Saturday Football

It's that time of the week again: time for that rollercoaster ride that is ASU football. Today the team (4-3, 1-3 in conference) travel to Washington to take on the Huskies (4-4, 2-3) at home for the first time since 1999. Last year, ASU won 44-20 on a 401-yard 3-TD performance by Rudy Carpenter. Doubt we will be so lucky today.

Update: Not ASU related, but Oregon State are leading USC 16-10 at the half, and should be up by more had they been able to capitalize on USC turnovers. Once again, USC demonstrate that they dont know how to play the first half of a game. 

(7:10 EST) OSU hold on to beat #3 USC 33-31. Wow. Every week USC let teams get ahead of them and then come back in the second half - it was inevitable that eventually they would fail. I predict Cal and Oregon will beat USC in the coming weeks.

(8:32 EST) Half-time and the score is 14-3 for the Devils over a mediocre Washington team. While the defense is playing reasonably well, holding Washington to 109 yards and 2 interceptions, the offense is nothing to write home about: Torain has 14 carries for 74 yards and Carpenter is 9 of 13 for a touchdown and 97 yards. Stupid penalties (8 for 60) are hurting as always.

(10:28 EST) The ASU defense from the first half refused to turn up for the second and in the fourth the offense barely got into positive yardage. A total of 16 penalties for 129 yards don't help (the yardage is a school record). And neither did a shanked punt. Or a missed extra point in the third. So at 20-20 it goes to overtime.

(10:36 EST) ASU win 26-23! OSU got a field goal, but a  Carpenter throw to Brent Miller gives ASU the win. That was close.

Carpenter was 16 for 23, 168 yards and 2 TD. Torain rushed for 104 yards, Keegan Herring rushed for 95 and two touchdowns.

Next week is Oregon State away from home. I'll be in Vancouver for the History of Science Society meeting ... probably for the best.