TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) -- The tailback showdown at Sun Devil Stadium turned out to be a one-sided affair.

J.R. Redmond ran for 157 yards -- third-best of his career -- and two touchdowns, powering No. 25 Arizona State to a 31-13 victory over Texas Tech. Redmond also played decoy to spring Delvon Flowers on a 40-yard scoring reverse that was crucial to winning the first Monday night game for either team.

Redmond won the duel of touted tailbacks handily, piling up more yardage on a 56-yard scoring run 23 seconds into the second quarter than Red Raiders counterpart Ricky Williams had in the game.

	Arizona State fullback Terrelle Smith is brought down by Texas Tech safety John Norman (38) and defensive end Duane Toliver.

"My dad always told me that the shortest way to the end zone is straight ahead," said Redmond, who had 20 carries. Last season, with Redmond missing parts of three games due to injuries, the Sun Devils went into a tailspin and finished 5-6 after losing their opener to Washington.

"It's real important to win," Redmond said. "It sets the tempo for the season. We expect to do things different than in '98."

Williams, the top returning rusher in the Big 12 Conference, sprained his left knee twice in the third quarter. The second time, he was carried off after gaining a career-low 33 yards on 13 carries and scoring on a 1-yard run that gave the Red Raiders a 7-0 lead 3:18 into the game.

Using crutches in the dressing room, Williams said he injured the knee originally in the second quarter.

Coach Spike Dykes said knowing Williams' heart made the injury more frightening.

"He's played with a lot of ankle sprains and knee bruises, and when he doesn't get up and get back to the huddle, it's usually pretty serious," Dykes said.

The Sun Devils played three quarters without quarterback Ryan Kealy, who sprained his right knee dropping back late in the first period.

But they compensated with sophomore John Leonard, who was 7-of-17 for 117 yards, big defensive plays, including five sacks, and Redmond, who also had a 3-yard scoring run.

"I think we have kind of a blue-collar attitude this year," said Kealy, who is expected to return to action Sept. 18 against New Mexico State. "Last year, we went out expecting to win; this year, we know how hard you've got to work to win."

Stephen Baker kicked field goals of 40, 35 and 34 yards to help deny Dykes his 77th win, which would have made him the winningest coach in school history. Dykes record dropped to 0-6 in road openers against ranked teams since 1987.

Flowers' TD broke the Red Raiders' back 2:57 into the third quarter. Redmond ran to his right, then handed off to Flowers running left for a sprint to the end zone.

Coach Bruce Snyder opted for a 2-point conversion, and Leonard passed to Tariq McDonald to make it 21-7.

The next two Sun Devils scores came after spectacular catches by Todd Heap, who made a 41-yard, over-the-shoulder grab at the Tech 3-yard line that set up Redmond's second TD with 8:49 left in the third quarter.

Minutes later, Heap caught a 22-yard pass from Leonard that led to Baker's last field goal and a 31-7 lead with 4:34 remaining in the quarter.

Tech scored again in the fourth, when Leonard lost the ball and defensive end Aaron Hunt returned it 53 yards.

Williams scored after Arizona State's Nick Murphy fanned on a punt. Although the Sun Devils covered the ball, they lost it on downs.

After a Texas Tech penalty, Rob Peters threw a 37-yard strike to Sammy Morris at the 1.

It took two big plays by Arizona State safety Willie Daniel to keep the Sun Devils from falling further behind.

Three plays after Peters took the Raiders to the Arizona State 9 with a 55-yard scramble, Daniel jolted the ball loose from Morris after a catch, and Al Williams recovered on the 1-yard line with 6:19 left in the first quarter.

"We got close to getting off to a great start, and then we fumble the ball on the 1- or 2-yard line, and after that we went about 20 minutes where we didn't do anything," Dykes said.

On the first play of the second quarter, Daniel had a 17-yard interception return that put Arizona State in position for Redmond's long run to tie it 7-7.

Redmond gained 10 yards before running into safety Kevin Curtis. Linebacker Reagan Bownds moved over to help, but only knocked Curtis off Redmond, who kept his feet and outran the rest of the secondary.

"A lot of bad things happened to us in the first quarter, but we just kept playing, which I think is a wonderful sign for a football team," Snyder said.