Crazy finish aside, Devils deserved win

With 13 seconds left, Arizona State quarterback Danny Sullivan finally got to throw a deep ball on Saturday.

The result was more inexplicable than some of the missed opportunities that occurred at Sun Devil Stadium.

ASU snatches last second win vs. Washington

Slideshow: ASU vs. Washington

ASU notes: McGaha shakes off flu, scores winner

As Sullivan looked left toward a group of receivers who were running comeback routes hoping to get ASU into field goal position, Chris McGaha streaked down the right hash mark – somehow all by himself.

Fifty yards later, McGaha hauled in the long pass, cradled the ball in the end zone for his only catch of the game, and ASU escaped with a 24-17 victory over Washington.

“I don’t know what happened on that play to be honest,” ASU coach Dennis Erickson said. “I just saw him down there by himself and said, ‘That’s a hell of a play-call Dennis.’ … In all my years, I don’t ever remember winning a game on the last play like that.”

Washington rushed only three defenders on the play. But after Huskies defensive back Victor Aiyewa bumped McGaha at the line of scrimmage, no other Washington defender came within 10 yards of him.

“We were just trying to get something about 18, 20 yards so that we would have a chance for Thomas (Weber) to kick a field goal,” Sullivan said. “We had the inside guy kind of going the opposite hash and their safety went for him. I saw (McGaha) over here running, wide open, and just told myself ‘Do not overthrow this.’ ”

It shouldn’t have come down to such a crazy finish, but ASU deserved to win the game.

The Sun Devils were more physical and showed more intensity (sometimes too much).

Their heralded defense lived up to its billing, containing QB Jake Locker and holding the Huskies to 17 points.

And the running game showed flashes of brilliance. Dimitri Nance had 13 carries for 72 yards, and his backup, Cameron Marshall, broke off a 75-yard run (ASU’s longest since Keegan Herring ran for 76 vs. Washington in 2007).

But even with all that, it took a miracle play to pull out the victory.

ASU had eight penalties for 84 yards in the first half (three on personal foul calls against linebacker Vontaze Burfict).

Receiver Kyle Williams fumbled a ball into the end zone, resulting in a touchback for Washington instead of a six points for ASU.

Weber, still showing the effects of a groin injury, missed 2 of 3 field goal attempts.

And, although Sullivan was efficient (21-for-35, 263 yards) and went the whole way without hearing any boos from the Sun Devil faithful, the offense was still fairly limited -- even with three reverses called in the first half, one a reverse pass from Kyle Williams to T.J. Simpson for a 32-yard TD.

ASU again relied on short passing routes and quick patterns, which limits their ability to stretch the field. That’s in part because the offensive line can’t hold up long enough to allow deeper pass patterns. And in part, to be honest, because Sullivan is counted on simply to manage the game rather than go out and win it.

That was evident on two third-and-long plays where Sullivan either dumped it off to a running back or threw a screen pass.

The latter came with 1:29 left and ASU on the Washington 46-yard line – a play call that resulted in an incomplete pass and a punt.

But when they got the ball back at the 50-yard line with only 13 seconds left, there was no need to hold back on offense.

And Sullivan let one fly.

“I’ve been waiting for a game like that, as you guys probably know,” said Sullivan, who threw three interceptions last week in a win over Washington State and sat for three series while backup Brock Osweiler took over at QB. “Especially with the last time I played in this stadium (and got booed), it wasn’t too fun and my frustration showed after that game. But it’s a complete 180 right now, that’s for sure.”