(Photo: Mauricio Casillas/WCSN)
Enthusiasm was abundant with Arizona State’s Pac-12 opener only a couple days from kicking off against the No. 19 USC Trojans. Part of that excitement stems from the influence this game will have in the Pac-12 South, but it is also partially due to the fact that the Sun Devils seem as close to full strength as they’ve been all season.
“The vibe is good, a lot of energy,” redshirt senior wide receiver Gary Chambers said. “We’re excited to go out there and go compete. Everything is on the line now, conference play. These are the games you live for. This is why we do it. This is why we play football on such a big stage. Everybody is hyped.”
Junior defensive tackle Ami Latu, redshirt senior wide receiver Devin Lucien, redshirt junior running back De’Chavon Hayes and sophomore running back Kalen Ballage were all dressed at practice today. Evaluating the status of each player was limited due to the fact that media was only able to observe stretching today.
Offensively, this could be the healthiest the offense has been all season depending on the statuses of Hayes, who has missed last week’s game, and Ballage, who has yet to appear this season.
And having more weapons on the field means the Sun Devils can begin to see what exactly this group can do.
“There’s a lot of potential (on offense),” Chambers said. “There’s a lot more that can be done on the field. We want to make sure that we play to our full potential.”
Sun Devils are eager to begin Pac-12 play
Through three weeks of play, ASU is averaging a respectable 28.7 points per contest, but that is nearly 10 points fewer than the previous three seasons in Tempe. With that in mind, ASU is locked in to begin Pac-12 play, according to ASU head coach Todd Graham.
“It is all about development,” Graham said. “Yes, you want to win. Yes, you want to win with style points. Yes, you want to do well, but you do everything you do the entire year, everything I do is to get to Pac-12 play.
“It is the hardest thing in the world to bring it every single week. That’s what you have to do in this league because these games, there’s always surprises. There’s always things that happen.”
Bringing energy and enthusiasm is surely easier when your opponent is the Pac-12 South favorite, and the last two contests with the Trojans have been newsworthy enough to get anybody revved up for this one.
“No game on our schedule is any more than the other, but you know that’s not true,” Graham joked today. “When I say that, it’s not true. This game is important. This game is big. This thing is big for our guys, big for our fans.”
The Sun Devils have one more day to prep before hosting the Trojans, but kickoff can’t come any sooner for them.
“We don’t need any more pep talks,” Chambers said. “It’s time to get out there and go do what we know how to do.”
Practice notes
– ESPN broadcaster Dave Pasch was in attendance today. Pasch will be the play-by-play man for the game this weekend.
– Sophomore safety Armand Perry is still on crutches and in a walking boot.
You can reach Zac Pacleb on Twitter @ZacPacleb or via email at zacpacleb@gmail.com
