Redshirt senior quarterback Taylor Kelly scores a touchdown against Notre Dame, Saturday, Nov. 8, 2014 at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe. The Sun Devils beat the Fighting Irish 55-31. (Photo by Ben Moffat)Valedictorian: Redshirt senior quarterback Taylor Kelly
In a game where seemingly every player made a contribution, the team's leader gets the credit. After struggling through his first two games back from a broken foot, Kelly went 17-of-28 through the air for 224 yards, three touchdowns and an interception. He also ran in the game's final score with around a minute remaining. Kelly's most impressive moment came with his team up by three in the fourth quarter when he led the Sun Devils down the field for a touchdown with four and a half minutes left to ice the win.
While struggling in the third quarter through conservative play, the offense still put up a lot of points on the Fighting Irish. The rushing attack is improving by the week as junior DJ Foster ran for 120 yards and freshman Demario Richard had 50 yards of his own and a touchdown. Redshirt junior wide receiver Jaelen Strong had one of his patented one-handed touchdown catches, but was injured and missed most of the second half, costing the offense some flow.
At times the unit was the reason the team was doing well and at others it was the issue. In the first half, the defense suffocated senior quarterback Everett Golson to the effect of two fumbles, one recovered by ASU, and two interceptions, including one by redshirt senior safety Damarious Randall that was returned for a touchdown. For most of the second half, the defense seemed overmatched by the Fighting Irish and coach Todd Graham took some of the blame saying that he called too many conservative defenses. Either way, the unit was able to force five turnovers, record seven sacks and 10 tackles for loss in a huge win.
Nothing truly of note for the special teams, which is exactly what you want from the unit. Sophomore kicker Zane Gonzalez made his only two field goal attempts and all seven of his extra points as expected. The true standout was senior kicker Alex Garoutte, who had a touchback on five of his 10 kickoffs, including his final one that hit the goalpost.
Reach the reporter at mtonis@asu.edu or follow him on Twitter @Tonis_The_Tiger
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