Week in Review
Heading out on the road in November has long been a point of stress for Sun Devils fans, who’ve watched seasons derailed in cold-weather cities over the years. The trip to Manhattan, Kansas, for a November 16th date with a highly touted Kansas State team was deemed to be yet another in a long-standing series of tough November away games. Sam Leavitt, Jordyn Tyson, and the Sun Devil defense had other plans.
The Sun Devil defense wasted no time making an impact on the game with an interception on the second play from scrimmage of the game. They then forced Kansas State to turn the ball over on downs, forced a fumble, and forced a punt. The offense responded in kind by scoring three touchdowns on four of the possessions that the defense provided them with, taking a 21-0 score into halftime. The Devils were able to tack on an impressive 47-yard field goal on the leg of Parker Lewis to go up 24-0. While the offense sputtered, Kansas State found some footing in the game, scoring twice to cut the lead to 24-14, which ended up being the final score. With the win, the Sun Devils are now 8-2 (5-2), which is a good-looking record. Speaking of something looking good, let’s talk about the uniforms.
Heading into the game, the Devils carried a 2-2 all-time record while wearing a white helmet, white jersey, and maroon pant uniform combination. That record has now been pushed to the winning side of things at 3-2 after ASU’s win over K-State last week. The combination looked good overall. As expected, the pitchfork decals really got lost from a distance. They looked good in closeup shots but still lacked some character. However, the maroon facemask and pants truly saved this uniform and made it a winning combination. While it isn’t the best uniform combination of the season, it worked well, and since this is a totally subjective rating system, its grade is slightly boosted by the fact that the Devils won a November away game against a top-20-ranked team.
Salute to Service White/White/Maroon: B+
The Week to Come
Uniform
The Sun Devils have now won three straight and seem to be getting better with each week. This is an advantageous quality heading into the second leg of the most difficult and critical part of their schedule when BYU comes to Tempe. BYU is coming off their first loss of the season to Kansas last week. That loss has made this game all the more critical as both teams are playing for their chance to earn their way into the Big 12 Championship game. Last week, the Sun Devils exorcized more demons by getting a November road win against a ranked opponent, and in doing so, they continued to not only prove to themselves what they’re capable of but also got the nation to start paying attention earning their first national ranking of the season.
It was great to see Cam Skattebo back out on the field, but it was pretty clear that he was playing at less than 100% health. Despite that, the offense was still able to move the ball and produce points with success in the passing game, so much so that Sam Leavitt and Jordyn Tyson earned Big 12 Conference Newcomer and Offensive Player of the Week honors, respectively. BYU comes in, boasting a complete team. They have won using all of the tools they have at their disposal, meaning they can find many ways to win. That means it’s up to the Sun Devils to play a complete game on both sides of the ball to continue their success and send the seniors out with a win on Senior Day. When the Devils take to Frank Kush Field against BYU, they will be wearing a traditional gold Sparky helmet, maroon jersey, and gold pant uniform combination.
The maroon jersey features the Arizona state flag as a stripe feature on either side of the uniform. It is a darker tonal maroon with the rays leading up and fading into the armpit, the star around the base of the rib cage, and the river block running downward and eventually fading towards the waist. In a move towards an even more simplified design, adidas has opted not to include any identifying letter or wordmark on the jersey.
The maroon jerseys feature gold player numbers outlined in white on both the front and back of the jersey, as well as the TV numbers on the sleeves. Though it may be hard to see, the numbers on the front and back of the jerseys have a subtle, tonal flame pattern within the gold.
The nameplate on the back of the jersey utilizes the gold Sun Devil Bold font. On the front of the jersey, near the left shoulder, is a gold adidas logo. Near the right shoulder is a gold and maroon Big 12 logo. Last but not least, at the base of the collar is the black PT*42 shield in honor of ASU Football legend Pat Tillman.
The gold pants have a large gold pitchfork with maroon trim on the right thigh and a maroon adidas logo near the left hip.
Helmet
The gold helmet features standard sized Sparky decals with a single maroon center stripe. The Sparky helmet features a white facemask for the first time since 1995. The front bumper has a white base and maroon “Sun Devils” text outlined with gold. The decals on the back of the helmet include a white Big 12 logo with a maroon border, a maroon PT*42 shield honoring the legendary Sun Devil, Pat Tillman, a maroon Warning label which is in the shape of the state of Arizona, features maroon text, and has a small, gold pitchfork with maroon trim over Tempe, and an American flag.
The decals on the back of the helmet are rounded by the maroon “Arizona State” text outlined in gold on a white base rear bumper.
Cleats and Socks
The Sun Devils will wear maroon cleats against BYU. From left to right, there are four different types of cleats. The first two pairs are lighter cleats and are typically worn by speed position players (wide receivers and defensive backs), while the last two pairs are worn by heavier players (linemen).
From left to right, the pair furthest to the left is the adizero Electric It features a maroon gold sole with the maroon occupying the front half of the sole while the gold takes up the back half and reaches partway up the heel. They have a textured maroon base that has a bit of a sparkle element to it with three gold stripes and an adizero wordmark on the outside of the shoe The top portion of the cleat is a primeknit and has the adidas logo near the instep It has maroon laces and a maroon finger loop on the heel The next pair is the adizero Impact It features a gold sole and a gold plastic band that reaches up towards the heel on either side of the shoe The maroon base has three gold stripes on the outside of the shoe while there is a gold adidas logo on the instep The maroon laces lead up to the gold adizero wordmark on the tongue and the cleat also has a maroon finger loop on the heel.
