Players and coaches acknowledged that the Huskies seemed to have extra energy tonight ... thanks in part to the agressive and tricky play-calling.

However, when the trick plays stopped, the basics were ugly: 1.9 average yard per rush. Ronnie Fouch 13 of 40 passing with two interceptions.

And defensively, they allowed Rudy Carpenter to complete 22 of 31 passes for 218 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions. And for all the troubles ASU has had running this season, they let Keegan Herring rip through them for an ASU season-high 144 yards.
Nine games -- and nine losses down -- three games to go.

Here's my game story.

Here's coach Tyrone Willingham's postgame interview.

And some highlights and notes:

Player of the game
Arizona State senior quarterback Rudy Carpenter completed 22 of 33 passes for 218 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions.
“We just had to stay with our plan, stay patient, keep on going,” Carpenter said. “We were going to get our chances to score, which we did.”

Husky of the game
Receiver Cody Bruns caught two passes for 19 yards. He also completed two passes, including a 6-yard touchdown throw to quarterback Ronnie Fouch.

Turning point
Midway through the third quarter, UW had possession and a 19-16 lead. A trick play was ordered in which Bruns took the snap, handed to receiver Jermaine Kearse on a reverse and Kearse flipped the ball back to Fouch who was supposed to throw down field. However, Fouch’s primary receiver was covered and the secondary receiver didn’t complete his route, forcing Fouch to take a sack for a 12-yard loss. The Huskies couldn’t make up that yardage, and punted to the Sun Devils, who promptly began a run of 23 unanswered points.
“We were trying to do a little reverse pass to D’Andre (Goodwin), but he was covered,” Fouch said. “My outlet was Jermaine down the sideline, but we just had a miscommunication between me and him.”

Happy homecoming
Arizona State coach Dennis Erickson grew up in Everett and spent many afternoons at Husky Stadium. However, this was his first win there as a coach.
“This stadium is someplace I grew up around, and I haven’t been very lucky here,” Erickson said. “So it was nice to win here, but that wasn’t the biggest thing. The big thing is getting a win for our team.”

Injury report
UW’s Ryan Perkins connected on a career-high four field goals, one short of John Anderson’s school record five in the 2002 Apple Cup. Perkins said he will give up the game after this season due to a history of knee troubles. … UW returner/receiver Jordan Polk suffered a concussion, and defensive back Vonzell McDowell Jr. left the game late with an apparent arm injury. No prognosis was immediately available for either player.

Extra points
Terrance Dailey ran for 66 yards. That gives him 240 for the season and moves him past Jake Locker for the UW rushing lead. … Washington entered the game with five sacks on the season and recorded two on ASU’s first drive of the game. … UW linebacker Chris Stevens blocked a punt in the third quarter, the first blocked punt by a Husky this season. … ASU’s Troy Nolan’s 44-yard fumble recovery for a touchdown was the first such play by a UW opponent since Arizona’s Wilrey Fontenot did it on Nov. 6, 2004. … UW game captains were Michael Gottlieb, Daniel Te'o-Nesheim, Paul Homer and Chris Stevens.

Next
The Huskies close their home season with a visit by Rick Neuheisel and UCLA at 7:15 p.m. Saturday. The game will be shown on FSN.

Here's my game story.

The Huskies fall to 0-9 and the losing streak extends to a school-record 11 straight games.

I'll check back in a couple of hours with notes and quotes. Meanwhile, I hope to hear your thoughts on a game that for quite a while seemed more competitive -- far less like sheep to slaughter -- than recent UW efforts. The coaches opened the playbook, and at least tried some new things on the way to an overly familiar result.

4th/12:34: It feels like the Sun Devils just finished a drive the Huskies couldn't afford to let them finish. Eight plays, 49 yards, 2-yard TD pass. ASU up, 30-19.

Start of fourth quarter: UW went three and out, and ASU is back in UW territory. This feels like a drive the Huskies need to stop or this thing could start slipping out of reach.

3rd/2:33: Eight play 41-yard drive moves Sun Devils back ahead, 23-19.

