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The Arizona State Sun Devils have had a week off and are no doubt ready to get back on the field. ASU and the Washington State Cougars will face off in a Pac-12 battle at 3 p.m. ET on Saturday at Sun Devil Stadium, Frank Kush Field. The Sun Devils are out to keep their four-game home win streak alive.
ASU might not have won anyway, but with 92 yards lost due to penalties, they really shot themselves in the foot two weeks ago. They came up short against the Utah Utes, falling 35-21. ASU was up 21-7 at the end of the half but couldn't hold on to the lead. Arizona State's loss came about despite a quality game from QB Jayden Daniels, who passed for two TDs and 237 yards on 31 attempts in addition to rushing for one TD and 32 yards.
Meanwhile, Washington State was first on the board but had to settle for second at the end of their game against the BYU Cougars last week. Washington State fell in a 21-19 heartbreaker. The contest was a 7-7 toss-up at halftime, but they were outplayed the rest of the way. The losing side was boosted by RB Max Borghi, who punched in three rushing touchdowns.
The Sun Devils are the favorite in this one, with an expected 15.5-point margin of victory. Those burned by picking them against the spread two weeks ago might want to keep in mind that the squad has not yet dropped back-to-back games against the spread this season.
The losses put ASU at 5-2 and Washington State at 4-4. Two defensive stats to keep in the back of your head while watching: ASU is stumbling into the matchup with the 174th most rushing touchdowns allowed in the nation, having given up nine on the season. Washington State has experienced some rushing struggles of their own as they are 187th worst in the nation in rushing touchdowns allowed, with ten on the season. It's possible one of these Achilles' heels will wind up tripping the losing team up.
