TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) Kalen Ballage broke three tackles on a 48-yard run in the fourth quarter for his second touchdown and Arizona State rallied from a woeful first half to beat Washington 27-17 on Saturday.
Arizona State (5-5, 3-4 Pac-12) staggered its way through a lethargic first half, looking nothing like a team trying to play its way into a bowl game. But after falling into a 17-0 hole, the Sun Devils got their groove back, dominating the Huskies (4-6, 2-5) on both sides of the ball to move within one win of bowl eligibility.
Arizona State shut down Washington's offense after losing two key starters in the first half and its offense clicked after sputtering through the opening 30 minutes.
Washington's Jake Browning threw for 405 yards and a touchdown, but had three interceptions in the fourth quarter. Washington also lost a fumble in the fourth.
Ballage had 92 yards on 11 carries and Mike Bercovici threw for 253 yards and a touchdown.
Disappointing seasons to this point left both teams needing to win two of their final three games just to become bowl eligible.
The Huskies landed in this position because of a young offense negating what the stout defense has accomplished. Washington was at its get-in-their-own-way worst last week, turning the ball over five times in a 34-23 loss to No. 10 Utah.
The Huskies had no trouble early against Arizona State's defense, popping off one big play after another. Washington's first play went for 21 yards, a 46-yard pass set up a field goal and 53-yard run led to Myles Gaskin's 1-yard touchdown run.
A trick play of sorts - Washington coach Chris Petersen's specialty - set up another score, when backup quarterback K.C. Carta-Samuels went in motion on a fourth-and-1, ducked under center and sneaked his way to a first down. Browning later hit Darrell Daniels on a 29-yard touchdown pass to put the Huskies up 17-0.
It got worse for the Sun Devils early in the second quarter when two starters went down on the same play. Safety Jordan Simone, the national leader in solo tackles per game, had to be helped off after injuring his right knee and spur linebacker Laiu Moeakiola went out with a shoulder injury.
The only problem for the Huskies was that they left too many potential points on the field. Washington had punts from Arizona State's 36- and 42-yard lines, and failed on a fourth-and-4 on the Sun Devils' 35.
Arizona State's offense labored against Washington's disruptive offense most of the first half, managing three first downs, 133 total yards and a late field goal.
The Sun Devils dominated once the second half started.
Arizona State opened with a crisp scoring drive, capped by Ballage's 3-yard TD run. Bercovici followed with a 32-yard touchdown pass to Devin Lucien to open the fourth quarter, tying the game at 17-all.
The defense felt the momentum shift. They started getting more pressure on Browning, not allowing the freshman to set his feet.
Arizona State sacked Browning for a 9-yard loss on a third down and Cameron Van Winkle missed a 45-yard field goal wide left. Another sack ended Washington's next drive and Arizona State took the lead on Zane Gonzelez's 23-yard field goal.
Browning then threw an interception and Ballage broke off his big scoring run the next play, capping Arizona State's biggest comeback since 2010.
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