At the end of the regular season, head coach Dennis Erickson was fired. He stayed on to coach in the Sun Devils bowl game and finished with a five-year record of 31–31.
The Sun Devils played the UC Davis Aggies on September 1 and won 48–14. QuarterbackBrock Osweiler threw two touchdown passes – both of them to receiver Aaron Pflugrad – and finished with 19 completions on 26 attempts before leaving with leg cramps in the third quarter. Running back Cameron Marshall added two rushing touchdowns as the Sun Devils amassed 217 yards on the ground. ASU's defense managed to keep the Aggies scoreless until the fourth quarter; the Aggies scored both touchdowns against ASU's reserves.[14]
Jamal Miles caught an 11-yard touchdown pass from Brock Osweiler in overtime, then the defense held Missouri out of the end zone on their possession to seal Arizona State's wild win over No. 21 Missouri, 37 - 30. The win was Dennis Erickson's 28th career victory over a ranked opponent.
USC had won the last 11 meetings, with Arizona State last defeating USC in 1999. In this game, USC led 22–21 in the third quarter, but Arizona State then scored 22 unanswered points to win 43–22.
First Quarter scoring: UCLA – Johnathan Franklin 11-yard run (Tyler Gonzalez kick failed); ASU – A.J. Pickens 35-yard pass from Brock Osweiler (Alex Garoutte kick)
Second Quarter scoring: ASU – C. Marshall 14-yard run (Garoutte kick); UCLA – Gonzalez 43-yard field goal; UCLA – Derrick Coleman 1-yard run (Gonzalez kick)
Third Quarter scoring: UCLA – Nelson Rosario 76-yard pass from Kevin Prince (Gonzalez kick); ASU – Jamal Miles, 9-yard pass from Brock Osweiler (Garoutte kick)
Fourth Quarter scoring: ASU – Osweiler 1-yard run (Garoutte kick); UCLA – Coleman 1-yard run (Prince pass failed)
Washington State
1
2
3
4
Total
Sun Devils
7
13
7
0
27
Cougars
6
10
7
14
37
Arizona
1
2
3
4
Total
Wildcats
14
3
0
14
31
Sun Devils
7
14
3
3
27
California
1
2
3
4
Total
Golden Bears
17
10
14
6
47
Sun Devils
7
21
10
0
38
Boise State–Maaco Bowl Las Vegas
1
2
3
4
Total
Sun Devils
0
3
7
14
24
#8 Broncos
14
14
7
21
56
Rankings
Ranking movements Legend:██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking — = Not ranked RV = Received votes
^"UC Davis Aggies vs. Arizona State Sun Devils Box Score". ESPN. September 1, 2011. Retrieved September 2, 2011.
^"Missouri Tigers vs. Arizona State Sun Devils Box Score". ESPN. September 9, 2011. Retrieved September 10, 2011.
^"Arizona State Sun Devils vs. Illinois Fighting Illini Box Score". ESPN. September 17, 2011. Retrieved September 19, 2011.
^"USC Trojans vs. Arizona State Box Score". ESPN. September 24, 2011. Retrieved September 25, 2011.
^"Oregon State Beavers vs. Arizona State Box Score". ESPN. October 1, 2011. Retrieved October 2, 2011.
^"Arizona State Sun Devils vs. Utah Utes Box Score". ESPN. October 8, 2011. Retrieved October 8, 2011.
^"Arizona State Sun Devils vs. Oregon Ducks Box Score". ESPN. October 15, 2011. Retrieved October 15, 2011.
^"Colorado Buffaloes vs. Arizona State Sun Devils". ESPN. October 29, 2011. Retrieved October 29, 2011.
^"Arizona State Sun Devils vs. UCLA Bruins Box Score". ESPN. November 5, 2011. Retrieved November 5, 2011.
^"Arizona State Sun Devils vs. Washington State Cougars Box Score". ESPN. November 12, 2011. Retrieved November 12, 2011.
^"Arizona Wildcats vs. Arizona State Sun Devils Box Score". ESPN. November 19, 2011. Retrieved November 19, 2011.
^"California Golden Bears vs. Arizona State Sun Devils Box Score". ESPN. November 25, 2011. Retrieved November 25, 2011.
^"2011 Arizona State Football Schedule". Arizona State University Department of Athletics. Archived from the original on April 30, 2011. Retrieved January 4, 2011.
^"Brock Osweiler throws for two TDs before leaving as Sun Devils roll". Associated Press. ESPN.com. Retrieved September 5, 2011.
^USC Trojans vs. Arizona State Sun Devils - Recap. ESPN.com. Retrieved May 7, 2012.
^Arizona State Sun Devils vs. Utah Utes - Recap. ESPN.com