(Photo: Brady Klain/WCSN)
The inaugural season of Herm Edwards was highlighted by the former star receiver and current Patriots first-round selection, N’Keal Harry. Against USC last season, the Arizona native caught four balls for 95 yards and a score — including a catch of the year moment and eventually leading the Sun Devils past the Trojans, 38-35.
It was a routine for Harry, catching every ball thrown his way and guiding ASU past nail biters. This season is a different story for the Maroon and Gold, however.
The Sun Devils (5-3, 2-3 Pac-12) will face off against USC (5-4, 4-2 Pac-12) at 1:30 p.m. at Sun Devil Stadium in a game to be nationally televised on ABC.
For the majority of the season thus far, ASU has been at the top of the conference in the least amount of penalties, which contributed to its early success. The last few critical losses are driven by self-inflicted wounds, and the second bye week of the year is an opportunity to clean up the fundamentals.
“We addressed it — that’s all you can do,” Edwards said. “You got to show them where it hurt the team. It hurts the team. We’re not good enough to do that, we’re just not. Period.”
Arizona State has totaled a whopping 18 penalties for 192 yards in the past two weeks — an uncharacteristic stat for a usually clean ASU team.
“You just got to deal with it,” Edwards said. “You got to keep them calm…and they always catch the second guy. You get in someone’s business; you better do it first.”
Besides the challenge of trying not to beat themselves, they will try to beat a talented group in USC — especially on the offensive side of the ball. A receiver group headlined by senior Michael Pittman Jr. and junior Tyler Vaughns, the Trojans will take their strengths of size, speed, and talent, to pop the top off the ASU secondary.
“Probably the most talented receivers we’ve faced as a core thus far this season,” Edwards said. “Big, physical, can run, catch a lot of the 50-50 balls…they’re a very, very potent offense.”
Pittman Jr. And Vaughns are in the top-five in all categories of the receiver position in the Pac-12. Pittman Jr. has 792 receiving yards and eight scores, while Vaughns has totaled 713 yards and five touchdowns.
Against the Sun Devils last season, Vaughns scored in nearly every way fashionable — catching one, throwing one, and returning a punt to the house. Pittman Jr. Had 90 receiving yards and two touchdowns.
History does not favor Arizona State when facing the Trojans, with a 22-13 advantage in the all-time series, but an extra week of preparation following a tough loss at UCLA may be a slight advantage.
“I think anytime you play an opponent like USC, you understand how difficult it is with the talent that they have,” Edwards said. “You have to be found on all cylinders, all three phases. [It’s] no different than last year’s game.”
With a ranking no longer next to their name, the Sun Devils are desperate for a win.
“[There’s] nothing like winning — there’s no feeling like it at all,” Edwards said. “Especially when you walk into the locker room and watch the joy of guys winning a football game, and we haven’t won one in a while. We got to find a way to win a game again.”
