TEMPE, Ariz. – History made for Shaun Aguano's Sun Devils.
Led by backup quarterback Trenton Bourguet, who entered the game in the second quarter after Emory Jones' departed following a big hit, the Sun Devils outdid No. 21 (Associated Press) Washington, 45-38, on Saturday afternoon at Sun Devil Stadium.
It's the first win for Aguano at the helm of the Sun Devils, putting him alongside Darryl Rogers as the only two coaches in program history to earn their first ASU wins against a ranked opponent. Rogers netted his in the 1980 season opener, when the Sun Devils toppled No. 9 Houston, 29-13.
A 38-38 game in the fourth quarter, Bourguet and the Sun Devils drove 82 yards in 10 plays, complete with a two-yard strike to Elijhah Badger for the go-ahead score.
ASU is now 13-2 in its last 15 meetings against UW, and the Huskies have not won at Sun Devil Stadium since 2001.
Bourguet was masterful off the bench, completing 15-of-21 passes for 182 yards, three scores and one interception. With the Tucson native under center, the Sun Devils scored on five of their remaining eight possessions, never outdone by Michael Penix and the prolific Washington offense.
Entering play, the Huskies boasted the third-best passing offense in the NCAA-FBS in and seventh-best in total offense. The Sun Devils kept Penix from throwing a touchdown pass all afternoon, the first time the southpaw quarterback hadn't done so this season.
The Sun Devils were successful on their first three drives of the afternoon, adding a first quarter field goal and a pair of second quarter touchdowns to trail 10-7 after the opening 15 minutes. A 53-yard field goal from Carter Brown, the longest field goal made by a true freshman in ASU history and a career-best for him, was the Sun Devils' response to an opening drive touchdown from Washington.
On the ensuing Sun Devil drive following a 27-yard field goal from the Huskies' Peyton Henry, the ASU offense was forced to go off-script. Jones was shaken after taking a big shot from a Washington defender, prompting the Sun Devils to turn to the backup Bourguet, who had attempted just 12 career passes entering today.
The Sun Devils knotted the ballgame at 10 apiece early in the second, just one play after Jones' departure, when Xazavian Valladay muscled his way in from 11-yards out. It was the first of three consecutive Sun Devil touchdowns in a six-minute span that breathed life into Sun Devil Stadium.
After the Sun Devil defense forced the first Huskies to punt, Bourguet led the offense on an 11-play, 90-yard trek, capped by his 14-yard toss to Valladay. Bourguet had calmly navigated his way through a Husky blitz to find Valladay open in the flat. It gave the Sun Devils their first lead of the afternoon, 17-10.
It was another day at the office for Valladay, who wound up tallying 133 all-purpose yards and two touchdowns.
ASU's defense piled on several plays later, when defensive back Jordan Clark intercepted Penix's pass that had bounced off a Husky lineman. Clark went untouched for the 38-yard score, giving the Sun Devils their largest lead of the game, 24-10.
Clark's takeaway made it the Sun Devils' eighth straight game with an interception and 13 of 14 dating back to last year.
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A late Husky touchdown by Wayne Tualapapa sent the Sun Devils into the half up a score.
The Sun Devil defense stood their ground early in the third quarter, denying the Huskies on a 4th-down attempt from inside their own 30-yard line. Working with a short field now, Bourguet delivered a beautiful ball in the back of the end zone to Badger for a 10-yard score, reclaiming a two-possession lead for the Sun Devils, 31-17.
The Huskies added two touchdowns of their own and the Sun Devils scored once more – this time it was Daniyel Ngata from one-yard out – to close out the third quarter, clinging to a 38-31 lead.
Washington's Cameron Davis plowed into the end zone from five yards out early in the fourth quarter, his third score of the game, to even it at 38-38. It was the first time the contest was tied since the 8:45 mark in the second quarter, when it was 10-10.
Bourguet then authored the heroic 82-yard drive in which he linked up with Badger for the go-ahead score.
Badger, who's matured into a mainstay in this Sun Devil offense, reeled in a team-best seven catches for 53 yard and two touchdowns.
The Sun Devil defense stood their ground down the stretch, forcing the Huskies to turn the ball over on downs in their final two possessions. The Huskies only managed to convert on one of four fourth-down attempts.
ASU enters the bye week next week playing its best football of the season. The Sun Devils will resume with a two-game road-trip, beginning with Stanford on Saturday, October 22.