Arizona State beats Utah to take control in the Pac-12 South

The Pac-12 South is now Arizona State’s to lose.

The Sun Devils defeated Utah 19-16 in overtime thanks to a 36-yard field goal by kick Zane Gonzalez, his first-ever game-winner. The win puts the Sun Devils in the driver’s seat in the Pac-12 South with just three Pac-12 games remaining.

Gonzalez kicked the winner after Utah’s usually reliable kicker Andy Phillips missed not one, but two overtime kicks. The first, which missed wide right, was called off because of a Utah timeout. On the second kick, Phillips overcorrected and pushed the ball wide left.

Prior to the miss, Phillips, who is one of the nation’s best kickers, had made all of his tries on the day, including a 50-yarder. The miss was really one of the only gaffes for the Utes special teams all night.

While this was a hard-fought game, it certainly wasn’t pretty.

Even though Arizona State’s offense managed 444 yards of total offense, it struggled against Utah’s defense. It converted just 2-of-14 third downs and had two turnovers.

But for as much as the Arizona State offense struggled, Utah’s was worse. The Utes had just 241 yards of total offense and 146 yards of that came from the running of Devontae Booker. The Utes mustered just 57 passing yards.

The running game has been Utah’s bread and butter all season, but the lack of a balanced offense made it too easy for Arizona State to stop.

While the Sun Devils can enjoy this one, the celebration will be short-lived with Notre Dame coming to town next week. While it isn’t a Pac-12 game, it is a game that could have implications on the College Football Playoff. The Sun Devils are currently No. 14, but should improve with this win. A win against the Irish and a win against Arizona at the end of the year would likely set up a Pac-12 title game with Oregon. The winner of that game — provided both teams remain undefeated from here on out — would be in a prime position for one of the coveted top four spots.

For more Utah news, visit Utezone.com.

For more Arizona State news, visit ASUDevils.com.

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Graham Watson is the editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email her at dr.saturday@ymail.com or follow her on Twitter! Follow @YahooDrSaturday

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