Mornin Mates...
Today's Topic = Longino to the Rescue
Count me as sure the Devils were done until Antonio entered the game sometime in the second quarter yesterday in SDS...he singlehandedly lit a fire under the listless Sun Devils and brought them back from the abyss...in a reverse microcosm of last week's game, when the Devils were blowing out Wazzu in the first quarter but squandered numerous opportunities to put the game away by halftime, the Huskies essentially did the same against the Devils...the halftime score should've probably been 31-3 or thereabouts, if their FR QB had hit wide open receivers for TDs but the football gods weren't on his or the Huskies side in this game just as they have not been on the Devils side recently...
Longino's adrenaline shot to the Sun Devils, along with a simplified defensive scheme due to mounting injuries, allowed the Devils to climb back into the game and take the lead in the fourth quarter, although they had led the past three losing games, at that point in each game, only to squander each lead and lose...but not this time, as K Brown came up with an INT and Ballage then ran through and around the Huskies defense for the game clinching TD...the Huskies FR QB played like one in the closing minutes as he threw ill advised passes and lost his composure in the pressure packed Sun Devil defensive cauldron...
In other PAC news, the Cats knocked off the Utes in double overtime, Wazzu beat the Bruins on a last second pass play and Oregon beat the Cardinal in a thriller in Palo Alto...the Ducks now have their Mojo back, with the return of a healthy Vernon Adams, who sliced and diced the Stanford defense all night long, while the Cats jumped out to a lead against the Utes only to lose it but the Utes couldn't get it done when it counted late in the game...the Pirate is now earning his vast riches with a great young QB in Luke Falk...
At the start of the season, I wondered who among Graham, Mora, Rich Rod and Leach would jump out to the lead in coaching this year, since they had all been hired four years ago, and Leach may now be doing the best job of the four this season, given their record and big wins to date...I would also say that Graham has had the most disappointing year thus far, given all the preseason hype, etc, associated with his program...
However, if he and the Sun Devils can find a way to win the next two games I may change my mind related to those ratings...the Cats will be tough as they almost always are and with our crippled secondary and lackluster offense, I don't have a lot of confidence looking forward to the game...we'll see what's what with Anu Solomon, who left the game after a head hit against the Utes in the fourth quarter and Wilson was hurt again too, but the Cats have a lot of good receivers to put up against our depleted secondary and our offense has been pretty average for the most part this season...
Anyway, today is very tolerable given the great comeback win yesterday and my hat is off to Longino, who was the MVP of the game in my estimation, and to the Devils who ultimately found a way to win and to the coaching staff that managed the comeback...
Both ASU and AU are coming off great wins so it should be a very interesting Territorial Cup game next week in Tempe...
G'day Mates...Championships or Bust...Go Devils!!!
Today's Topic = Longino to the Rescue
Count me as sure the Devils were done until Antonio entered the game sometime in the second quarter yesterday in SDS...he singlehandedly lit a fire under the listless Sun Devils and brought them back from the abyss...in a reverse microcosm of last week's game, when the Devils were blowing out Wazzu in the first quarter but squandered numerous opportunities to put the game away by halftime, the Huskies essentially did the same against the Devils...the halftime score should've probably been 31-3 or thereabouts, if their FR QB had hit wide open receivers for TDs but the football gods weren't on his or the Huskies side in this game just as they have not been on the Devils side recently...
Longino's adrenaline shot to the Sun Devils, along with a simplified defensive scheme due to mounting injuries, allowed the Devils to climb back into the game and take the lead in the fourth quarter, although they had led the past three losing games, at that point in each game, only to squander each lead and lose...but not this time, as K Brown came up with an INT and Ballage then ran through and around the Huskies defense for the game clinching TD...the Huskies FR QB played like one in the closing minutes as he threw ill advised passes and lost his composure in the pressure packed Sun Devil defensive cauldron...
In other PAC news, the Cats knocked off the Utes in double overtime, Wazzu beat the Bruins on a last second pass play and Oregon beat the Cardinal in a thriller in Palo Alto...the Ducks now have their Mojo back, with the return of a healthy Vernon Adams, who sliced and diced the Stanford defense all night long, while the Cats jumped out to a lead against the Utes only to lose it but the Utes couldn't get it done when it counted late in the game...the Pirate is now earning his vast riches with a great young QB in Luke Falk...
At the start of the season, I wondered who among Graham, Mora, Rich Rod and Leach would jump out to the lead in coaching this year, since they had all been hired four years ago, and Leach may now be doing the best job of the four this season, given their record and big wins to date...I would also say that Graham has had the most disappointing year thus far, given all the preseason hype, etc, associated with his program...
However, if he and the Sun Devils can find a way to win the next two games I may change my mind related to those ratings...the Cats will be tough as they almost always are and with our crippled secondary and lackluster offense, I don't have a lot of confidence looking forward to the game...we'll see what's what with Anu Solomon, who left the game after a head hit against the Utes in the fourth quarter and Wilson was hurt again too, but the Cats have a lot of good receivers to put up against our depleted secondary and our offense has been pretty average for the most part this season...
Anyway, today is very tolerable given the great comeback win yesterday and my hat is off to Longino, who was the MVP of the game in my estimation, and to the Devils who ultimately found a way to win and to the coaching staff that managed the comeback...
Both ASU and AU are coming off great wins so it should be a very interesting Territorial Cup game next week in Tempe...
G'day Mates...Championships or Bust...Go Devils!!!
