(Photo: Nicholas Badders/WCSN)
Arizona State Football comes into 2021 with several unknowns both on and off the field this season. Yet, all eyes will be focused on the Sun Devils in their highly-anticipated season-opener against Southern Utah (0-1) Thursday night in Tempe.
Southern Utah enters Thursday’s matchup following a 45-14 loss to defending Mountain West Conference Champions San Jose State on Saturday. The Thunderbirds struggled to maintain an offensive presence against the Spartans and finished the game with less than 250 total offensive yards.
Sophomore quarterback Justin Miller completed 15 of 29 pass attempts for 117 yards. Despite the performance, ASU head coach Herm Edwards praised Miller’s ability.
“The quarterback [Miller] does a nice job of getting the ball out of his hands,” he said. “He’s not a guy that turns the ball over at all really.”
Last season, the Thunderbirds struggled to capitalize on the run game as they averaged just 3.2 yards per carry. Although generating an offense seems to be a big challenge for Southern Utah, Miller’s accuracy on the field may prove to be a helpful resource against the Sun Devils.
Defensively, a notable Thunderbird to look out for is junior linebacker La’akea Kaho’ohanohano-Davis, an FCS First-Team All American in the subdivision’s 2020 season which was played in the spring of 2021. Kaho’ohanohano-Davis led the team in tackles (57), sacks (seven) and forced fumbles (two) last season.
Southern Utah went 1-5 earlier this year. However, all six games were close, and the Thunderbirds’ five losses were all decided by just one possession.
ASU enters Thursday night as a massive favorite. It isn’t a question about the potential of the Sun Devils in the season-opener – or the season as a whole – but rather a matter of executing on that potential.
“I think the first game tells you, ‘Okay, this is what we look like. Where do we go from here?’” Edwards said.
Junior quarterback Jayden Daniels enters ASU’s season-opener with 29 total touchdowns in his career, but one of the most pressing questions for the Sun Devils this year is the junior’s ability to connect with a group of relatively inexperienced pass catchers.
Daniels favored junior Ricky Pearsall in fall camp, and the pair have formed a solid connection, but Pearsall has had limited game touches with just 13 catches for 214 yards and a touchdown in his career.
When questioned on Monday about which position group he was most interested in watching on Thursday, Edwards was adamant.
“Our receivers,” he said. “They now have another year under their belt, how that kind of comes together with Jayden [Daniels] – I think that’s important.”
While ASU certainly has its questions, some stability does exist heading into Thursday night against the Thunderbirds.
The Sun Devils’ secondary has combined for 123 career starts, a total that is second in the nation behind only Indiana (138). The triple threat at running back that makes ASU’s run game dangerous for opponents includes senior Rachaad White, redshirt freshman Daniyel Ngata and sophomore DeaMonte Trayanum. White leads the three running backs with veteran experience and a total of 420 rushing yards from last fall.
Even with everything that appears to line up in the Sun Devils’ favor against Southern Utah on Thursday, the beginning of a new season against a team that has seemingly been through a lot can lead to anything.
“Opening day is always opening day,” Edwards said.
