington moved 80 yards in 15 plays, concluding with a field goal by sophomore kicker Cameron Van Winkle to tie the game.
ASU responded quickly. With three minutes left, Kelly found redshirt junior wide receiver Gary Chambers in the end zone to give the Sun Devils a 17-10 lead. It was Chambers' first catch of the day.
On the Huskies' next drive, Williams threw an interception to freshman cornerback Armand Perry, who returned it 61 yards to the end zone to clinch the victory for the Sun Devils.
The win for ASU is the ninth straight over Washington dating back to 2002.
Reach the reporter at mtonis@asu.edu or follow him on Twitter @Tonis_The_Tiger
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