Washington State @ Arizona State preview

Last Meeting ( Oct 31, 2013 ) Arizona State 55, Washington State 21

A stumble last week knocked Arizona State out of first place in the Pac-12 South, and the No. 14 Sun Devils look to rebound when they host Washington State on Saturday. The Sun Devils are in a three-way tie for second after losing to Oregon State, a defeat that allowed USC to take a half-game lead in the division. The Cougars are playing out the string but new quarterback Luke Falk is more than adequately replacing injured Connor Halliday.

Arizona State coach Paul Graham took responsibility for the costly setback and apologized for not having his team ready. “We just didn’t play to the level we are used to, and you have to give them a lot of credit,” Graham told reporters. “There is a certain standard in way we do things. Every single phase contributed to this.” Washington State is coming off a bye and defeated Oregon State on Nov. 8 in its most-recent game.

TV: 1 p.m. ET, Pac-12 Network. LINE: Arizona State -16.

ABOUT WASHINGTON STATE (3-7, 2-5 Pac-12): Falk has excelled since replacing Halliday and passed for 471 yards and five touchdowns in the victory over Oregon State. “The more experience Falk gets, the better he’ll play,” Cougars coach Mike Leach told reporters. “He’s accurate, he makes good decisions, he’s good in the pocket and he’s more mature than usual. He’s one of those guys lurking around at night watching film.” Defensively, cornerback Daquawn Brown has a team-best 71 tackles, inside linebacker Jeremiah Allison has 69 stops and a team-best 8.5 tackles for losses and outside linebacker Kache Palacio has a team-leading 5.5 sacks.

ABOUT ARIZONA STATE (8-2, 5-2): Quarterback Taylor Kelly has 14 touchdown passes against five interceptions during a season in which he missed time due to a foot injury and has experienced ball-security issues. “He had a substantial injury -- I mean he had surgery and a pin put in his foot,” Graham said. “He has gotten better, but I still don’t think he is running at the level that he was before.” Receiver Jaelen Strong (71 receptions, 982 yards) is questionable after he suffered a head injury against Oregon State, while safety Jordan Simone (team-best 85 tackles) will play after recovering from a stinger.

EXTRA POINTS

1. Arizona State has won nine of the past 10 meetings.

2. Washington State WR Vince Mayle has caught a school-record 86 passes and his 1,152 yards rank fourth on the school’s single-season list.

3. Sun Devils RB D.J. Foster has 872 yards rushing and 527 receiving yards and has caught at one least pass in 37 consecutive games.

PREDICTION: Arizona State 55, Washington State 37