Zack Moss walked in his front door around 2:30 a.m. Sunday morning.
Probably a little sore after ramming into USC Trojans over and over again, and definitely somber after the heartbreak of Utah’s 28-27 loss at the Coliseum. But even after a career-high 141 yards on 20 carries, the sophomore running back made sure to pull up highlights of the defense he’d see in a week’s time.
What he glimpsed while watching the Arizona State Sun Devils put reigning Pac-12 Conference champion Washington in a chokehold, handing the previously unbeaten No. 5 Huskies their first loss of 2017, was described as “just a defensive brawl,” Moss said. ASU won, 13-7.
No, the schedule doesn’t relent. Not for Utes (4-2, 1-2). Not for anyone in the Pac-12.
ASU travels north to face Utah this weekend, fresh off its latest appearance in the #Pac12AfterDark spotlight. While much of the East Coast was winding down from a weekend filled with upsets and undefeated teams now sporting a “1” in the loss column, the Sun Devils only added to the madness.
“It was a weird weekend,” Utah coach Kyle Whittingham said. “A wild weekend.”
Not only did Washington fall for the first time this season, but Washington State was pummeled by Cal in Berkeley, Calif., on Friday. Defending national champion Clemson also lost at Syracuse the same evening.
To pull off such a huge upset, ASU reversed its own ugly trend beautifully against Jake Browning and the Huskies.
The Sun Devils were giving up over 36 points per game before knocking off Washington. In fact, the lowest point total ASU had allowed in its first five games was 30 points in a home loss to San Diego State. But ASU smothered Browning and Co., sacking the Heisman Trophy candidate eight times, while giving up just 230 yards of total offense. Washington was the highest-ranked team ASU had beaten since defeating then No.1-ranked Nebraska in September 1996.
At his own press conference on Monday, Washington coach Chris Petersen said, “I knew going in that was a scary team.”
If they didn’t before, the Utes know now.
Arizona State at Utah<br>Saturday, 1:30 p.m.<br>TV • FS1
“They were juiced up and excited and it was such a game of emotion,” Whittingham said of ASU‘s performance. “That’s one great example right there of how your mental state of mind and your preparedness is so key in football. It’s huge. They were ready.”
Quarterback Troy Williams, who began his collegiate career at Washington, said the parity in the league hasn’t surprised him, by any means.
“It doesn’t surprise me,” he said. “It’s hard to go undefeated. I feel like in any conference, that’s hard to do. When somebody does get beat, it’s not too much of a shock to me. Anybody can be beaten on any given day. You never know.”
Watching ASU fans flood the field at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Ariz., Saturday night serves as another reminder. Whittingham said while the defensive performance of the Sun Devils has the attention of the coaching staff, junior quarterback Manny Wilkins continues to come into his own. And the ASU offense, featuring talents such as wide receiver N’Keal Harry and running backs Kalen Ballage and Demario Richard will cause headaches, too.
“We’ve got our work cut out for this week,” Whittingham said, “just like we do every week.”
In studying ASU’s win over the Huskies, Moss said he saw a team that “stood up at home.” Which is precisely what the Utes must do after back-to-back losses. The Sun Devils, meanwhile, might’ve found their identity in the signature win over Washington.
“I think those things are going to clash in between,” Moss said.