3rd/8:53: Chris Stevens blocks ASU punt, and Huskies take over at the ASU 14. Then defensive holding makes it a UW first down at the ASU 7. However, they were stopped on the three, and Perkins came in for his fourth field goal, making it UW, 19-16.

Attendance: 57,013 paid. There are fewer here; but not terrible, all things considered. (And the rain has mostly stayed away.)

3rd/12:01: Nice Matt Mosley kickoff return. Then 21 yard field goal to tie it again at 16.

Halftime: In the final half minute, ASU intercepted a Ronnie Fouch pass, and turned it into three points giving the Sun Devils a 16-13 lead at halftime.

UW leads in total yards, 204-200. First downs are even, 16-13. However, 10 ASU points have come from UW turnovers, and the Huskies have to clean that up.

Fouch has completed seven of 17 passes for 151 yards. Terrance Dailey has eight carries for 17 yards ... which moves him past Jake Locker into the team's rushing lead.

Overall, an uncommonly interesting first half.

And even halftime had something to recommed it, as UW's new school song was played in Husky Stadium for the first time.

2nd/1:02: 37-yard ASU field goal ties it at 13.

2nd/5:30: Rain seems to have stopped.

2nd/6:30: Pretty good rain coming down all of a sudden.

2nd/10:09: Matt Mosley forces an ASU fumble. Ryan Perkins converts 33-yard field goal. UW, 13-10.

2nd/12:01: This time the Huskies are opening the playbook. After a long pass to Goodwin got them inside the ASU 10, UW finished the drive with a long lateral to Cody Bruns, who then passed back to QB Ronnie Fouch for the touchdown.

However this turns out, the Huskies are playing loose and wide open.

Get to a TV.

2nd/14:50: The Huskies decided to go for it on fourth and 1 from their own 43. Paul Homer took a handoff up the middle and seemed close, but the ball popped out and ASU safety Troy Nolan recovered and ran it in for a touchdown.

2:27 of first: ASU answers with 34-yard field goal.

5:47 of the first: The stadium is now maybe half full, and those who came out have been rewarded with the Huskies' first lead since Oct. 18 vs. Oregon State: a 35-yard Ryan Perkins field goal on UW's first possession

The UW defense has opened with three down linemen and Chris Stevens as a stand-up end/linebacker/rusher.

The offense got a boost with a Cody Bruns' end-around pass to D'Andre Goodwin for 29 yards.

Kickoff: UW won the toss and chose to defer. Arizona State will open the game on offense.

Weather still OK, but iffy.

Crowd still tiny ... can't be more than one out of four seats filled.

UW game captains are Michael Gottlieb, Daniel Te'o-Nesheim, Paul Homer and Chris Stevens.

3:30: I am tempted to leave the press box, walk to the middle of the field, yodel, and see if it echoes. I can't begin to describe how empty the stadium is a half hour before kickoff.

And the weather remains better than predicted ... although there are enough clouds up there where the expected rains may yet arrive.

1:50: I made it to the press box just in time to watch the Huskies march across the field and up the tunnel to prepare for Game Nine, their second-to-last home game of the season.

And they made the march in sunshine. For all the dreary weather forecasts this week -- and for all the dreary weather this morning -- it's a comfortable, beautiful afternoon at Husky Stadium.

We'll handle our usual gameday blogging patter: I'll pop in here and pregame news develops, then keep the running blog going through the game, then turn it over to you for in-game and postgame comments while I handle postgame interviews. Then I'll be back late with one final post of notes and quotes.

Kickoff is 4 p.m., and the game is on FSN.

One of our blog readers is also a longtime Husky tailgater. And he's involved in a contest to find the best tailgate in the country, which is being held at the ESPN website.

It's the "Scott L." Husky tailgate. And if you click on the picture and are wondering, they're playing a game called "beer-shoes," a drinking-game version of horseshoes. The two guys shown in the picture are the beer-shoes champs from last season.

Anyway, feel free to vote to help a UW tailgater and Husky Insider blog reader.

Plus, there's no questioning their devotion if they're going out today to tailgate in this weather before watching a couple of teams with a combined 2-14 record instead of watching from the comfort of their couch, convenient to the beer in their fridge.