ASU Football: Edwards hits reset, relies on leadership following bye week

(Photo: Nicholas Badders/WCSN)

With Arizona State Football (5-2, 3-1 Pac-12 Conference) coming off its bye after a loss to Utah, the Sun Devils have hit the reset button with five games left on their schedule. While a coach can put this into action with film breakdowns or a stern talking-to, head coach Herm Edwards did it the old-fashioned way: he wrote a letter.

Edwards said Monday at his weekly availability that he sent letters to several leaders of the team, specifically each captain, explaining his expectations for them.

“Sometimes I think when you talk to them in person, that’s one thing,” Edwards said. “But when they can read it, and look at it, it kind of sinks in. I know I’ve always been that way. When I get a letter from somebody, it’s kind of like, ‘Okay I really got to focus in on what this thing’s saying’ and I read it over and over again.”

With the 35-21 loss to Utah on Oct. 16, Edwards said that ASU has now faced “two little setbacks,” with the other being its game against BYU in Week 3. In both of those games, the Sun Devils committed double-digit penalties totaling over 110 yards.

The penalties have been an ongoing issue this season, as ASU is second worst in the FBS averaging 9.57 penalties per game. Edwards said the Sun Devils are fortunate to be 5-2 and that it is up to the players to mend the mistakes.

“As a head coach I’ve never had a penalty because I don’t play,” Edwards said. “The players have to realize that. They have to fix it. I can talk about it, we can do things in practice, we have officials … [but] they got to do it.”

While Edwards said the bye week was mainly used to prepare for the last five games of the season, the Sun Devils’ focus will be on Washington State (4-4, 3-2 Pac-12) this week. The game on Saturday will be at 12 p.m MST, ASU’s first day game of the season.

Edwards, known to share about his early mornings and work hours, teased the media about his preparation leading into the game.

“I keep saying that (the fact that it’s an afternoon game), it’s like ‘Wow, we [actually] play a day game,’” Edwards said. “I don’t know what to do. I generally get here five hours before, so now I’m going to have to get here at 4 o’clock [in the morning] probably. It’s early, but I get up that early [anyway], so we’ll see.”

Jokes aside, Edwards noted the importance of starting ASU’s reset on the right foot, which was ultimately the purpose of the letters. With the amount of experience and upperclassmen on the team, leadership seemingly should not be hard to find.

“Leading is easy when you’re winning,” Edwards said. “It’s when it’s hard, and when you have to say some things sometimes to get guys’ attention. I think our guys understand that. We have some good leaders on this team and the next five weeks, they need to be leaders. There’s no doubt about that because it’s an important part of our season right now as we head down the stretch.”

With the parity and competition currently in the Pac-12, almost every team has an outside shot to win its respective division. Even with the latest loss, the Sun Devils remain one of those teams as Utah turned around the following week after its ASU win and lost to Oregon State, leaving both squads tied atop the Pac-12 South.

Now, as Edwards stated, the key for ASU is to regain the momentum that was snatched away two weeks ago. The Sun Devils lost their groove in the second half against Utah, recording just 97 offensive yards and allowing 28 unanswered points.

Even with the stakes high, the coolness of Edwards shines through as ASU virtually wipes the slate clean.

“As you know, you guys have followed me long enough, we’re never in a panic mode,” Edwards said. “We just let things settle, have a clear thought and go about our business.”

Other notes from Monday’s media availability:

Edwards said he expects senior cornerback Chase Lucas and redshirt freshman wide receiver Johnny Wilson to be ready to play against Washington State.
Edwards also said that senior safety Evan Fields will be a game-time decision.