(Photo: Brady Klain/WCSN)
Frank Darby was worried about Brandon Aiyuk heading into Saturday. The Sun Devils leading receiver in 2019 wasn’t feeling well. Something he ate at the hotel had upset his stomach.
“I was like ‘come on BA this not the time,’” Darby said, after his hotel roommate told him how he was feeling. “In my head I’m like ‘dang, I might have to make some plays for us then if BA gonna be sick.”
Despite the stomach bug, Aiyuk managed to have a career day in the Sun Devils’ 38-34 win over Washington State. The senior receiver opened ASU’s scoring with a 40-yard touchdown reception with just under 12 minutes to play in the second quarter, but it was his second touchdown which erased Darby’s worries.
The Sun Devil offense took over possession with 2:46 to go in the first half, and after a first down carry gained just a yard, Aiyuk’s number was called on. Offensive coordinator Rob Likens called “Bang 8” a route which receivers coach Charlie Fisher said Aiyuk is as good at as anyone in the country.
“He’s very good at it because he’s got dynamic, foot in the ground [speed] and he’s so quick with his hands and eyes,” Fisher said during Tuesday’s availability with the media. “What he has the ability to do is jump off the spot and split the defenders and that is a unique skill.”
The route, which the Sun Devils refer to as “Glance,” based on the ball arriving when the receiver turns his head, appeared to just be a chain-moving first down at first.
“When you turn around and the ball is there, it’s a great thing,” Aiyuk said.
After Aiyuk made Washington State’s Bryce Beekman miss on a tackle, it turned into a footrace.
“When he hit [the hole], it ain’t look like his stomach hurt then, huh?” Darby said. “I don’t want to hear that now. ‘Your stomach ain’t hurting for the rest of the game’… He was out there running like he was on some Michael Jordan junk.”
The 86-yard touchdown was one of three trips to the end zone during a seven-catch, 196-yard performance. Part of what has allowed for Aiyuk’s success in 2019 has been his ability to excel in open space. The Reno, Nevada, native’s 424 yards after the catch trails only DeVonta Smith of Alabama for the nation’s lead.
“There’s just not that many guys that are that gifted with the ball after it hits your hands,” Fisher said. “I like to say he’s a wide receiver with running back skills.”
Through six games, Fisher said Aiyuk is playing at a level near what first-round NFL draft pick N’Keal Harry played like last year. In terms of production, Aiyuk’s 108.5 yards per game are 18 more than Harry’s 90 per game average from last season.
“Right now, the way he’s been playing, he’s been a lot like N’Keal. They have a little bit different skill-set, but when you talk production and the ability to make plays, he’s right there,” Fisher said. “Nationally, he’s gotta be right there with anybody in the country with the plays the kid’s making. It’s not easy to do what he’s doing.”
Aiyuk’s production comes after he struggled to see consistent playing time in 2018.
“It was so hard for him to actually go out there and show his talent because I was in front of him and N’Keal [Harry] was over there and we were splitting reps,” Darby said of Aiyuk, who has totaled 651 yards and five touchdowns in the Sun Devils’ first six games.
On Jan. 13, he sent a tweet outlining his goals for this season.
Barring an unforeseen uptick in usage or production, Aiyuk won’t reach each of those marks, which represented Arizona State receiving records for receptions, yards and touchdowns.
Yet his emergence as both a big-play threat – he’s averaging 21 yards per catch, and as a consistent security blanket – he had two catches on Saturday’s game-winning drive, has helped No. 17 Arizona State set up a Pac-12 South showdown with No. 13 Utah this Saturday.
Against a Utes defense that has held opponents to 52.8 rushing yards per game, Aiyuk, Darby and the Sun Devils know how important their production will be in Salt Lake City. But with Jayden Daniels at quarterback and a growing sense of belief following the true freshman’s 17-yard game-winning score against WSU, Darby said he’s not worried about the Utes defense.
“I got happy watching their defense to tell you the truth,” Darby said. “[Last year] I just felt like they were worried about Eno a little bit too much. When we run some double moves and stuff, we gonna really get them because they’re going to come down on Eno.”
Just as it was against Washington State, Saturday’s contest with Utah could come down to Aiyuk’s play-making one-on-one with the Utes secondary. Despite the youth of the Sun Devils roster, Aiyuk said he and junior running back Eno Benjamin know just how special this team can be.
“We know this is the year,” Aiyuk said. “Eno gave us the speech on Friday before the game just telling us how special this group is and the things that we can do is all right in front of us right now.
“We don’t have to rely on anybody winning or anybody losing, we control our own destiny, and that’s a special thing right now.”
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