Texas A&M Upsets No. 15 Arizona State 38-17
Written by Ryan Wright
Twitter: @HogManInLA
A couple of Arizona kids and a new defensive coordinator turned out to be too much for the Sun Devils with the Texas A&M Aggies (1-0) knocking off No. 15 Arizona State 38-17 on Saturday.
Early in the first quarter the first meeting between the SEC and Pac-12 schools went back-and-forth until Aggies’s sophomore quarterback Kyle Allen connected with running back Tra Carson on a 9-yard touchdown pass. Early in the second quarter A&M scored again this time on a 79-yard explosive punt return for a touchdown by freshman Christian Kirk pushing the lead to 14-0.
Minutes later ASU (0-1) would answer when senior Mike Bercovici found Kody Kohl on a 4-yard gain with 10 minutes left to play in the half.
Both squads took turns taking shots at one another, and turning the ball over, until mid-way through the third quarter when the Aggies pushed the lead to 17-7 on a Taylor Bertolet 19-yard make. Before the end of the third quarter Bercovici had a 19-yard scramble for a touchdown making the non-conference matchup in Houston a game at 17-14.
The fourth quarter would belong to Kyle Allen, Tra Carson, and the Aggies’ defense. Allen, after being benched in the third quarter in favor of true freshman Kyler Murray, had a 12-yard touchdown run and then found Kirk on a 66-yard touchdown pass. Carson closed the fourth quarter out with a 10-yard insurance touchdown run putting the final score at 38-17.
A&M did not overwhelm in the passing attack but Allen, an Arizona native, did finish 15-of-26 for 198 yards with two passing touchdowns and an interception. He also had one score on the ground. Christian Kirk, another Arizona native, had a game-tying six receptions for a game-high 106 yards with a score. Kirk returned two punts for a total of 82 yards but his second quarter 79-yard return for a score helped break the game wide open.
The Aggies held Bercovici to 199 yards passing with one touchdown through the air and one on the ground. Demario Richard led the Sun Devils with 73 rushing yards on 16 carries.
A&M’s Tra Carson had game-highs in carries (29) and yards (96) with one touchdown. Freshman quarterback Kyler Murray displayed his explosiveness in the pocket scrambling for 69 yards on six carries while completing 4-of-9 passes for 49 yards with a pick.
The John Chavis effect took hold quicker than most people would have expected, especially against a quality opponent like ASU. The Sun Devils were held to 291 yards of total offense and turned the ball over twice. Perhaps the more impressive stat was Bercovici being sacked nine times along with 14 tackles for a loss. Daeshon Hall had a career-high four sacks and freshman All-American Myles Garrett continued his strong 2014 season with two sacks, a forced fumble, and three quarterback hurries.
Texas A&M head coach Kevin Sumlin has some work to do on offense after the Aggies turned the ball over three times. A&M did