(Photo: Haley Spracale/WCSN)
Arizona State Football’s season is off to an ideal start.
The No. 19 ranked Sun Devils are 2-0 after 41-14 and 37-10 wins against Southern Utah and UNLV, respectively. Heading into their first road trip of the season, ASU ranks among the top-15 schools in the nation in rushing offense while holding opponents to 379 yards of offense, the fifth-lowest mark in the country.
Now, their toughest test awaits them in Provo, Utah.
The No. 23 ranked BYU Cougars have gone 2-0 as well to start 2021, with both of their wins coming against Pac-12 Conference opponents. Arizona and Utah each put up a fight against the Cougars in the second half, but were too late both times.
“They’re a very sound football team when you think about what they have accomplished over the last couple of years,” head coach Herm Edwards said on Monday of BYU. “Going up there is a tough test, it’s our first road game. This is what you want to experience as a football team – it helps you figure out what you are.”
BYU is led by sophomore quarterback Jaren Hall, who poses just as much of a threat to a defense as ASU junior quarterback Jayden Daniels does. Hall has passed for 347 yards and five touchdowns while rushing for 138 yards in the first two weeks of the season.
“He’s a wild guy,” Edwards said. “He can make some plays with his legs and he has a good arm. He throws really well when he’s off schedule.”
Hall is aided by his backfield, which features sophomore running back Tyler Allgeier and junior running back Lopini Kotoa, who have combined to rush for 286 yards so far in 2021. The two backs are coming off a 2020 season where they collectively racked up 1609 yards and 18 touchdowns, proving why the run game is a staple of the Cougars offense.
Defensively, the Cougars stack up well against the Sun Devils as well, with six sacks to start the season and three forced turnovers. ASU overall has performed better defensively to start the season, but those displays have come against weaker offenses.
Edwards feels that Hall and the Cougars pose a different kind of threat.
“[Hall] is much faster,” Edwards said. “Just watching him run, he’s dynamic. He’s an explosive player and he’s only going to get better as the season goes.”
One of Edwards’ biggest concerns following the win against UNLV was the Sun Devils’ passing attack, which he feels Daniels still has to improve upon going forward. With sophomore running back DeaMonte Trayanum out and redshirt freshman running back Daniyel Ngata absent for a quarter, Daniels was forced to make plays with his legs for most of the night against the Rebels last Saturday.
While his 129 yards on 13 carries was a key to ASU’s victory, it’s a sign that he still needs to get on the same page with his pass-catchers, according to Edwards.
“Jayden [Daniels] and I had a conversation about what we’re trying to become offensively,” Edwards said. “He’s played with his receivers now for six games. That’ll get better, and I think he understands that and so do the receivers.
“I think it comes down to patience but when you’re not familiar with what your guys are going to do, you have a clock in your head and when it expires you’re off schedule. That’s where we have to get better – when it’s off schedule. How do the receivers adjust and how does Jayden adjust?”
Daniels did toss his first two touchdowns of the season against UNLV – a three-yard strike to redshirt freshman wide receiver Johnny Wilson and a 33-yard pass to redshirt freshman wide receiver LV Bunkley-Shelton. With the backfield back at full strength as well for Week 3, the Sun Devils look better equipped for a matchup with the Cougars.
Redshirt senior running back Rachaad White and Ngata combined for three scores last weekend against the Rebels, rushing for a total of 159 yards on 28 carries.
“Sometimes conditions won’t allow you to throw it a lot and that’s why you’ve got to be able to run the football,” Edwards said. “When we run the ball consistently we generally win. We know that but our opponent knows that too.”
The last time the Sun Devils went on the road and defeated a ranked opponent was against California on Sep. 27, 2019, when they bested the Golden Bears 24-17. Under Edwards, the Sun Devils are 5-5 against ranked competition.
ASU’s defense has been the x-factor each of the last two weeks, and the group will face its most formidable challenge yet on Saturday night. After a sloppy first half against UNLV last week, the Sun Devils held the Rebels inside their own territory for the entire second half.
While the unit didn’t force a turnover on the night, five sacks made enough of a difference to keep the ball out of UNLV’s hands as much as possible, and pressure could be the key to success once again for the Sun Devils come Saturday.
