In a crucial game for their bowl eligibility hopes, the Arizona State Sun Devils were unable to hold an early lead, eventually falling 38-24 to the Washington State Cougars on Saturday. The Sun Devils now sit at 4-5 heading into next weekend's homecoming game against Washington.
Here are my takeaways from the loss:
1. Offense takes a big step back: Seven minutes into this one, it looked as if the maroon and gold were picking up right where they left off nine days ago against Oregon. The score was 14-0, the double-headed monster of Demario Richard and Kalen Ballage were getting big chunks of yards on every carry, and Mike Bercovici looked as sharp as ever.