Week in Review
That was a lot of fun, then really nerve-wracking, and then finally, fun and relieving. As Cameron Skattebo went, so did the Sun Devil offense. Racking up 297 yards of offense himself, 262 of which were on the ground, he began and ended the game with dominant runs that ultimately led to the win. Let’s not forget the outstanding effort from the defense, which produced yet another touchdown, the third defensive touchdown of the season, and limited the Mississippi State rushing game. The team had to respond to adversity as the Bulldogs scored 20 straight points to get within a touchdown, and they did so with Cameron Skattebo’s 37-yard rush, effectively putting the game to bed. It was the program’s first-ever win over an SEC team, so it was a historic night in that sense, along with Skattebo notching the second-highest single-game rushing total in Arizona State history. It was great to see the Devils begin the season 2-0, and it was also great to see the incredible gold alternate uniforms.
The white Sparky face helmet matched the gold jersey and pants, which was an incredible combination. I had a full evolution of feelings about it that went from being unsure about the jersey itself and questioning the helmet decision to falling in love with the uniform as a whole by the time I saw them on the field. This is one of the best alternate uniforms that ASU has ever worn. I know that there are some folks who have an immediate, visceral reaction to the gold threads because of what they deemed the “banana suits” that were worn in two losses in 1989 and 1990. To those, I say it’s been 35 years. None of the players nor the head coach were born when those losses happened. ASU is now 3-2 in gold jerseys since reintroducing them in 2021. The three wins are over Colorado, USC, and the SEC’s Mississippi State. Not a bad track record at all.
Moreover, these gold uniforms were beloved far and wide throughout the country. Mississippi State fans enjoyed them opposite their maroon/white/maroon uniforms, and I got extremely positive feedback from college football fans throughout the country. Furthermore, both UNISWAG and UniAuthority ranked the gold threads their number 2 uniform of the week.
The large Sparky face decal was the cherry on top. The combination, especially with a white helmet, would not have been the same without it. It brought a bold and ever-present pop of color to the white lid that complemented the entire uniform, ultimately tying it all together. The uniform and the win itself made for a fun weekend.
White Sparky Face/Gold/Gold: A+
The Week to Come
Uniform
With Wyoming and Mississippi State in the rearview mirror as wins, the non-conference slate only gets more difficult as the Sun Devils must travel to San Marcos, Texas, on short rest to take on a dangerous Texas State team this Thursday. The Bobcats will have confidence entering Thursday’s contest coming off of a 49-10 throttling of UTSA. This is the best team Arizona State will have faced thus far this season, and to do so on the road does not make things easier. The Devils must find consistency to maintain a high level of play for all four quarters, along with finding more success in the passing game to balance out the offense. As the Sun Devils take the field for their first road game of the season against Texas State, they will be wearing a familiar gold helmet/white jersey/gold pant uniform combination.
The white jersey features the Arizona state flag as a stripe feature on either side of the uniform. It is a tonal gray 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 white jerseys feature maroon player numbers outlined in gold on both the front and back of the jersey, as well as the TV numbers on the sleeves. The sleeves also have a maroon cuff. 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 maroon.
The nameplate on the back of the jersey utilizes the black Sun Devil Bold font. On the front of the jersey, near the left shoulder, is a maroon adidas logo. Near the right shoulder is a maroon and gold Big 12 shield. 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 maroon pitchfork decals with gold. There is also a two-tone center stripe, which boasts a bold maroon center outlined by thin strips of gold. The facemask is maroon, and the front bumper has a white base and maroon “Sun Devils” text with each letter outlined in a thin, gold border.
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 over Tempe, and an American flag. The decals on the back of the helmet are rounded by the maroon “Arizona State” text, with each letter outlined in a thin, gold border on a white base rear bumper.
Cleats and Socks
The Sun Devils will wear white cleats against Texas State. 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 white sole that reaches part way up the heel. They have a textured maroon base that has a bit of a sparkle element to it with three white stripes and an adizero wordmark on the outside of the shoe. The top portion of the cleat is a maroon primeknit and has the white 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 white sole and a white plastic band that reaches up towards the heel on either side of the shoe. The white base has three maroon stripes on the outside of the shoe, while there is a maroon adidas logo on the instep. The maroon laces lead up to the white 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, which are made for more ankle support for heavier linemen. The second to last pair is the adizero Chaos. It features a shiny white plastic sole and a two-tone white and gold colorway on the main body of the shoe. The front half towards the toe is white 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 white rubberized material designed for better grip on the grass and it also features a small plastic maroon plate on the instep of the sole.
White socks will be worn to match the cleats as well.
Gloves
The Sun Devils will wear maroon and black 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 maroon adizeros feature a maroon pitchfork with gold trim on the palm of each glove. They also have a gold adidas logo on the back of the hand, gold seams around the wrist, and a gold 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 maroon adidas Freak gloves feature the same maroon pitchfork palm design as the adizero, gold seams around the wrist, and a gold 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 black with black padding on the palm and along with a gold adidas logo on the back of the hand; they also have white accents on the knuckles and a black wrist wrap with a gold strap.
Reaction
The gold uniforms are a tough act to follow, so to no fault of its own, this uniform doesn’t have quite the “pop” that last week’s did, but don’t let that take away from it. This tried and true away uniform combination should never be taken lightly. It’s a great look that is unmistakably ASU. It’s good to bring a true identity into a non-conference environment in which Texas State has already announced a blackout against the Sun Devils.
Including this gold/white/gold combination to be worn against the Bobcats on Thursday, Arizona State’s primary maroon and gold colors have played a major role in their early season uniform combinations. One simply cannot go wrong with the best color combination in all of sports, but it also establishes identity and culture early. Kenny Dillingham is a Valley native and lifelong Sun Devil. While he may also appreciate uniform variety, it’s fair to say that he values tradition. While he may not be heavily involved in the selection process of the uniforms from week to week, it is true that he is intent on establishing his own Sun Devil culture rooted in the foundation that makes Arizona State athletics great. One of the things that can aid in that is recognizability through uniforms and branding. The equipment room is further supporting the vision of this young head coach with their early season choices. The opportunity for more creative uniforms and theme games will come throughout the rest of the season, but for now, a heavy helping of maroon and gold is just what the doctor ordered.
What Color Traveling ASU Fans Should Wear: Gold
Honorary #Faniform
The winner of last week’s #Faniforms Presented by Cactus Sports Pool, as well as this week’s contestants, will be listed below, but I wanted to point out a first in #faniform history. In the midst of preparations for game day Saturday morning, Arizona State Athletic Director Graham Rossini submitted a #faniform of his very own. It was a gold polo that has a gold pitchfork with maroon trim, a maroon adidas logo, and a gold Big 12 logo with a maroon border on the right sleeve. He matched that with a pair of maroon and gold adidas Gazelles. Also pictured was a very nice maroon, leather bottomed duffle bag that has a gold interlocking AS logo in the center of it. I would like to thank Graham for his participation and encourage him to continue to do so throughout the season. His engagement and enthusiasm also surged submissions that ultimately led to a record number of #faniform submissions in for any one game week.
#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 @TylerHam311 on earning a finalist spot last week! And best of luck to @tbhardon90, @mariosevilla, and @JaggerD70 in this week’s Twitter and Instagram poll!
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