(Photo: Brady Klain/WCSN)
With three Saturdays left in the 2018 season, the Arizona State football team has seemingly righted the ship just in time.
Fresh off a 38-20 victory over the No. 15 Utah Utes, their second win in a row, the Sun Devils (5-4, 3-3 Pac-12) have put themselves in the most enviable position in all of sports: controlling their own destiny.
If the team can find a way to win its remaining three games against UCLA, Oregon and Arizona, they’ll find themselves playing in Santa Clara, California on November 30th for the Pac-12 title.
While all three facets of the team seem to be coming together as a cohesive unit at exactly the right time, the biggest X-factor for Arizona State hasn’t changed: wide receiver N’Keal Harry.
The junior had been held relatively quiet for the majority of Pac-12 play, averaging just 70.4 yards per game while only recording two touchdowns. That all changed on Saturday against the Utes.
Harry exploded for nine catches, 161 yards and three touchdowns, re-cementing his status as arguably the number one receiver target in the upcoming NFL draft should he forgo his senior season.
Regardless of whether he is recording 150 receiving yards per game or 20, the mindset never changes for the Chandler High School graduate.
“I’m not really too worried about that,” Harry said. “I just want to go out there and do whatever I can to help my team win.”
“No surprise at all. That’s N’Keal, that’s what he does,” running back Eno Benjamin said post-game.
Harry’s performance was the first time since Week 1 against UTSA that he eclipsed 100 receiving yards. He showed the grit and determination that head coach Herm Edwards is trying to instill in his program when Harry battled through a shoulder injury that he suffered on his second touchdown catch just before halftime.
“I just kind of had to check myself mentally, make sure I was in it,” Harry said. “I was going through a little bit of pain, but I knew in the second half I had to be tough… it was just a great all-around performance by our offense.”
Coming off a four-catch, 95-yard performance in the Sun Devils’ 38-35 victory over USC last weekend, Harry’s re-emergence as the team’s most dominant offensive weapon and the two-game winning streak are no coincidence.
“N’Keal is a fabulous player. He has two back-to-back games now, without his presence it hurts you,” Edwards said. “I think moving him inside the slot has helped, we did that last week. I was really big on trying to move him inside to get some match-ups, and he’s been playing well.”
Sun Devil quarterback Manny Wilkins has been blessed with the talents of Harry during his three years as the starter in Tempe, with 22 of Wilkins’ 47 career touchdown passes being hauled in by Harry’s NFL-caliber 6’4” 213 lb. frame.
As the duo get set to play what will likely their final game at Sun Devil Stadium together next Saturday against the UCLA Bruins, with Wilkins set to graduate and Harry seemingly destined for NFL stardom, the bond that has been formed between the two over three-plus years is quite clear.
“I’ve worked countless hours with [Harry]. For him to have moments like this, it’s very special for me because I know how hard he works,” Wilkins said. “I know how much this sport and this game means to him, I know how much it means to him for his family, and having a guy like that to be able to throw the football to, it’s very special.”
Kickoff on Senior Day for the Sun Devils against UCLA next Saturday is scheduled for 12 P.M.
Bobby Kraus is a football beat writer for the Walter Cronkite Sports Network. You can follow him on Twitter @bobbykraus22
