It’s about the moment.
Arizona State hasn’t had a moment quite like this since Sept. 21, 1996, when two-time defending champion and top-ranked Nebraska left Tempe with a 19-0 loss. That Sun Devils team - led by Jake Plummer and Pat Tillman - marched on to the Rose Bowl.
It’s fitting that 18 years after that upset and 10 years removed from Tillman’s death, the Sun Devils enjoyed their moment in the dry-desert sun against No. 8 Notre Dame (7-2).
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And the 55-31 blowout happened on Veteran’s Day. That’s perfect theatre in the Valley of the Sun.
"We wanted to make a statement that Arizona State is a real good football team and a contender," Arizona State coach Todd Graham said afterward. "This is the biggest win we’ve had in the three years since our coaches have been here."
Statement made. No. 11 Arizona State (8-1) went from late-night curiosity to a real contender for the four-team College Football Playoff.
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In the moment, the narrative will focus on Notre Dame quarterback Everett Golson’s five turnovers, but there was much more to it than that. Arizona State was bigger, faster, stronger and better than Notre Dame.
— Golson’s turnovers can’t be understated, a first-quarter fumble and interception led to back-to-back TDs for the Sun Devils for an early 17-3 lead. He threw a pick six to Damarious Randle in the second quarter, a red-zone interception in the third quarter and the game-ending pick six to Lloyd Carrington in the fourth.
— Taylor Kelly’s touchdown passes to Jaelen Strong and Cameron Smith helped open up a 34-10 halftime lead. Kelly, Strong and running back D.J. Foster are the ideal set of offensive triplets, and Strong will be a hot commodity in fantasy leagues if he chooses to go in the 2015 NFL Draft.
— The Sun Devils limited Notre Dame to 21 carries for 23 yards in the first half. Arizona State also finished with seven sacks.
— Notre Dame made it interesting in the third quarter by outgaining Arizona State 198-32 and cut the lead to 41-31 before the pick six and a cosmetic TD run by Kelly for the final margin.
The Sun Devils’ path to the playoff remains complicated. Will Arizona State be forgiven for the 62-27 disaster against UCLA on Sept. 25, a game in which Kelly did not play because of a right foot injury?
Arizona State should win the next two (at Oregon State, vs. Washington State) before a must-see game at Arizona the day after Thanksgiving. The winner there likely gets the right to face Oregon in the Pac-12 championship game.
That’s a lot to focus on in the future. For now, Arizona State joins Baylor as fresh-and-exciting teams with room to move up the rankings. That ’96 team did just that.
It’s about the moment, and the momentum that follows. Enjoy it, Tempe. Enjoy every second of it.
