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Foster leads No. 19 Arizona State past Weber State

Aug 29, 2014 - 7:34 AM Tempe, AZ (SportsNetwork.com) - D.J. Foster rushed for 147 yards and three touchdowns as the 19th-ranked Arizona State Sun Devils defeated the Weber State Wildcats, 45-14, in the season opener for both teams on Thursday.

Quarterback Taylor Kelly went 18-of-27 for 238 yards and a touchdown, while backup Mike Bercovici threw for 65 yards and his first career score. Kalen Ballage added a rushing touchdown for Arizona State (1-0), which won its 12th straight season opener.

"The offensive line blocked tremendously," said Foster. "I was very proud of the team and what they did tonight."

Jaelen Strong had a game-high 146 receiving yards on 10 catches, while Gary Chambers and Ellis Jefferson each had a receiving touchdown in the win.

Billy Green completed 14 of his 29 passes for 156 yards and a touchdown. Zach Smith ran for 128 yards on 16 carries with a touchdown and Shaydon Kehano led Weber State (0-1) receivers with 99 yards and a score.

After both teams punted on its opening drives, Zane Gonzalez's 33-yard field goal gave Arizona State the early lead.

The Sun Devils once again started their next drive with good field position following a Wildcats punt. Foster and Strong caught consecutive passes of 13 and 18 yards, respectively. After two rushes for short gain, Kelly connected with Chambers on an 8-yard score and a 10-0 lead with less than five minutes to play in the opening stanza.

On the next drive, Strong made a leaping 26-yard catch and Foster plunged into the end zone from a yard out two plays later for another Arizona State TD.

The Wildcats worked the ball deep into Arizona State territory. On third down from the 1-yard line, Green appeared to run the ball in, but upon further review, was ruled down just shy of the goal line. Smith was stuffed on fourth down for a turnover on downs. The Sun Devils took over and marched down the field with ease. Foster rushed the ball in from three yards out to close out a 9-play. 99-yard drive for a 24-0 lead.

Chambers' 38-yard catch set up Ballage's dive from a yard out and increased the Sun Devils' lead to 31-0 with less than a minute left in the first half.

Bercovici took over at quarterback to start the third quarter. Foster spun off a tackle and raced down the sideline for a 57-yard touchdown, his third of the night.

Weber State got on the board halfway through the third. Green lofted a 19-yard TD pass to Kehano for a 38-7 game. The Sun Devils answered back on the next drive as Bercovici threw his first career touchdown, a 15-yard strike to Jefferson.

Smith found a hole up the middle and took off for a 60-yard score with 5:09 left to account for the final score.

Game Notes

Arizona State failed to force a turnover for the first time in 30 games. The streak was the second longest in the nation behind Missouri ... The Sun Devils have won 16 straight home openers, last losing to Washington in 1998 ... Arizona State has won 28 games in a row against the Big Sky Conference, dating back to 1939 ... It was the first meeting ever between the two schools ... Jay Hill coached in his first game for Weber State after serving 13 seasons as an assistant coach for the University of Utah.