How soon will Sun Devils wide receivers grow up?

Arizona State players received wakeup calls at 4:45 a.m., Pacific Time, Saturday so they would have plenty of time to digest breakfast before kickoff against Southern California at 9 a.m.

By lunchtime, after a crushing 28-27 loss to the Trojans was over, a different kind of alarm was sounding for the Sun Devils. This one was a warning to improve a passing game that accounted for just 134 yards.

There was a lot to like about the Sun Devils’ performance on Saturday. They rushed for 258 yards. Until late in the fourth quarter, their defense had yielded only 14 points to what is expected to be one of the Pac-12’s best offenses. And while special teams weren’t special, they were pretty darn good.

All those shiny things dulled in the final 4:28 as the Trojans scored two touchdowns, and the Sun Devils gained just 18 yards on their final possession. Those 18 yards came on first down and were followed by four incompletions.

Through the air, it was that kind of morning for the Sun Devils. Quarterback Jayden Daniels completed 11 of 23 for 135 yards, and 55 of that came on a short pass to running back Rachaad White, who turned it into an exhilarating touchdown.

It was the Sun Devils' only completion longer than 18 yards all day.

The passing game was a concern coming into the season, and Saturday’s performance made it an even bigger one. Frank Darby, the team’s only receiver with much experience, let the first pass thrown to him go through his hands and left late in the first quarter with an apparent rib injury. He didn’t return.

That left sophomores Ricky Pearsall and Geordon Porter, who together had15 catches last year, and freshmen LV Bunkley-Shelton and Johnny Wilson as alternatives for Daniels.

Daniels wasn't sharp, but the bigger problem was Bunkley-Shelton and Wilson were playing in their first collegiate games. Against USC. In the Coliseum.

The Sun Devils needed a young receiver to emerge like two of their new running backs did. White, a junior college transfer, glided, jump-cut and sprinted his way to 146 total yards. DeaMonte Trayanum, a freshman so powerful that some recruiters viewed him as linebacker, rushed for 84 yards and two touchdowns.

It looks like ASU has the running backs to adequately replace Eno Benjamin, now with the Cardinals.

“Kind of like a thunder and lightning,” Daniels said.

But, without Darby healthy, the Sun Devils don’t have a receiver who has proven he can make big plays and flip games.

“It’s all about experience, those guys feeling comfortable in games,” said new offensive coordinator Zak Hill. “It’s one thing to do it in practice or in a scrimmage, it’s another thing when everybody is watching.”

Wilson dropped at least one pass and possibly two depending upon how hard you grade.

“Them being young is not an excuse,” Daniels said.

Coach Herm Edwards thought his young receivers looked nervous, and after one drop by Wilson, Daniels was shown encouraging the freshman.

“They weren’t blessed enough to play like NAU and UNLV, those little warmup games,” said Daniels, referring to the first two opponents on ASU’s original schedule. “I sensed the nerves. I expected it, but at the end of the day, you’re playing football.”

Even with Darby, there were questions about the Sun Devils receivers group. A dangerous deep threat, Darby has yet to prove he can be successful on other routes.

But his absence forced Hill to edit his play-call sheet. There were plays, he said, that he “couldn’t get to” because Darby was out.

“Everybody has to be ready and when they get their opportunity to go play and jump in, they’ve got to take advantage of it,” Hill said.

Chances are, young receivers such as Bunkley-Shelton and Wilson will make great improvement this year. Both are four-star recruits with obvious size and talent. And even though he was struggling as a pass catcher Saturday, Wilson made a couple of nice blocks, including one on White’s 55-yard touchdown.

And they weren’t the only problems with the Sun Devils passing game on Saturday. Daniels wasn’t much of a threat as a thrower, and he was under pressure too often.

But this group of receivers will have to grow up fast if the Sun Devils are going to make a run over the next five weeks, provided there are games the next five weeks.

An alarm was sounded on Saturday. Can this group of receivers answer it?

