Recap and highlights: No. 18 Arizona State slips past Washington State with late touchdown

TEMPE, Ariz. – Jayden Daniels capped a 75-yard drive with a 17-yard touchdown run with 34 seconds left, giving No. 18 Arizona State a 38-34 victory over Washington State on Saturday afternoon, the Cougars’ third straight loss to start Pac-12 Conference play.

Daniels, the Sun Devils’ freshman quarterback, finished with 363 yards passing on 26 of 36 attempts, becoming the latest player to victimize the Washington State defense.

He found senior receiver Brandon Aiyuk seven times for 196 yards and three touchdowns. Eno Benjamin averaged 7.2 yards on his 19 carries for another 137 yards and a touchdown.

Anthony Gordon started the game hot, with completions on 9 of his first 10 attempts as the Cougars built a 10-0 lead. He finished with 466 yards on 44 of 64 attempts. Easop Winston Jr. set a career high with 14 receptions that went for 118 yards and a touchdown.

Sophomore running back Max Borghi was mostly held in check. He had a season-low 31 yards rushing on nine carries, adding five catches for another 32 yards.

Washington State (3-3 overall, 0-3 Pac-12) took a 34-31 lead late with a 31-yard Blake Mazza field goal, his third of the game, with 2 minutes, 30 seconds left.

Arizona State (5-1, 2-1) converted on a fourth-and-2 at the Washington State 45-yard line to keep its final drive alive.

Under pressure, Gordon’s final heave toward the end zone with 4 seconds remaining fell short. – Dan Thompson, For The Spokesman-Review

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Highlights: Arizona State 38, Washington State 34

Pac-12 Networks / YouTube

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First quarter

12:36 – WSU 7, ASU 0: Travell Harris makes a nice adjustment to catch a 35-yard touchdown pass from Anthony Gordon and the Cougars have the early lead in Tempe.

Harris found himself open behind the Arizona State secondary, but had to jump back and reach over his head to snag Gordon’s floater.

The Cougars, starting at their 34, featured Max Borghi early. The sophomore running back got the handoff on first down (no gain) and caught a swing pass on second (no gain). On fourth-and-1 from the WSU 43, Borghi hit the hole up the middle for a 7-yard rush.

5:19 – WSU 10, ASU 0: Blake Mazza’s kick is good from 33 yards and Washington State extends its lead after an impressive drive.

The Cougars, behind quarterback Anthony Gordon, went 69 yards in 13 plays. Gordon threw for all the yards and is now up to 113 yards for the game.

Six receivers have receptions for the Cougs, led by Renard Bell with three.

WSU got the ball back after forcing Arizona State to go three-and-out on its first possession.

Second quarter

11:50 – WSU 10, ASU 7: Arizona State cuts into the WSU lead with a 40-yard touchdown pass from Jayden Daniels to Brandon Aiyuk.

Aiyuk was able to get away from WSU safety Skyler Thomas on a 3rd-and-5 for his third TD reception of the season.

The Sun Devils went 73 yards on the drive, which was sparked by a conversion on third-and-7 at their own 30. Daniels found Frank Darby for a 9-yard completion and the first down.

Daniels is 7 of 9 for 94 yards passing.

8:15 – WSU 17, ASU 7: The Cougars respond quickly to ASU’s touchdown with a TD of their own as Anthony Gordon hits a wide-open Dezmon Patmon in the back of the end zone.

WSU started the drive with two big pass plays. Gordon connected with Travell Harris for 29 yards on the first play and then found Patmon for 29 on the second to move the Cougs from their own 13 to the ASU 29.

A personal foul on Arizona State got WSU into the red zone before Calvin Jackson Jr. took Gordon’s screen pass 12 yards down to the 1. After Max Borghi lost a yard, Gordon found Patmon for the 2-yard TD pass.

The Cougs went 87 yards in 3:30.

Gordon is up to 189 yards on 16-of-22 passing. Patmon has four receptions for 57 yards and Harris has his two long catches for 64 yards.

1:55 – WSU 17, ASU 14: The Sun Devils burn the Washington State secondary with a quick slant as Brandon Aiyuk goes 86 yards on the catch-and-run to get Arizona State back within 3.

The Cougs punted the ball back to ASU with 2:44 left in the half. After an Eno Benjamin run for 1 yard, quarterback Jaylen Daniels hit Aiyuk who ran away from WSU cornerback Marcus Strong for the score.

Aiyuk has four receptions for 140 yards and two TDs.

0:03 – WSU 17, ASU 17: Arizona State ties the game right before halftime as Cristian Zendejas hits a 31-yard field goal.

The Sun Devils went 62 yards in 1:29 after the Cougars had to punt after a three-and-out.

A 20-yard run from Eno Benjamin on the first play of the drive got ASU started.

Halftime

Third quarter

10:38 – ASU 24, WSU 17: Eno Benjamin gives the Sun Devils the lead with a 32-yard touchdown on fourth-and-1 at the start of the second half.

Benjamin took the handoff up the middle, made one man miss and was gone.

Arizona State marched 75 yards in nine plays to open the second half. Benjamin got a bulk of the work, carrying six times for 65 yards. He is now at 99 yards on 12 carries.

5:35 – WSU 24, ASU 24: Starting at their own 9, the Cougars storm down the field to tie the game on a 2-yard touchdown pass from Anthony Gordon to Easop Winston Jr.

The Cougars ran 14 plays on the drive, with Gordon completing 9 of 13 passes for 89 yards. Max Borghi had the only rush of the drive, and it was an important one: a 2-yard gain on fourth-and-1 from the ASU 9.

Gordon is at 312 yards on 29-of-44 passing.

Winston Jr. has 9 receptions for 79 yards.

0:10 – WSU 31, ASU 24: Max Borghi powers into the end zone from 2-yards out and the Cougars have the lead back.

Borghi finished Washington State’s second consecutive 90-plus-yard touchdown drive after an ASU punt started the Cougs at their own 8.

Quarterback Anthony Gordon was 4-of-6 passing for 52 yards on the drive. Gordon spread the ball around, connecting with four receivers, including Borghi.

Borghi had 24 yards rushing and 7 yards receiving during the drive.

Fourth quarter

11:19 – WSU 31, ASU 31: Arizona State receiver Brandon Aiyuk ties the game on a 33-yard touchdown pass from Jayden Daniels.

Aiyuk caught the ball in stride on a slant route, shed cornerback Marcus Strong, and hopped into the end zone for his third touchdown of the game. He now has 173 yards on 5 catches.

Daniels is up to 310 yards on 20-of-28 passing.

2:30 – WSU 34, ASU 31: Blake Mazza kicks a 31-yard field goal just inside the right upright to give Washington State the lead with under 3 minutes to play.

Mazza was rushed on during a fourth-and-5 at the ASU 14 and nearly missed. He pushed his first kick attempt wide right, but WSU coach Mike Leach had called timeout before the snap.

The Cougars started the drive at the ASU 36 after a 29-yard punt from the Sun Devils’ Michael Turk.

WSU was able to pick up one first down, but stalled in the red zone before calling on Mazza, who is now 9-of-9 for the season.

0:34 – ASU 38, WSU 34: Arizona State quarterback Jayden Daniels gives the Sun Devils the late lead with a 17-yard rushing touchdown.

Daniels scrambled to his left and cut up-field before jumping across the goal line.

The Sun Devils went 75 yards in 1:56. They ran 10 plays and converted a fourth down on the drive.

Pregame