The final two pairs are adizero Chaos models, made for more ankle support for heavier linemen. The second to last pair is the adizero Chaos. It features a shiny gold plastic sole and a two-tone maroon and gold colorway on the main body of the shoe. The front half towards the toe is gold and features three maroon stripes on the outside of the foot, while the back half towards the heel is maroon. The cleat also features maroon laces with a maroon finger loop on the heel. The fourth and final pair is the adizero Chaos Torsion. It shares almost all of the major color characteristics as the Chaos. The main difference is that the sole is a gold rubberized material designed for better grip on the grass and it also features a small plastic maroon plate on the instep of the sole.
Maroon socks will be worn to match the cleats as well.
Gloves
The Sun Devils will wear white gloves, and as with the cleats, there are different gloves for different positions. The gloves on the top are adizeros, which are typically worn by speed position players like wide receivers and defensive backs. The white adizeros feature a maroon pitchfork with gold trim on the palm of each glove. They also have a maroon adidas logo on the back of the hand, maroon seams around the wrist, and a maroon adizero word mark on the pointer finger. The gloves in the middle are adidas Freaks, worn by larger skill position players such as linebackers and tight ends.
The white adidas Freak gloves feature the same maroon pitchfork palm design as the adizero, maroon seams around the wrist, and a maroon adidas logo on the back of the hand. Finally, for linemen, the gloves on the bottom are adidas Freak-Max, which boast extra padding on the heel of the palm meant to withstand all of the contact that linemen endure throughout the course of a game. They are plain white with black padding on the palm and along with a maroon adidas logo on the back of the hand; they also have gold accents on the knuckles and the black wrist-wrap with a gold strap.
Reaction
Arizona State fans ask for it every week. Fans of college football ask for it every week. One of the most iconic logos and helmet decals in all of college football is Sparky. Well, folks, you all have gotten what you’ve asked for. I, for one, am thrilled to see Sparky back, somewhat unexpectedly so, for the final home game of the year. If there was ever going to be a shocking uniform drop at any point in the season, this is the game to do it. As I mentioned earlier in the article, this is the first time Arizona State has worn a white facemask with a Sparky helmet since 1995. In fact, 1995 was the only year that featured a Sparky helmet, single maroon stripe, and white facemask. From 1980-1994, the Sparky helmets all featured a thick maroon-white-maroon multi-stripe pattern. In 1995, that thicker helmet stripe made way for the single maroon stripe, while the white facemask remained. The white facemask was then shelved in favor of a maroon facemask in 1996, and that remained the case for the remainder of Sparky’s run of being the primary helmet decal, which ended at the end of the 2010 season.
That was the history lesson, but as far as my reaction to this, I love it. Because of my age, Sparky with a white facemask represents the time prior to the magical 1996 Rose Bowl run that Arizona State had with the likes of Plummer, Poole, Murphy, and Tillman. However, there was plenty of success in ASU football history while donning Sparky a white facemask, including Fiesta and Rose Bowl wins. The white facemask works with this combination like it maybe could not have in past seasons because of the fact that on the current generation of jerseys, the gold numbers have the white border. Without that, this may not work very well.
This is such a clean look. It’s extremely exciting to see Sparky, the best helmet in college football, for the final home game of the season. Combined with the fact that not only is it Homecoming but also Senior Day, a uniform combination of such magnitude is the right way to send the regular home season and seniors out. Saturday can’t come soon enough.
What Color #Faniform ASU Fans Should Wear: Gold
Honorary #Faniform
Arizona State Athletic Director Graham Rossini continues to join in the fun of submitting a #faniform each week. While it is still a #faniform, anything submitted from Rossini will never be eligible for the #faniforms presented by Cactus Sports contest. However, we would still love to highlight his participation and how well-dressed he is. Last game, Rossini wore a black Branded Bills cap that has a maroon pitchfork with gold trimmed overlayed on a maroon state of Arizona with stamped “Sun Devils” pattern. He also wore a maroon polo that had a maroon pitchfork with gold trim on the left chest and a gold adidas logo on the right under a white quarter zip that had a gold pitchfork with maroon trim on the left chest and a maroon adidas logo on the right, all under a Homefield coaches jacket that has gold “Sun Devils” and “Arizona State” print around a maroon sunburst with gold sun flares and “ASU” within. His Stance socks had a maroon, gold, and white striped pattern, and he wore those with a white and black adidas x Fear of God collab pair of shoes. He accessorized with a Roostas maroon and beige Renegade belt.
#Faniforms Presented by Cactus Sports
Welcome back to #Faniforms Presented by Cactus Sports! Uniformity loves to highlight your best gameday #faniforms that you wear to support the Sun Devils each week. As a reminder, with Uniformity’s partnership with Cactus Sports, three #faniforms will be chosen at random each week, just like in the past, but this season, there will be a weekly Twitter poll to vote for which of those three #faniforms will become a contest finalist. At the end of the regular season, all of the finalists will be entered into a final vote, with the grand prize being a $125 gift card to Cactus Sports! Reminder: when posting to Twitter, remember to use the hashtag #faniform and tag the Uniformity Twitter account @ASU_Uniformity. Here are this week’s selections! Keep an eye out on Twitter for the fan vote! Cast your vote for the best #faniform each week!
Congratulations to @nicole_pinter6 on earning a finalist spot last week! And best of luck to @mariosevilla, @lilbobby28, and @keithsaurin in this week’s Twitter and Instagram poll!
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