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Quarterback Jayden Daniels gave Arizona State a bit of a scare Thursday in the third quarter against Southern Utah.
The junior Heiman hopeful went down and stayed down while trainers rushed to his side. After some water and leg stretches, Daniels was back on his feet, but not back on the field.
Head coach Herm Edwards decided it was enough action for his starter as he took the helmet from Daniels and sent Trenton Bourguet onto the field with the offense.
The third quarter ended with the Sun Devils up 34-14.
ASU has 368 total yards to Southern Utah’s with 212. However, the Sun Devils have 13 penalties for 135 yards. The penalty yard total is the highest single-game total for the Sun Devils since 2007.
Ricky Pearsall did a bit of everything for Arizona State.
Pearsall, a wide receiver and Tempe native, rushed for a 26-yard touchdown to give the Sun Devils a 34-7 lead early in the third quarter.
The carry came after Pearsall had caught two passes for 27 yards and thrown a 29-yard pass to Curtis Hodges in the first half.
Arizona State leads Southern Utah 28-7 at the half.
Sophomore running back Deamonte Trayanum scored his second touchdown of the game on a 20-yard carry.
The Thunderbirds (0-1) attempted to close the gap with a late drive but ran out of time.
Rachaad White accounted for the other two ASU touchdowns. He has a team-leading 50 yards on four carries.
Junior quarterback Jayden Daniels is 5-for-7 passing for 96 yards. The Sun Devils have used four different receivers.
Penalties plagued the Sun Devils, who were flagged 11 times for 120 yards. Among the penalties was a targeting call that disqualified edge rusher Tyler Johnson for the remainder of the game.
Arizona State’s Rachaad White picked up his second touchdown of the game on a 1-yard carry early in the second quarter. Jayden Daniels completed a pass to tight end Curtis Hodges for the 2-point conversion and a 21-7 lead over Southern Utah.
The White touchdown was set up by a double pass. Daniels tossed to receiver Ricky Pearsall, who in turned passed to Hodges.
Freshman punter Eddie Czaplicki made an impression on Arizona State fans when he dropped a 41-yard punt inside the 2-yard line late in the first quarter.
It was the first punt from Czaplicki, who took over for Michael Turk during fall camp.
Arizona State holds a 13-7 lead at the end of a quarter of play. Southern Utah has the ball on its own 7-yard line.
Southern Utah closed the gap in the first quarter when its drive was extended, thanks in part to penalties by Arizona State, ended in a rushing touchdown, which cut the Sun Devils’ lead to 13-7.
The Thunderbirds (0-1) followed up touchdown by recovering the ensuing kickoff inside ASU territory.
In the first 8 minutes against Southern Utah, Arizona State was flagged for six penalties for 75 yards, including a targeting call that sent edge rusher Tyler Johnson to the bench for the rest of the game.
Sun Devil penalties gave Southern Utah extra chances on third and fourth down, as well as an automatic first down following a face mask penalty.
Arizona State forced a turnover on Southern Utah’s second possession. This time it was Jack Jones ripping the ball away from a Thunderbird running back.
The Sun Devils nearly turned the ball back over when a Jayden Daniels pass landed in the hands of a Thunderbird defensive back. However, on review the play was overturned.
Daniels then completed a 22-yard pass to Ricky Pearsall on third-and-23. On fourth down Rachaad White got the yard and some as he scampered into the end zone. ASU added the point after for a 13-0 lead
No. 25 Arizona State struck just 24 seconds into the game. A blocked point after left the score 6-0 Sun Devils.
Southern Utah (0-1) received the opening kickoff, but a interception by DeAndre Pierce put the ball in the Sun Devils hands on the 3-yard line.
One play and 3 seconds later, DeaMonte Trayanum was in the end zone for ASU.
Arizona State football fans have been waiting a long time for this moment.
Not since the end of the 2019 season have fans been permitted inside Sun Devil Stadium.
The Thursday night kickoff allows fans to start their Labor Day weekend a bit early with the hope of celebrating a win over Southern Utah. ASU officials expect 40,000 fans to be in attendance.
The game, which was scheduled to air on the Pac-12 Network, will start on Pac-12 Arizona with a 7:44 kickoff. Utah-Weber State, which had a lengthy weather delay, is being shown on Pac-12 Network in its entirety. The Pac-12 Network will pick ASU up in progress.
Follow along for updates throughout the game.
Reach the reporter at [email protected] or 602-444-2426. Follow her on Twitter @ejhoros.
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