Arizona State Football: 3 takeaways from Pac-12 takedown of Cal

3. Eno Benjamin trampled to triple digits against Cal

For much of the game, Eno Benjamin was held in check. The Arizona State running back never busted off a long run, with his longest carry of the day going for 16 yards. But the Sun Devils kept feeding him the ball, and Benjamin rewarded their confidence with a triple-digit day that helped pace the visitors to victory.

Cal’s defense, however, couldn’t keep Benjamin out of the end zone. Providing the lion’s share of Arizona State’s points, the junior from Texas burst across the goal line three different times over the course of the day. With touchdowns of 11 yards, three yards, and four yards, Benjamin singlehandedly scored one more point than the entire Cal offense.

Though he was held to only 3.4 yards per carry, Benjamin was able to get to 100 rushing yards after a 29-carry day. He added a pair of catches for another 14 yards, proving critical to the winning effort on the road at California Memorial Stadium.

Arizona State finds itself right back in the thick of the Pac-12 race in large part because a stingy Golden Bears defense could do little to prevent Benjamin from gaining positive yardage each time he touched the football. As the Sun Devils head into October, they will need Benjamin to continue to shine if they are going to push USC and Utah for the Pac-12 South title.