OSU moves up to No. 22 after defeating ASU 31-7
OSU Beaver #6 Damien Martinez (RB) rushes away from Sun Devil defenders. Photo Credit by Jared Dubose/TGSportsTV1.
TEMPE, AZ - Saturday, the 25th-ranked Oregon State Beavers defeated Arizona State 31-7 behind Damien Martinez's 138 yards and two touchdowns. In the second half, Mascarenas-Arnold contributed to a defense that limited the Sun Devils to 60 yards of offense.
In addition to losing 19 of their previous 20 games versus Arizona State, the Beavers (8-3, 5-3 Pac-12) were suffering from a multitude of injuires, especially on defense.
OSU Beaver #6 Damien Martinez (RB) breaks through ASU defenders for his first rushing touchdown in the game. Photo Credit by Jared Dubose/TGSportsTV1.
Martinez scored a touchdown on the first drive for OSU. After Xazavian Valladay's 11-yard run tied the game for Arizona State with 1:53 remaining in the half, the Beavers drove 75 yards in four plays, with two passes from Ben Gulbrandson to a wide-open Jack Velling. The first was for 35 yards, while the second was for 21 yards and a touchdown 45 seconds after the Sun Devils' score.
OSU began the second half with possession and drove 83 yards in 10 plays, with Martinez scoring from 12 yards out. After Arizona State failed to convert on fourth-and-9 from OSU's 41-yard line, Gulbrandson scored from 8 yards out on a quarterback draw with 10 seconds left in the third quarter to secure the win for the Beavers. In the end, the score was 28-7.
Martinez has rushed for at least 100 yards in five consecutive games, the longest such streak by a team since Stephen Jackson in 2003. Meanwhile, Gulbrandson completed 15-of-21 passes for 188 yards.
ASU Sun Devil #1 Xazavian Valladay (RB) breaks free from OSU Beaver #19 Skyler Thomas (DB). Photo Credit by Jared Dubose/TGSportsTV1.
Valladay rushed 13 times for 109 yards as the Sun Devils (3-8, 2-6) played their final home game of the season. Under interim coach Shaun Aguano, who replaced Herm Edwards on September 20, they dropped to 2-6.
Sun Devils quarterback Trent Bourguet, who left last week's loss at Washington State with a leg injury, started and completed 20 of 32 passes for 122 yards. Eight times he ran for 26 yards.
Next Saturday, November 26, 2022, is the rivalry game between OSU and Oregon, and both teams are in a strong momentum.
As far as ASU, the Sun Devils hopes to finish the season on a high note as they take on Arizona's potent offense, which is currently ranked third in the PAC-12.