ASU Football: Trio of Daniels, Benjamin and Aiyuk Giving Opposing Defenses Trouble

(Photo: Brady Klain/WCSN)

Wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk has a nickname for the Arizona State Sun Devils’ combination of himself, running back Eno Benjamin and quarterback Jayden Daniels, referring to it as the “Pick Your Poison” offense.

“With all the athletes and all the weapons we have outside; receivers, running backs, Eno and Jayden. It’s pick your poison,” Aiyuk said.

If one were to describe Arizona State’s offense in a nutshell, Aiyuk summed it up perfectly. For opponents, containing a scrambler in Daniels is not ideal. It doesn’t help that an elusive Benjamin is in the backfield bouncing off tacklers as soon as he touches the ball. It also doesn’t help when Aiyuk is lined up out wide who has the speed to burn after he receives the ball.

As exemplified by Arizona State’s trio, a talented quarterback, running back, and wide receiver can make an immense difference in a football game.  For some teams, it’s hard to attain all three. A quarterback and wide receiver may have a great connection but the running back is not as effective on early-downs. Perhaps the running back is a workhorse but he can’t do it all if the quarterback and wide receiver aren’t contributing.

However, that is not the case with these three. As of Week 7, all three are ranked in the top-3 in their respective categories in yards gained (Daniels 3rd in passing, Benjamin 2nd in rushing and Aiyuk 2nd in receiving). Washington is the only other school with that distinction. 

The key to making that happen, according to Benjamin, is spending enough time working together.

“[It’s] practice really,” Benjamin said. “In the offseason and the summer, we would call up the quarterbacks and throw routes with them and so I felt like that’s where that Brandon Aiyuk and Jayden Daniels connection is coming from. At the same time, with Brandon doing his thing and Jayden being able to run and throw the ball, it’s backing people out of the box more which is helping the run game as well. It’s a huge testament to what those guys have been doing on the field and also the coaches that are here coaching these guys.”

Through six games, Daniels, Benjamin, and Aiyuk have become one of the best trios in the Pac-12 and they are doing much of the heavy lifting for ASU’s offense. Saturday’s game against Washington State showed that. Daniels led the game-winning touchdown drive, Benjamin recorded 137 yards and a touchdown and Aiyuk was the biggest star with 196 yards and three scores. These three have scored 96 of ASU’s 152 points this season (63 percent) and 16 of ASU’s 17 total touchdowns. 

Daniels knew the chemistry of these three and the connection he would have with Aiyuk would come to fruition during the season.

“Just get [Brandon] the ball and let him do what he does,” Daniels said. “All the hard work we put in the offseason is really paying off as showed by the numbers he put up on Saturday. It’s just those types of games. You know you got a receiver that you can go to at any time.”

Because they are all putting together incredibly productive seasons, defenses won’t be able to just focus on one of the three. All of them are different types of weapons with different types of skill sets who feed off each other, as well as the other complementary receivers.

“We’ve got BA that’s making plays, we’ve got Kyle Williams and even Frank Darby when his number is called is making plays,” Benjamin said. “That’s helping out the run game a lot. Having deep threats are going to make those guys back it up and also having Jayden, who’s an extra runner and a guy who can use his feet in the passing game.”

Sun Devil fans will only be able to enjoy these three for six more games because Aiyuk is a senior and Benjamin may declare for the NFL draft in the spring. But Saturday displayed what could be something special down the stretch for this offense in the hunt for a Pac-12 South title. 

“I feel like we are taking everything in,” Benjamin said. “As far as that, I’m just enjoying the opportunity and we’re all enjoying the opportunity together. I feel like those are things we did last year even with N’Keal [Harry] and Manny [Wilkins] knowing that they were going to move on. This is Brandon’s last year and just being able to help him and get this team to where we want to be is a huge thing for us.”

The positive momentum of the team is real and Aiyuk is excited to finish off the second half of the season. ASU is ranked No. 17 and has a 5-1 record, putting them in position as a Pac-12 contender if they keep winning.

“We know this is the year,” Aiyuk said. “Eno gave us a speech on Friday before the game just telling us how special this group is and the things we can do and how it’s all right in front of us. We don’t have to rely on anybody to win. We control our own destiny.”

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