Why Sun Bowl is ASU’s first game of 2020 season
Officially, the Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl on Dec. 31 will mark the end of the 2019 football season for Arizona State.
Unofficially, it’s also the start of the 2020 season for the Sun Devils, who will look much different in El Paso against Florida State than they did at any time during the regular season.
Quarterback Jayden Daniels will not be handing the ball to running back Eno Benjamin or throwing it to receiver Brandon Aiyuk. Rob Likens won’t be calling plays. Danny Gonzales won’t be calling the defense.
This is the world order in college football now. If a team isn’t one of the four playing for the national championship, then chances are it is treating its bowl game more like the first game of the 2020 season rather than the last one of 2019.
Numerous players with NFL aspirations, including Benjamin and Aiyuk, have decided not to play in bowl games. Numerous coaches, including Herm Edwards, use the time to make changes on their coaching staffs.
He fired Likens and two other coaches the day after the season ended, and Gonzales was named head coach at New Mexico this week.
So on Dec. 31, Daniels will be delivering the ball to young players who didn’t get much playing time during the season. Tony White, who replaced Gonzales, will call the defense for the first time. Offensive line coach Dave Christensen will call plays for the first time this season.
Edwards doesn’t make a big deal out of any of the above. And it’s clear his focus is more on 2020 than 2019.
“It is just the next-guy-up mentality,” he said. “We have some young runners that we need to look at that will get some playing time. We also have some young receivers that will play as well.
“A lot of these young guys are going to have an opportunity. If you can get some young guys into the game that did not play a lot, then we would want to play them. If you can get them in a bowl game, that is important, rather than having to worry about next year when the season starts, it says something if you can get them some reps. We have talked to some of them and told them that they have to get ready to play because they will play in this game. They are excited about that.”
Making coaching changes in December is nothing new in college football, but players skipping bowl games is relatively recent development. It started in earnest three years ago when two running backs, Stanford’s Christian McCaffrey and Louisiana State’s Leonard Fournette, did it.
Last year, at least a dozen players opted out of bowl games, including ASU receiver N’Keal Harry. There will be at least that many this year, including Benjamin, Aiyuk and Florida State’s leading rusher, Cam Akers.
It’s a growing trend, although a number of elite players over the last few years have stayed with their teams through bowl games. Penn State’s Saquon Barkley played in the PlayStation Fiesta Bowl two years ago and had a 92-yard touchdown run
And Alabama’s Jerry Jeudy, who could be one of the top receivers in the 2020 draft, plans to play in the Citrus Bowl.
That’s good news for fans and bowl officials, because if there is a downside to players skipping bowls it’s that the games are less attractive for viewers and ticket buyers.
Without Barkley two years ago, the Fiesta Bowl would have been a tougher sell. Without Jeudy, the Citrus Bowl this year would have been diminished.
But players owe nothing to bowls. And accomplished players such as Benjamin gave their schools more value than their scholarships are worth.
As usual, they will draw some criticism from traditionalists who think they should want to be with their teammates one last time.
But they are wise to protect their futures. Smart coaches, such as Edwards, understand that.
“I always side on the players’ side,” he said. “I get it. Some of them feel like they want to get ready for pro football and I understand that. I tell them it is OK. We move on. Those guys are welcome in this building and hopefully, they come to the game. I would enjoy having those guys on the sideline.”
Like the rest of us, they can watch the Sun Devils as they open the 2020 season.