Friday, September 16, 2016 09:30 PM
(ET)
Arizona State avoids upset at Texas-San Antonio
The Sports Xchange
Sep 17, 2016
Arizona State running back Kalen Ballage scored the winning points on a direct snap with 3:15 left, Zane Gonzalez kicked two 54-yard field goals and the Sun Devils rallied to beat Texas-San Antonio 32-28 on Friday night at the Alamodome in San Antonio.
Arizona State (3-0) scored the final 20 points of the game.
The 2-yard run was the only score of the game for Ballage, who last week tied an NCAA record with eight touchdowns.
Texas-San Antonio reached its 46-yard line on the ensuing drive, but two sacks forced the Roadrunners into a fourth-and-24 with 1:19 left. Quarterback Dalton Strum, under pressure, threw incomplete to effectively end the game.
The Roadrunners (1-2) are winless in eight games against Power Five conference teams in the program's six-year history.
Arizona State committed three turnovers and had a 57-yard touchdown pass nullified by a penalty, falling behind 28-12 with 8:20 to go in the third quarter when Sturm connected on a 24-yard pass to tight end Shaq Williams.
But the Sun Devils held the Roadrunners to 21 yards on their final five possessions to help fuel the comeback.
Arizona State quarterback Manny Wilkins, in his first road start, was 15 of 31 for 264 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. Running back Demario Richard carried 22 times for 95 yards. Ballage rushed 14 times for 62 yards.
Gonzalez twice connected from a career-long 54 yards in the first half, the second of which made the senior the leading scorer in Pac-12 history. He broke the record of 413 points set last year by UCLA kicker Ka'imi Fairbairn.
Gonzalez became the first kicker in Arizona State history to make two fields of at least 50 yards in a game. He converted from 45 and 26 yards in the second half but missed from 53 yards.
Sturm completed 19 of 37 passes for 229 yards and three touchdowns, also running 15 times for 82 yards.
Strum had two first-half touchdown passes -- a 10-yarder to receiver JaBryce Taylor and an 11-yard throw to running back Jalen Rhodes -- for a 14-3 lead. Arizona State closed to 14-12 with four seconds left in the half when wide receiver N'Keal Harry made a one-armed catch in the end zone for a 27-yard score, but a two-point conversion pass failed.
Sep 17, 2016
Arizona State running back Kalen Ballage scored the winning points on a direct snap with 3:15 left, Zane Gonzalez kicked two 54-yard field goals and the Sun Devils rallied to beat Texas-San Antonio 32-28 on Friday night at the Alamodome in San Antonio.
Arizona State (3-0) scored the final 20 points of the game.
The 2-yard run was the only score of the game for Ballage, who last week tied an NCAA record with eight touchdowns.
Texas-San Antonio reached its 46-yard line on the ensuing drive, but two sacks forced the Roadrunners into a fourth-and-24 with 1:19 left. Quarterback Dalton Strum, under pressure, threw incomplete to effectively end the game.
The Roadrunners (1-2) are winless in eight games against Power Five conference teams in the program's six-year history.
Arizona State committed three turnovers and had a 57-yard touchdown pass nullified by a penalty, falling behind 28-12 with 8:20 to go in the third quarter when Sturm connected on a 24-yard pass to tight end Shaq Williams.
But the Sun Devils held the Roadrunners to 21 yards on their final five possessions to help fuel the comeback.
Arizona State quarterback Manny Wilkins, in his first road start, was 15 of 31 for 264 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. Running back Demario Richard carried 22 times for 95 yards. Ballage rushed 14 times for 62 yards.
Gonzalez twice connected from a career-long 54 yards in the first half, the second of which made the senior the leading scorer in Pac-12 history. He broke the record of 413 points set last year by UCLA kicker Ka'imi Fairbairn.
Gonzalez became the first kicker in Arizona State history to make two fields of at least 50 yards in a game. He converted from 45 and 26 yards in the second half but missed from 53 yards.
Sturm completed 19 of 37 passes for 229 yards and three touchdowns, also running 15 times for 82 yards.
Strum had two first-half touchdown passes -- a 10-yarder to receiver JaBryce Taylor and an 11-yard throw to running back Jalen Rhodes -- for a 14-3 lead. Arizona State closed to 14-12 with four seconds left in the half when wide receiver N'Keal Harry made a one-armed catch in the end zone for a 27-yard score, but a two-point conversion pass failed.
