Colorado next for ASU
ASU looks to ride momentum, youth off upset
At 3-0 and nationally ranked, Arizona State hopes to build on its win over Michigan State as the Devils begin Pac-12 Conference play against Colorado.
In some ways, Arizona State’s football season thus far is mirroring what the Sun Devils did last year in the early going.
The Sun Devils (3-0) are coming off a 10-7 win over Michigan State in which the outcome wasn’t sealed until the final second when the Spartans missing a gametying field goal.
Last year, the Sun Devils beat the same team 16-13 on a field goal by Brandon Ruiz on the last play of the game.
And in both cases, the win got the Sun Devils into the national rankings.
What coach Herm Edwards and his team hope to avoid is repeating what happened after that last season. The Sun Devils proceeded to lose to San Diego State 28-21 in another nail-biter, which prompted their fall out of the rankings.
This season, the game that follows Michigan State is even more important because it is the Pac-12 opener as the Sun Devils square off against visiting Colorado (2-1) at 7 p.m. Saturday at Sun Devil Stadium.
ASU played a lot of newcomers last season but has played even more of them this far with an unprecedented 28 freshmen — 16 of those true freshmen — seeing action through the first three games. It has yet to be
“We have to try and get better every week, that’s where we’re at as a football team.”
ASU head coach Herm Edwards
seen how the young players will react.
“Last year we were in a similar spot. We had some success and we got our nose punched in and so we’ll find out,” Edwards said during his usual Monday session with the media. “All the warning signs are there and we’ll talk about it all week. We’ll see how we handle it.”
Colorado is coming off a 30-23 overtime loss to Air Force, which came one week after the Buffaloes upset thenranked Nebraska.
ASU lost to the Buffaloes 28-21 in Boulder last season. Most worrisome for ASU will be the Colorado offensive combination of senior quarterback Steven Montez and wide receiver Laviska Shenault.
Shenault, considered one of the top receivers in the country, scored all 28 points against the Sun Devils in last year’s showdown. Two scores came on pass receptions and two on rushing attempts, while Montez threw for 328 yards.
This will be by far the toughest test for a young, but talented ASU secondary.
The Sun Devils have yet to lose but they are winning on the strength of a defense that has given up just 21 points. They rank second nationally in scoring defense behind only Wisconsin, which has not given up a point, but has only played two games.
ASU’s offense has yet to find a rhythm. “We have to score more points on offense if we want to be competitive, going through this Pac-12 conference and the teams we have to play. We have to try and get better every week, that’s where we’re at as a football team,” Edwards said.
Not only does ASU have a true freshman quarterback in Jayden Daniels, but it has two freshmen starting on the offensive line, something unheard of for any team in a Power 5 conference.
Against the Spartans, the Sun Devils went with their third starting lineup in as many games up front with true freshman LaDarius Henderson a new addition at left tackle. That meant senior Cohl Cabral was dispatched back to center where he is expected to be a future NFL draft pick.
The Sun Devils will also line up with true freshman Dohnovan West at right guard, senior Steven Miller at right tackle and senior Alex Losoya at left guard.
Edwards says there will be no more movement. Daniels has been sacked 10 times in three games, and the head coach thinks the best move is to have Cabral, the most experienced player, in front of Daniels.
“He can solidify the offensive line and take a lot of pressure off the guard and we have a left tackle that’s a freshman and we can help him at times and bring the tight end to protect him,” Edwards said. “Moving forward I think that can helps us. It’s hard when you’re moving pieces all the time but that needed to be solidified and hopefully no one gets hurt.”
Edwards keeps an even demeanor, knowing young players will make mistakes but it’s all about how they improve week to week.
“We’re a work in progress,” he said. “We’re going to hit some potholes. When we hit ‘em I’ll be up here talking the same way. I’m not going to be like, `Oh, the house is on fire.’ We got water sprinklers. We’re going to be OK.”
Daniels, Lole honored
The Pac-12 released its players of the week, and two Sun Devils were among the six players honored.
Quarterback Jayden Daniels was named Freshman of the Week for the second time in three weeks. He engineered a 75-yard drive in 11 plays that resulted in the game-winning touchdown. On the drive, Daniels completed 4 of 7 passes for 52 yards, including a 40-yard strike to Brandon Aiyuk. Daniels rushed three times for 27 yards on the drive, including a 15-yard scramble for a first down.
Sophomore defensive end Jermayne Lole was named Defensive Lineman of the Week. He registered eight tackles and a sack for a defense that allowed just a TD for the third straight game.
Other winners were Washington State quarterback Anthony Gordon (Offensive Player), Myles Bryant of Washington (Defensive Player), Greg Thomas of Cal (Special Teams Player) and Penei Sewell of Oregon (Offensive Line).