ASU preps for first road test at BYU
The Arizona State football team has gotten away with a slow start in its last two contests but coach Herm Edwards made it clear the Sun Devils cannot afford a late wake-up call this week.
The caliber of the foe is different. The Sun Devils (2-0), ranked No. 19 in the AP poll and No. 21 in the USA Today Sports AFCA Coaches Poll, won’t be facing an FCS team or a bottom feeder from a non-Power 5 conference. Edwards’ squad will be taking on Brigham Young (2-0), which moved into the national rankings at No. 23 after a 26-17 upset of then No. 21 Utah in its annual state rivalry game.
And for the first time this season the Sun Devils will be hitting the road. Kickoff is slated for 7:15 p.m. at LaVell Ed
wards Stadium in Provo, Utah, with the game to be aired on ESPN.
“They’re a very sound football team,” Edwards said on Monday. “When you think about what they’ve accomplished the last couple of years, going up there and playing, it’s a tough task. It’s loud. It’s our first road game. This is kind of what you want to experience as a football team.”
ASU spotted UNLV a 10-7 advantage and only led 14-10 at the half on Saturday before pulling away for a 37-10 win.
In the season opener against Southern Utah, ASU only led 13-7 after the first quarter before eventually prevailing 4114.
Edwards wants to see his team do better early to avoid having the opponent feed off the energy of its home crowd.
“Well, don’t get off to a bad start when you’re on the road. That’s how I look at a road game,” he said. “If you get off to a bad start then you’re fighting two elements, the 11 guys on the field and the crowd. So when you go on the road you think differently, you just do. You’re fighting two opponents. You’re fighting emotion, the crowd, the noise, and you’re fighting the team on the field.”
There will be some sentimentality for Edwards, who was recruited by the veteran BYU coach for whom the stadium is named. Edwards even took one of his official visits to the school.
“I got recruited there actually, by LaVell Edwards,” he said. “One of the first black athletes they recruited there coming out of high school. Started a friendship with coach actually. “
ASU has fared well against ranked teams under Edwards, going 5-3. In 2019 the Sun Devils defeated three ranked foes, most notably then-No. 6 Oregon, which was in the mix for a college football playoff berth.
This will be the 28th meeting between ASU and BYU, although the last one was back in 1998 with BYU winning 26-6 on its home field. ASU leads the overall series 20-7.
And yes, there will be the altitude to deal with in Utah — Provo is over 4,500 feet in elevation — but Edwards isn’t making much of that factor, dismissing it just as he has in the past when asked about weather conditions or the like.
“Both teams are breathing the same air,” he said.
Personnel updates
The Sun Devils were missing some key players Saturday but should be closer to full strength for their final non-conference tuneup.
Edwards said running back DeaMonte Trayanum should be available, along with cornerback Timarcus Davis and defensive lineman Omarr NormanLott. Trayanum injured an ankle in the season opener against Southern Utah and was held out Saturday. Davis has yet to play due to a leg injury.
Norman-Lott, who is splitting time with Shannon Forman at the position vacated by the injured Jermayne Lole, played in the opener but sat out Saturday.
Freshman wide receiver Elijhah Badger could also see action for the first time.
Times set
The Pac-12 has announced times for games the week of Sept. 25. ASU’s conference opener against Colorado will kick off at 7:30 p.m. and be televised by ESPN2 or ESPNU. That will be ASU’s next home game.
Arizona is playing Oregon the same day and that game will start at 7:30 and air on ESPN. Other games include Washington State at Utah (12:30 on Pac-12 Network), UCLA at Stanford (3 p.m. on Pac-12 Network). ,