(Photo: Brady Klain/WCSN)
From the first snap to the last on opening night at Sun Devil Stadium, true freshman QB Jayden Daniels and company found themselves in an expected pressuring situation, even in a 30-7 win over Kent State.
Speculation all off-season surrounded the Devils to whom would take the reins under center, how the offense would respond to the departure of key veterans and if head coach Herm Edwards could continue to construct a strong foundation in his sophomore season for ASU football.
Those opinions and predictions became reality Thursday night as the Sun Devils cemented their first win of the new season. It was not a fashionable win for the Devils – although statistics say otherwise.
“[It was a] sloppy football game for us,” Edwards said. “We turned the ball over. Couldn’t really run it for the most part.”
The running back committee averaged just 3.7 yards per carry to total 198 yards on the ground. Running back Eno Benjamin led the pack with 102 yards on 22 carries.
While anticipation throughout the spring was heavily focused on the offense, it was the defensive effort from ASU that kept the Devils in a comfortable position.
With a true freshman at the helm, it was important to provide a supporting cast on the opposite side of the ball.
“It was good just to get us going, get our confidence going too,” senior cornerback Kobe Williams said. “We’re just trying to capitalize on the mistakes their offense makes. If we could do that every single game, that’s big for us and that’s big for our offense.”
Kent State produced 41 total yards in the first half and 200 to finish the game, averaging just 3.1 yards per play.
“[Our defense] set the tone,” Edwards said. “They’re pretty talented. They did a good job and did a good job competing.”
ASU’s first half consisted of what was expected. A slow start for the offense with few splash plays. It took three drives to find the endzone – an eight-yard lob from Daniels to Benjamin.
The second half sparked a different story for the Sun Devil offense, however.
ASU compiled 17 unanswered points in the third quarter, including a rushing touchdown from Daniels and a 77-yard catch-and-run score to senior receiver Brandon Aiyuk.
“We talked about it at halftime we needed to come out in the third quarter and score,” Edwards said. “I thought that got us back some momentum in the game.”
The third-quarter attack was the only momentum gained throughout the course of the contest. The Devils scored three points in the fourth to end what was an overall monotonous game.
In his first collegiate win in his first collegiate game, Daniels played with composure but said he is not satisfied. He finished with 284 passing yards and two touchdowns – one on the ground and one through the air.
“It’s a special moment to me, to go out there and get my first college win,” Daniels said. “There’s a lot we got to improve on. I can’t be too content with the win, there’s a lot we have to improve on.”
The true freshman has room to improve, but he did meet the expectations of his coach.
“That’s what it’s gonna look like,” Edwards said. “It’s gonna look like that. He’s a freshman and he’s not going to go out there and throw five touchdown passes like everybody may have assumed, but he’s going to get better every week.”
Daniels and the offense struggled to stretch the field with a young offensive line. The line allowed five sacks on the night and constant pressure on the freshman quarterback. The offense needed adjustments due to several injuries
“I knew it was going to be tough and you always try to be positive,” offensive coordinator Rob Likens said. “When you have two guys next to each other starting their first game and they’re a freshman – it’s just going to be tough.”
Despite the inconsistency of the offense, Likens found the result encouraging.
“Winning is so hard in college football,” Likens. “You don’t ever overlook a win.”
