ASU offense sparked in win over Washington

As each dormant performance came and went, Arizona State’s players assured anyone who would listen that this offense was ready to turn the corner.

Heading into last Saturday’s game against Washington, nobody believed them.

Now?

It’s still wait-and-see mode after a strong showing against the Huskies, but a crucial game on Saturday against Stanford may provide some answers.

In the 24-17 win over Washington at Sun Devil Stadium, it wasn’t the offensive point total that stood out, but the way the team finally moved the ball.

The Sun Devils racked up 464 yards of total offense, balanced nicely between the running (169) and passing (295) games.

The play calling was much more creative than anything seen this season.

There were three wide receiver reverses, two which were runs, and one which was an option-pass by Kyle Williams that resulted in a 32-yard touchdown toss to T.J. Simpson.

Fleet-footed quarterback Samson Szakacsy entered the game for the first time this season on a third-and-1, and while the option play was stopped short, two penalties on Washington gave ASU the first down.

In previous games, the Sun Devils had a hard time coming up with ways to get their playmakers involved.

Between the reverses and several bubble screens, the Sun Devils pushed the issue this time around.

“We opened up a little bit,” coach Dennis Erickson said. “You watch yourself play and see what people are doing to you, and you watch them play and see what they are doing and then you try to develop a plan. But obviously we needed to get some misdirection.”

Could it be fool’s gold?

Maybe.

The Sun Devils have done their damage the last two weeks against the worst- and second-worst rated defenses in the Pac-10.

In the contest before that, Oregon State held ASU to 17 points, seven of which came in a laborious fourth-quarter drive with the game’s outcome secure.

But Washington is a team that held to USC to 13 points, so there’s some talent there, and the Sun Devils left plenty of points on the board with a fumble by Kyle Williams inside the 5-yard line and two missed field goals by Thomas Weber.

Quarterback Danny Sullivan likes the direction the team is headed.

“We are making a lot of progress,” he said. “We had 464 yards. You get frustrated when you don’t score touchdowns in the red zone, but it is a learning process, that is for sure. We have gotten closer and closer every time, and that is what we are trying to do. If we are making improvement, that is good. Eventually we will get those points back.”

There’s no denying the added jolt of energy brought by wide receivers T.J. Simpson and Jamal Miles.

The two are distant cousins who both played for Peoria High.

They are the two fastest players on the team, although whether Miles or Simpson holds the official crown is up for debate.

“I’d say I’m faster, but he thinks he’s faster,” Miles said. “We raced in high school. My freshman year he beat me, and my sophomore year I was winning until he hurt his hamstring.”

“He still has only beat me once,” Simpson said.

Adding those players into a wide receiver rotation that already includes Williams, Chris McGaha, Kerry Taylor and Gerell Robinson makes the team balanced.

Running back Dimitri Nance has done better than expected this year, and the offensive line has played well despite a rash of injuries.

For the first time this season, there’s reason to be optimistic about the offense. But will it last?

“We are pretty confident, and we just need to keep it rolling,” Sullivan said.