Arizona State players received wakeup calls at 4:45 a.m., Pacific Time, Saturday so they would have plenty of time to digest breakfast before kickoff against Southern California at 9 a.m. at the Coliseum in Los Angeles.

By lunchtime, after a crushing 28-27 loss to the Trojans was over, a different kind of alarm was sounding for the Sun Devils. This one is a warning to improve a passing game that accounted for just 134 yards.

There was a lot to like about the Sun Devils’ performance on Saturday. They rushed for 258 yards. Until late in the fourth quarter, their defense had yielded only 14 points to what is expected to be one of the Pac-12’s best offenses. And while special teams weren’t special, they were pretty darn good.

All those shiny things dulled in the final 4:28 as the Trojans scored twice, and the Sun Devils gained just 18 yards on their final possession. Those 18 yards came on first down and were followed by four incompletions.

Through the air, it was that kind of morning for the Sun Devils. Quarterback Jayden Daniels completed 11 of 23 for 135 yards, and 55 of that came on a short pass running back Rachaad White turned into an exhilarating touchdown.

It was the Sun Devils only completion longer than 18 yards.

The passing game was a concern coming into the season, and Saturday’s performance made it an even bigger one. Frank Darby, the team’s only receiver with much experience, let the first pass thrown to him go through his hands and left late in the first quarter with an apparent rib injury. He didn’t return.

That left sophomores Ricky Pearsall and Geordon Porter, who together had15 catches last year, and freshmen LV Bunkley-Shelton and Johnny Wilson as alternatives for Daniels.

Daniels was particularly sharp, but the bigger problem was Bunkley-Shelton and Wilson were playing in their first collegiate games. Against USC. In the Coliseum.

The Sun Devils needed a young receiver to emerge like two of their new running backs did. White, a junior college transfer, glided, jump-cut and sprinted his way to 146 total yards. DeaMonte Trayanum, a freshman so powerful that some coaches viewed him as linebacker, rushed for 84 yards and two touchdowns.

It looks like ASU has the running backs to adequately replaced Eno Benjamin, now with the Cardinals.

“Kind of like a thunder and lightning,” Daniels said.

But, without Darby healthy, the Sun Devils don’t have a receiver who has proven he can make big plays and flip games.

“It’s all about experience, those guys feeling comfortable in games,” said new offensive coordinator Zak Hill. “It’s one thing to do it in practice or in a scrimmage, it’s another thing when everybody is watching.”

Wilson dropped at least one pass and possibly two depending upon how hard you grade.

“Them being young is not an excuse,” Daniels said.

Edwards thought his young receivers look nervous, and after one drop by Wilson, Daniels was shown encouraging the freshman.

“They weren’t blessed enough to play like NAU and UNLV, those little warmup games,” said Daniels, referring to the first two opponents on ASU’s original schedule. “I sensed the nerves. I expected it but at the end of the day, you’re playing football.”

Even with Darby, there were questions about the Sun Devils receivers group. A dangerous deep threat, Darby has yet to prove he can be successful on other routes.

But his absence forced new offensive coordinator Zak Hill to edit his play-call sheet. There were plays, he said, that he “couldn’t get to” because Darby was out.

“Everybody has to be ready and when they get their opportunity to go play and jump in, they’ve got to take advantage of it,” he said.

Chances are, young receivers such as Bunkley-Shelton and Wilson will make great improvement this year. Both are four-star recruits with obvious size and talent. And even though he was struggling as a pass catcher Saturday, Wilson made a couple of nice blocks, including one on White’s 55-yard touchdown.

And they weren’t the only problem with the Sun Devils passing game on Saturday. Daniels wasn’t much of a threat as a thrower, and he was under pressure too often.

But this group of receivers will have to grow up fast if the Sun Devils are going to make a run over the next five weeks, provided there are games the next five weeks.

An alarm was sounded on Saturday. Can this group of receivers answer it?

Reach Kent Somers at Kent.Somers@gannett.com.