(Photo: Dom Contini/WCSN)
Three weeks. That’s how long it’s been since Arizona State Football faced an opponent with a stable coaching staff.
The Sun Devils most recently defeated USC 31-16, which has been led by interim head coach Donte Williams since Clay Helton’s firing early in the season. The week prior, ASU lost to the Washington State Cougars 34-21, who were just a week into adjusting to interim head coach Jake Dickert after former head coach Nick Rolovich was let go for not following the university’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate.
This Saturday, the Sun Devils face Washington, a team that just lost its head coach in Jimmy Lake, who was suspended for making contact with redshirt freshman linebacker Ruperake Fuavai during the team’s contest against Oregon last weekend. Additionally, the 4-5 Huskies also fired offensive coordinator John Donovan earlier this week.
Washington’s interim replacement for Lake will be Bobby Gregory.
“One coach might do a couple things a little bit different, but the system is in,” ASU head coach Herm Edwards said. “You’re not going to change the system in a week, it’s too hard to do that. Whoever is going to take over will go about his business, but I think the thing is – it’s all about the players.”
Some key Washington players from the Huskies offensive unit include redshirt freshman quarterback Dylan Morris and senior running back Sean McGrew.
Morris has collected 11 passing touchdowns and two rushing touchdowns thus far this season. The quarterback has a 60.4% completion percentage and has earned a total of 1,920 passing yards.
McGrew averages 4.0 yards per carry and has 431 rushing yards in 2021. The veteran tailback has scored eight rushing touchdowns for the Huskies this season.
On the other end of the ball, freshman inside linebacker Carson Bruener and sophomore defensive back Dominique Hampton are impact players for a struggling group.
Despite his youth, Bruener has collected 39 tackles and one interception while forcing two fumbles and garnering 1.5 sacks. Meanwhile, Hampton has 19 tackles and one pass breakup.
“We anticipate it to be a very physical game on both sides of the ball,” Edwards said of ASU’s upcoming opponent.
The Sun Devils, at their best, are electric on the field. At their worst, their performance includes penalties, turnovers and bad decisions.
One player in particular has been looking a little uncharacteristic these last few games: junior quarterback Jayden Daniels. Despite being one of the leading quarterbacks in completion percentage and yards per attempt in the Pac-12 Conference, the junior also has seven interceptions.
There have been times when Daniels has made poor decisions on the field, which has led to an underwhelming season for the highly-touted junior.
Nevertheless, Edwards has faith in his quarterback and shares that they’ve been working to make adjustments.
“I think rhythm, but also using his legs and setting his feet better,” Edwards said of correcting Daniels’ mistakes.
Daniels is a dynamic runner, but lately he’s struggled to improve as a passer. Edwards shared some insight on the Sun Devils’ quarterback and some of his offensive weapons.
“I think the thing is just getting familiar with the receivers,” Edwards said. “There have been so many guys in and out of that lineup. [Jayden’s] just been missing guys.”
Daniels will likely need to spread the ball to his receivers in order to create a more balanced offense against the Huskies. Most of Daniels’ receiving targets haven’t seen much action on the field since the exciting matchup with UCLA at the Rose Bowl.
Against the Huskies defense on Saturday, that could change.
“When we’re clicking and our pass game is going, it’s fun to watch,” Edwards said.
