ASU football defeated Oregon State 46-33 Saturday night in Corvallis, Oregon to capture its second straight win and finish its season with a 2-2 record.
Although the Sun Devils are eligible to play in a bowl game following the win, they have opted not to accept an invitation to one.
"The key going into this game for us was, we didn't want to have a losing season," ASU head coach Herm Edwards said. "We got to 2-2, and we feel like, at this point, we're going to give our athletes a rest."
The Sun Devils' offense sputtered on their initial series, but they moved the ball effortlessly for most of the night, scoring a touchdown on seven of their next nine drives.
ASU continued its season-long dominance on the ground against Oregon State (2-5), rushing for 375 yards and six touchdowns, including two scores of more than 50 yards from sophomore quarterback Jayden Daniels and junior running back Rachaad White.
White made a significant impact on the running game, totaling 158 yards and two touchdowns to finish the season with an average of 10 yards per carry.
"(White's) an explosive, explosive kid, and I'm glad we've got him for a couple years," offensive coordinator Zak Hill said.
Daniels aided the team's running attack with 83 rushing yards and two touchdowns.
"He's always had the skill set of a runner, it's just most people don't think he can run," Edwards said. "But once you see him get out in the open, he's very elusive."
Daniels completed just eight passes for 139 yards against the Beavers but did connect with redshirt sophomore wide receiver Geordon Porter for a 63-yard score.
Edwards said he anticipates more from Daniels through the air next season, as he totaled just five passing touchdowns in 2020.
"The more he familiarizes himself with his wide receivers, we can do some more in the passing game," Edwards said.
The Sun Devils also managed to avoid turning the ball over for the second straight game after totaling five over their first two contests. The Sun Devils also forced two turnovers from the Beavers.
Although the Sun Devils put together a dynamic offensive performance, the team had great difficulty stopping the run, allowing 250 rushing yards, the first time they have surrendered over 175 in a game this season.
Along with Oregon State junior running back Jermar Jefferson, who rushed for 103 yards, and redshirt junior linebacker Jack Colletto, who transitioned to his position from quarterback, scored two touchdowns and tested ASU's defense out of wildcat formations.
However, the Beavers struggled through the air against the Sun Devils' secondary, as redshirt sophomore quarterback Chance Nolan completed just 9-23 passes for 114 yards.
Although ASU finished the season in dominant fashion, the promise of its campaign was ultimately limited by a COVID-19 outbreak within the program and two close losses to USC and UCLA.
"We should have been 4-0," Daniels said. "We should have been playing yesterday (in the Pac-12 Championship Game). Given the circumstances, we put ourselves in this situation, and that's just motivation to build on for next year."
Edwards said although the Sun Devils were not able to accomplish what they wanted to, the fact that they were able to play out a season was a significant achievement in itself.
"This has been the hardest (season) for me in my whole life," Edwards said. "This has been very, very tough for everyone involved, and I say that for all college coaches and all college student-athletes who had to go through what we had to go through to try to play football. It's a credit to these young people; their resolve, (and) their ability to do something that's very, very difficult."
Reach the reporter at cbreber@asu.edu and follow @carsobi on Twitter.
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