Sun Devils make statement, with some help

TEMPE, Ariz. -- Jamal Miles stood on the sidelines, heart in his hand as he watched reliable Missouri placekicker Grant Ressel line up for a game-winning, 48-yard field goal attempt with 12 seconds remaining in regulation Friday at Sun Devil Stadium.

"I had a lot going through my mind," the Arizona State junior said of his critical muffed punt that helped the Tigers rally from a two-touchdown deficit in the fourth quarter of ASU's 37-30, overtime win.

So did every Sun Devil, every ASU fan in a crowd of 70,236 and every media member who watched this team last season. The script was repeating itself.

This was just like the 20-19 loss at Wisconsin in which the Devils had a PAT blocked late in the fourth quarter. It was just like the 34-33 USC loss and Thomas Weber's missed field goal. It was just like the 17-13 Stanford loss and linebacker Vontaze Burfict's consecutive penalties on the Cardinal's late, game-winning drive.

ASU was, once again, its own worst enemy. The Devils committed 12 penalties for 110 yards, they missed a field goal, they had another PAT blocked and Miles committed the ultimate gaffe when it seemed his team had driven home the final nail on a Burfict sack on third down.

And then something most unexpected happened. Missouri coach Gary Pinkel called consecutive timeouts, essentially icing his own kicker as he tried to goad Burfict into jumping offsides.

"We tried to get five more yards," Pinkel said. "They were jumping. He was jumping -- blowing our guard up and timed it every time. We thought that maybe we could get him to jump offsides and we'd get the first down."

The Tigers didn't, and when Ressel's kick sailed wide left, a crowd conditioned to heartbreak took in the air of possibility.

Quarterback Brock Osweiler found Miles on an 11-yard swing pass for a TD in overtime, the Sun Devil defense got a stop and every hope the university had wrapped up into this one special night came rushing to fruition.

With the entire nation focused on this lone ESPN broadcast, the Devils decked out in their new black uniforms and a sellout crowd decked out almost exclusively in black, ASU football became relevant again.

In true Sun Devil fashion, they did it with an extra helping of drama.   

"Shoot, it was a blackout, we were sold out, it was a Friday night game so we couldn't make things easy," Osweiler said. "We had to keep things exciting."

Osweiler had a big hand in creating that excitement. The junior came into Friday's game with just three career starts and a host of critics dissecting his every move. Could he lead offensive coordinator Noel Mazzone's high-octane offense? Could he improve on his spotty, 2010 accuracy? Would he be the weak link on an otherwise talent-laden roster?

There are plenty of games ahead, but Osweiler made one thing perfectly clear when he completed 24 of 32 passes for 353 yards and three touchdowns, in addition to a rushing touchdown against the nation's 21st-ranked team.

"He belongs," coach Dennis Erickson said. "And he'll get better."

Commissioner Larry Scott helped christen the new Pac-12 as the conference of quarterbacks last month at Pac-12 Media Day in Los Angeles. With Scott in attendance Friday, Osweiler made a case for his place at the table with Stanford's Andrew Luck, USC's Matt Barkley, Oregon's Darron Thomas and Arizona's Nick Foles.

"It's what you work for when you're waking up at 5:30 in the morning every day from January to August," Osweiler said. "These are the games that you're working for, the big games – to win them when they're close."

Osweiler had plenty of help from unimposing receiver Aaron Pflugrad, who had a career-high 180 yards and two touchdowns on eight catches. Pflugrad had 576 career yards and three touchdowns entering this season.

The duo helped mitigate a terrific second start for Missouri sophomore quarterback James Franklin, who threw for 319 yards, two TDs and rushed for 109 yards and another TD.

"That guy's an impressive athlete," Erickson said. "He made a lot of plays."

For a change, ASU made one more, and as Erickson trotted off the field, he patted his hand repeatedly over his heart, acknowledging the stressful nature of his business and life.

The Sun Devils were a heartbeat away from another agonizing defeat. Then fortune finally smiled on them.

"The guy's a great kicker," Erickson said of Ressel. "Thank, God he missed it."