(Photo: Marlee Smith/WCSN)
With Arizona State Football’s season opener against No. 20 USC on Saturday, WCSN football reporters Hunter Hippel and Gareth Kwok answer five of the most pressing questions left regarding the Sun Devils ahead of their Week 1 matchup against the Trojans.
How good can Jayden Daniels be in his sophomore season?
For a freshman, Daniels did a very impressive job in 2019 handling the immense pressure that comes with being a starting quarterback in the Pac-12, even though many did not know what to expect in his debut against Kent State.
We would come to find that Daniels is special, performing admirably as signal caller while developing chemistry with an offensive line that had injuries and multiple moving parts, in addition to gaining the trust of established veterans like then-junior running back Eno Benjamin, then-senior wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk and then-junior wide receiver Frank Darby.
But this year, only one of those three weapons returns. With new skill position freshmen coming in, a new offensive line that has graduate transfers and a new offensive coordinator, there are plenty of things that Daniels will have to work out as the season moves along. The pressure is still on Daniels and it’s likely to be even greater this year.
The hope for Daniels is that his interceptions can remain down (the freshman threw just two in 2019) while putting up similar numbers that he did toward the end of last season for this six game stretch.
Daniels averaged 278 passing yards per game and threw for nine touchdowns in the last four regular season games last year. Could we see both of those totals increase for this season? It’s possible. -Kwok
What are the expectations for the defense?
Even though the offense maintained average ranks in Pac-12 play in 2019, the presence of stars like Daniels and Aiyuk helped ASU overcome a defense that was similarly ranked.
Nothing in particular stood out about the statistics with last year’s defensive unit. A stout run defense was the highest claim to fame, as the Sun Devils gave up just 116.8 yards per game on the ground, good enough for third in the Pac-12. But that came at the expense of the pass rush, which defenders along the line believe has improved greatly since last year’s conclusion.
The back seven is where more certainty lies. ASU has two captains in its linebacking core with redshirt junior Kyle Soelle and junior Darien Butler, along with junior Merlin Robertson in the team’s new 4-3 scheme. In the secondary, redshirt senior cornerback Jack Jones is in his second year with the program and will be looking to raise his name on NFL draft boards along with junior safety Aashari Crosswell. If the pass rush doesn’t improve, it will be on the veterans in the back to step up. –Hippel
What will we see from new offensive coordinator Zak Hill?
One of the biggest problems with ASU’s offense last season under former offensive coordinator Rob Likens was not getting the point total tuned to head coach Herm Edwards’s liking. The Sun Devils scored 24.8 points per game – ninth in Pac-12 – and additionally lacked creativity. There wasn’t much originality to the offense and it led to a lot of poor starts. Poor starts led to the Sun Devils rallying from behind more often than not in the second half of games.
ASU’s new face, Zak Hill, the former offensive coordinator at Boise State, is known to use lots of pre-snap movement and motions to keep opposing defenses on their toes. Tight ends are also used more heavily in the offense as well, especially in the passing game.
Junior running back Rachaad White and freshman running back Daniyel Ngata have both said that they’ve never been an offense quite like Hill’s. It clearly is a step up in complexity compared to Likens’.
Whether the players will be able to execute the offense week in and week out remains to be seen, but it should be one of the most entertaining offenses in the conference, regardless. –Kwok
How many freshmen will actually have big roles?
It seems as though it might be less than we initially thought. Junior running back Rachaad White was listed as ASU’s starter in concurrency with freshman running back DeaMonte Trayanum, which leaves fellow freshman back Daniyel Ngata out of the lead mix for now. White’s been highly touted by teammates thanks to his junior college experience, so it’s possible ASU wanted to combine that with the four-star presence of Trayanum.
Wide receiver could see the largest production out of freshmen – which would live up to some of the preseason expectation. Freshman LV Bunkley-Shelton has an “OR” listed next to his name on the depth chart at H-receiver, while freshman Johnny Wilson is in the ‘Z’ position with the same distinction These were the weapons ASU planned to surround Daniels with, and impact from them right away shouldn’t be seen as stunning. -Hippel
What will the Sun Devils final record be?
5-1, which could look quite good considering an 0-1 start is a very realistic possibility. USC is ASU’s hardest schedule opponent, and Week 1 of a new defense and offense could spur serious trouble for the Sun Devils. The rest of the schedule suits ASU well, though the final two weeks against Arizona and an unidentified Pac-12 North opponent could ruffle some feathers. -Hippel
5-1. USC will be ASU’s only loss. The rest of the schedule works in their favor. It might take a game or two to get everything situated, but after USC, their next five games are all relatively manageable and their other two road games aren’t very intimidating. It certainly helps to have one of the best quarterbacks in the conference leading the way. –Kwok
