Getting possessive: Time on ASU’s side

Four times this season, the Arizona State football team has looked up at the scoreboard at the start of the second half and found itself trailing.

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However, it is the sight on the field as the third quarter progresses that becomes much more relevant to the game — and encouraging for the Sun Devils. The players on the opposing defense are breathing hard, sometimes arguing with one another about a missed assignment on an ASU big gain.

“Our team can see those things,” tight end Brent Miller said. “That’s one of the things you look for. When it happens, we take that as a sign that it’s time to take over, even though we might be a little tired, too.”

While first-year coach Dennis Erickson’s one-back, slot-receiver offense is designed to open up the passing game, it has resulted in big-time ball control for ASU. The Sun Devils are averaging 34 minutes, 28 seconds of possession time a game, the most in the nation.

Its percentage on third- and fourth-down short-yardage situations is greatly improved over two years ago, when the Sun Devils struggled mightily.

After years of trying to dazzle opposing defenses with clever schemes and long passes, the Sun Devils are now pummelling them. Of all the assets displayed by Erickson’s team during an 8-0 start, the ability to wear the other team down in the second half might be the most valuable.

“We’ve been able to continue to run the football,” Erickson said. “We’re a pretty good running team. We catch up, and we just pound the football.”

This year, ASU has outscored opponents 153-29 in the second half. In last week’s statement win against California, it outgained the Golden Bears 268-89 after halftime.

A season-ending foot injury to starting running back Ryan Torain threatened to rob ASU of its physicality in the running game, but Keegan Herring (first and second downs) and Dimitri Nance (short yardage) combined for 181 yards on 45 attempts.

“You can notice,” Herring said. “In the first half, the other guys are hitting you hard. In the third and fourth quarter, their hits get a little sloppy, and it’s easier to move off of them.”

Wearing down a defense takes more than being physical, however. It requires getting the third-and-short, between-tackles yards that sustain drives — one of Torain’s specialties.

The Sun Devils are 21-of-35 (60 percent) on third down and 3 or fewer yards to go, including 10-of-11 on third-and-1. They have converted eight times in 11 fourth-and-short (3 or fewer yards) situations.

“The most important runs we have are for those tough yards, where there is not a lot of glory in it,” said Nance, who scored three touchdowns against Cal. “But not every play is going to be a big play. We get those tougher yards, and everything is going to take care of itself.”

Short-yardage scenarios were no sure thing for ASU in 2005, when it made just 40.9 percent of its third-and-1 situations. That was almost 6 percentage points lower than the team’s overall third-down success rate.

The Southern California game that year, when Herring was stoned on third- and fourth-and-1 in the second half, perfectly summed up the Sun Devils’ frustration.

“It was sickening how many times we got stopped,” then-coach Dirk Koetter said. “When you average over 500 yards a game, you should be able to get one of them when you need it.”

ASU’s current running success had its genesis in the struggles of Koetter’s passing game in 2006, when the Sun Devils were forced to rely heavily on Torain. As he started to compile first-down runs up the middle, the confidence of the offensive line grew, center Mike Pollak said.

“We knew that all we had to do is make a little, tiny hole, and Ryan would bust through it and get a first down,” Pollak said. “When Ryan is there, you can just try and manhandle the guy in front of you, because he will find any hole.”

No longer do the Sun Devils look to mad-bomb the opposition, though passing remains a vital part of Erickson’s attack.

More than anything, ASU is punching other teams in the mouth with the ball. And the results are on the scoreboard at the end of the second half.

“It was different, especially early in the season,” Miller said. “Now, we’re getting used to these long drives. It was a drastic change. But I like it, because it’s working for us.”

Clock eaters

The Football Bowl Subdivision leaders in average possession time per game:

1. Arizona State 34:28

2. Wisconsin 34:09

3. Brigham Young 34:08

4. Wake Forest 33:10

5. Iowa State 32:59