Boivin: ASU football QB Taylor Kelly rusty, and he's got unfinished business

SEATTLE -- A tempest descended upon Husky Stadium on Saturday night, but so, too, did a defense with comparable ferocity.

That unit helped Arizona State leave the Pacific Northwest with a 24-10 victory over Washington. The elements were brutal, the offense, at times, anemic. The good news for the Sun Devils is they return home with a 6-1 record and a firm grip on their destiny.

The prospect of ASU winning the Pac-12 South seemed laughable just a few weeks ago. The turnaround by the defense has to put coach Todd Graham as a frontrunner for conference Coach of the Year.

"Something clicked," defensive back Jordan Simone said. "We believe in our system,and we believe in our coaches. That's what great defenses have to do."

Strong winds complicated a mixed-bag performance by ASU quarterback Taylor Kelly, who returned after missing three games because of a right-foot injury.

Gusts as strong as 61 mph were reported nearby. More than 20,000 residents lost power and patches of darkness could be seen around the stadium.

Everything you need to know about the Sun Devils could be found in the final three minutes.

With the score tied at 10, Kelly unleashed a pass as he was being pulled to the ground to Gary Chambers, who adjusted and made the go-ahead scoring grab. Kelly was 3 for 3 on that drive.

On the next series, Armand Perry sealed the Huskies' fate with a 61-yard interception return for a touchdown.

RELATED:Kelly back at QB as ASU survives Washington, elements

Those three minutes erased some inconsistent play by the Sun Devils earlier in the game, most on offense.

Kelly did not look like himself, a likely combination of difficult elements, a stubborn defense and a bit of rustiness that threw off his timing. He completed 14 of 25 passes for 180 yards, two touchdowns and an interception.

The defense, which has held its past two Pac-12 opponents to just 20 points, was a source of frustration for Huskies quarterback Troy Williams, who was making his first start.

"I think they've matured," Graham said of his defense. "We have good ,talented players, and it can be so hard to adapt to your guys, and you can adapt or die. I think we've adapted to them.

"And when you do what we do schematically, it's just a mess as first."

The Huskies didn't help their cause. Before Kelly's touchdown pass to Chambers, Washington settled for a field goal after sending Shaq Thompson wide on a run. The Huskies had tired ASU's defense with repeated runs up the middle but the sweep at the Sun Devils' 2^{-yard line cost them four yards.}

And Washington seemed more bothered by the weather than the group from the desert.

"We're used to playing in the rain, we can handle that, but they played better in the weather tonight than we did," Huskies coach Chris Petersen said.

OK, let's go ahead and address the quarterback in the room.

Some fans already are wondering if there's a quarterback controversy.

There shouldn't be.

Not yet, unless the hard hit Kelly took on his late touchdown pass turns out to be something more.

Kelly's injury put understudy Mike Bercovici on center stage. The junior's impressive efforts against USC and Stanford earned high praise from fans. Kelly's up-and-down play Saturday started the conversation again.

He's used to the doubters.

He has thrived on proving them wrong.

Think back to the summer before his sophomore season in Tempe. He was competing for the starting job with Bercovici and Michael Eubank. For many observers, he wasn't even in the conversation.

But Kelly won over the coaches with his accuracy and decision-making and last season led the Sun Devils to the Pac-12 title game.

He knows he has unfinished business, too.

He needs to show he can win consistently on a big stage.

That was tough to do Saturday. Between the elements, a bit of rustiness and a pesky Washington defense, Kelly was inconsistent.

His first pass was a 31-yard completion to D.J. Foster that was first deflected by Jaelen Strong and a Huskies defender.

But he missed his share, too.

Kelly hopes to finish his career strong.

His biggest priority is leading ASU to the Rose Bowl, but he wouldn't mind showcasing his skills for NFL scouts in the process.

He is probably a long shot at this point. The league is seduced by size and off-the-charts arm strength. Kelly is a respectable 6 feet 2, but his strengths are his touch, on-field smarts and ability to extend plays with his legs.

His best skills aren't always the ones that translate on the statistics sheet.

"I think many of us are still formulating opinions," one NFL scout said Saturday. "If you don't fit the prototype, you have to separate yourself in other ways.

"I've seen players go from undrafted to draft pick by their (performance) in a few games. Stats are important, the combine is important, but a lot of other factors are taken into account."

That's good news for Kelly, who excels in the "other" categories.

He'll need to do better than he was Saturday.

Fortunately for him, against the Huskies his defense was there to help.

Reach Boivin at paola.boivin@arizonarepublic.com and follow her on Twitter at Twitter.com/Paola Boivin. Listen to her streaming live on "The Brad Cesmat Show" on sports360az.com every Monday at 10:30 a.m.