In a week with some pretty solid performances on the offensive side of the ball, it’s Arizona State quarterback Taylor Kelly who ascends to the pinnacle of achievement as the Pac-12 blog’s player of the week.
Kelly was nothing short of brilliant in one of the best all-around performances of his career. He completed 22 of 31 passes in the 55-21 road win over Washington State, throwing for five touchdowns. He also added 74 yards on the ground with two touchdowns.
The Sun Devils jumped out to a 21-0 first-quarter advantage with Kelly leading the way with three touchdowns in the first four drives. He ran for back-to-back touchdowns before connecting with Jaelen Strong on an 11-yard strike near the end of the first quarter.
He piled on three more passing touchdowns in the second quarter and another in the third. Four different receivers were the recipients of Kelly’s touchdown passes -- Strong, Richard Smith, Chris Coyle and two to D.J. Foster, who recorded the first multi-touchdown game of his career.
This is the second time this season Kelly has thrown five touchdowns in a game and third time he has done it in his career. Kelly’s performance inches him closer to Andrew Walter, who holds the school record with four games of five touchdowns or more.
Oh yeah, he also dropped a 40-yard punt inside the Washington State 3-yard line.
Like any good quarterback, Kelly credited the guys up front.
“We are very confident,” Kelly said. “We have a lot of athletes around us. The offensive line is playing the best I’ve ever seen them play. They’re coming off the football and doing a great job in our protections. They get our offense going, and once that happens it’s hard to stop the receivers. We have a lot of weapons."
