ASU Football: Edwards, Kelly symbolize new era in Pac-12 football

(Photo: Brady Klain/WCSN)

When Herm Edwards took over as head coach of the Arizona State Sun Devils, it sent shockwaves across the nation.

There was so much noise, in fact, that people seemingly forgot that there were four other new head coaches in the Pac-12. One of those coaches revolutionized the game of college football from 2012-2015 and had two stints as an NFL head coach.

His name? Chip Kelly.

This weekend, the Sun Devils have a chance to secure bowl eligibility with six wins and continue its hopes for a Pac-12 South title, but they have to beat Kelly and the UCLA Bruins on Saturday to do so.

“I think Chip is an excellent football coach,” Edwards said Wednesday. “I met him years ago when he was at Oregon and then obviously when he got into pro football. I just think that he understood the undertaking that he was about to take over. I heard him say it. I don’t listen to a whole lot, but for some reason, I was walking and he was on and he was talking about it on television. He was talking about the process of trying to build a program.”

The concept of building a program is one Edwards is all too familiar with, as he has called it a “process” numerous times this season.

“We’re all trying to do the same thing,” Edwards continued. “Kevin (Sumlin) is trying to do it down in Arizona. This is what you do. You just learn from it. You learn lessons every time you go to practice, every time you play a game. You learn every day. Put it up (in your mind), take notes on it. You do. You learn every day.”

Learning every day is also apparent when you look at the Sun Devils, who lost four out of five games by seven points apiece. Now, suddenly, ASU seems to have found a rhythm with two straight wins.

Despite starting the season very slow, (at one point UCLA was projected one win by various analytic networks) UCLA has taken down two Pac-12 opponents to reach a 2-7 record.

“They have improved,” Edwards said about UCLA. “You watch from the beginning to right now, they’re in a lot of games. They really are. They played Oregon tough, just haven’t won enough games yet of their liking.”

When Kelly took the job at UCLA, it struck fear into some fans in the Pac-12. They had already seen what Kelly had done at Oregon, where he made four BCS bowl game appearances and earned a trip to play for the BCS National Championship Game, recruiting some of the best talent in the nation.

But that was done in Eugene, a place not nearly as media heavy as Los Angeles.

“There’s a lot of things going on, but he’s kept his composure on who he is too,” Edwards said. “He hasn’t blinked. The media market in LA, that’s a big market, and he’s got a lot of questions coming at him. He’s handled it the way he’s handled it and I think the players watch their coach, how they handle things like that. They play off the coach. That’s what they do.”

While this game certainly has implications this season in the Pac-12, it can be seen as symbol of the future of the conference. After all, Kelly and Edwards are both trying to construct their programs and be a force in it going forward.

“That’s what he does,” Edwards said on Kelly. “He wants the players to embrace the process and eventually if you get the pieces you need, you’re going to win. That’s what we’re trying to do here. It’s no different.”

Even with the Pac-12 South title and the balance and bowl eligibility on the line, Edwards is still trying to figure out the Conference of Champions.

“Every game for me is a new learning experience for me,” he said. “A new team that I’ve never played in this conference, a new coach that I’ve never played in this conference. It’s players I get to evaluate that we play in this conference. That’s been the biggest thing for me. Every week, evaluate a team that’s in the Pac-12 that you have to compete against. To me, that’s invaluable knowledge, I mean invaluable.”

Sitting at 5-4 with a chance to accomplish some of their goals this weekend, Edwards is certainly enjoying his time in Tempe.

“I’m enjoying all this,” he said. “This is a blast for me. I’m like a little kid in a candy store. I didn’t take this job saying I know everything. I took this job saying whatever I have in my being, I will give back to this university and these players. That’s what I said and that’s just who I am. As far as me getting knowledge, every time I walk through that tunnel and it’s a game, I’m going to learn something.”

ASU hopes to secures bowl eligibility as they take on UCLA on Saturday in Tempe.