Arizona State had every opportunity to quit against Colorado late Saturday in Tempe, but coach Todd Graham’s gang refused to give up.
The Sun Devils were down 10 points three separate times, including going into the fourth quarter. The defense couldn’t make stops on third down. And the secondary was letting receivers get open like candy wrappers the day after Halloween.
But behind a withering run game, led by senior Demario Richard, ASU came away with a 41-30 win that to this point defines the season, bringing the team closer to a bowl game and showing the sort of improvement that creates job security for an embattled coach.