(Photo: Nicholas Badders/WCSN)
Arizona State Football offensive coordinator Zak Hill, co-defensive coordinator Antonio Pierce, sophomore quarterback Jayden Daniels, and redshirt senior defensive back Chase Lucas spoke to the media on Tuesday to discuss the team’s 70-7 win over Arizona on Friday while also previewing the team’s final regular season contest against Oregon State on Saturday night.
Hill pleased to see “all three phases come together” vs Arizona
Friday night could not have started much better for ASU.
A DJ Taylor 100-yard opening kickoff return, a forced fumble inside the Arizona ten-yard line, and then a Chip Trayanum 4-yard touchdown run put Arizona State up 14-0 in less than a minute.
“It’s definitely nice,” Hill said. “When you got the momentum going and you got some points on the board early and special teams is playing well and the defense is creating turnovers and you’re getting good field position, it was just one of those games for us where all three phases came together.”
With the defense forcing seven turnovers, including four forced fumbles and three interceptions, a ground game that accounted for seven of ASU’s ten touchdowns, and Daniels throwing a pair of touchdown passes on just 11 pass attempts, Hill believes the strong performance was a result of excellent preparation before hand.
“I felt the guys did a really good job all week of preparing and getting themselves ready for a physical football game,” Hill said. “There was a lot less stress late in the game which was nice after two games of trying to finish games but we needed it.”
Undefeated against Arizona a “lifetime accomplishment” for Lucas
With Arizona State securing its fourth straight Territorial Cup win dating back to 2017, it also meant that redshirt senior cornerback Chase Lucas finished his college career undefeated against the Wildcats.
This is the first time since 1975 to 1978 that the Sun Devils have won four straight games against Arizona.
“Going undefeated against Arizona really is a lifetime accomplishment,” Lucas said. “It was something that coming into Arizona State I knew it was going to be big. A big time game.
“Going into my redshirt freshman year (in 2016) watching them just kill us down in Tucson, it just put a bad taste in my mouth and I just told myself ‘I’m never going to lose to them.’ I’m glad I fulfilled that and I brought the cup home to Tempe.”
Lucas had four tackles and two pass breakups in the win over Arizona on Friday night. His senior season is not what he expected but that it will be memorable for many reasons.
“(I’ll remember) just how crazy and hectic this season was,” Lucas said. “I’ve never had a football season being only four or five games. I’ve never had that and I don’t think anybody has had that. I think the best thing that we came out from this is through trials and tribulations and all the crap we put up with, we played a season that we wish we would have had but we just wish we would have had a couple more W’s on the list.”
Daniels has embraced role as leader throughout difficult season
To have three games and half the season canceled due to COVID-19 issues while going 0-2 to start the year certainly wasn’t an ideal start for the Sun Devils.
But Daniels has recognized how powerful his voice can be in the locker room and he said he gave a speech to the team last week after losing to UCLA to uplift the team’s spirits.
“No matter who I am, I have a lot of influence on the team,” Daniels said. “Everyone is preaching me. [It’s] just going out there and using (my voice) at the appropriate times.
“I don’t have to be the rah-rah type of guy but when something’s not going right, just going out there and using my voice and if I say something, the team is going to listen.”
For Daniels, this year has been a learning experience trying to lead a team that has had many things go wrong. But he is looking forward to playing Oregon State and looking ahead to next year.
“When we come back for school in 2021, it’s going to be a new focus, new attitude and new energy because we don’t want to feel this feeling again of being 1-2.” Daniels said. “So how we finish this (Oregon State) game off is going to build momentum for next season.”
Pierce shows support for Jackson He
Jackson He received all the national and worldwide attention this weekend by becoming the first Chinese-born player to score a touchdown in FBS history.
Co-defensive coordinator Antonio Pierce continued to show his support for the walk-on running back by wearing a black Adidas t-shirt that read in white Chinese characters to media availability.
“中國人也可以打球”
What does the shirt say?
“On the front, it says ‘Chinese can ball too’,” Pierce said with a smile. “I’m all in support of my guy Jackson He today and all week.”
He’s story has been an inspiration for many ASU fans and aspiring Chinese football players.
“I’m just blessed to have this opportunity to be the first one,” He said on Friday. “I am the first one but not the last one and there are going to be more Chinese stepping into this stage who will score.”
