(Photo: Brady Klain/WCSN)
Exactly one year ago from Sunday, former ASU wide receiver N’Keal Harry lined up on the left side of the field while Brandon Aiyuk lined up on the far right in the season opener against UTSA. After the snap, Harry popped out for a bubble screen, caught the ball, and it didn’t take long for him to turn on the jets. He spun away from a tackle before cutting back to the middle and letting his speed do the rest for a 58-yard touchdown.
Aiyuk must have carefully observed that play from his former teammate because what he did on Thursday almost mimicked the now New England Patriots wideout. Like Harry, Aiyuk lined up on the left side of the field and took one step in before chopping his feet and taking the bubble screen pass from Jayden Daniels. As soon as he caught the ball, he burst up the middle of the field, avoided a tackler, and the rest was smooth sailing, going 77 yards into the end zone.
Well, almost everything was smooth.
“Both of my calves were actually cramping while I was running,” Aiyuk said. “I wanted to show a little more speed.”
Was there any coincidence of taking a screen pass to the house in the first home game of the season?
“Somebody on the sideline said something about that that it looked like N’Keal’s [touchdown],” Aiyuk said. “I didn’t really think about it in the moment. It was just nice to get my first touchdown at Sun Devil Stadium.”
Aiyuk may have not thought about it during the touchdown celebration but it gave his head coach flashbacks of Harry.
“It kind of reminded me of N’Keal,” head coach Herm Edwards said. “Similar type of play. He catches it on one side, goes up the middle, splits, and then runs.”
Aiyuk 6’1, 206 pound frame is not exactly the same as Harry’s more imposing 6’4, 213 pound frame. Yet, Aiyuk’s 77-yard catch-and-run touchdown highlighted the win over Kent State, ending the game with four catches and 140 total yards. More than anything, it may have also shown a symbolic passing of the torch from Harry to Aiyuk with Aiyuk displaying what he can do with his wheels in the open field.
Aiyuk said Harry gave him words of encouragement of being ASU’s new lead receiver all the way back to ASU’s bowl game in December from last season in which Harry did not suit up for because he was focusing on preparing for the upcoming NFL Draft.
“He was just telling me to be me,” Aiyuk said. “Just to play my game that I’ve been playing, and he texted me before [Thursday’s] game to say good luck. That was nice to hear from him.”
Now that Harry is gone, Aiyuk steps in as ASU’s number one wide receiver, a role he said is something he does not take for granted.
“Every rep that we get, [wide receivers coach Charlie] Fisher tells us every day you never know when your last play could be,” Aiyuk said. “You are one ankle injury away from this or one injury away from not playing anymore and the next guy is the starter. Every play that you take in there, take it like it’s the last play and go hard.”
Offensive coordinator Rob Likens expressed his excitement with Aiyuk’s performance on Thursday.
“I have always felt like he is a couple plays away from turning this thing and becoming a breakout player for us,” Likens said. “You saw what he can do when he has the ball in his hands. He’s a tremendous player.”
Likens also talked about how Thursday was simply just a taste of what Aiyuk can offer as he looks to establish himself as ASU’s next go-to receiver down the road. Daniels targeted Aiyuk seven times against Kent State which led all pass-catchers.
“I think what you’re going to see as the year goes on is that he’s a complete wide receiver too,” Likens said. “He’s a really good route-runner. Once Brandon gets into that maximum shape and that game shape, he’s going to get even better and make more plays.”
The Daniels to Aiyuk connection is already strong and something the ASU offense can just keep building on. As Aiyuk embraces his new role from playing second fiddle to now number one receiver, he knows it does not really matter as long as he and Daniels are finding ways to get better.
“We watched the film together and [Jayden] was like, “What should I improve on this week?” Aiyuk said. “That’s the main thing we are looking to do and that’s to improve.”
