Week in Review
Don’t look now, but Skattebo just ran for another 40+ yard touchdown! The Sun Devils came in as home underdogs against a Utah team that was poised to get right with their leader, Cam Rising, back at the helm. However, a hand injury seemingly still in need of some healing and an ankle injury sustained on the first drive of the game significantly limited Rising. The Devils capitalized by keeping him off balance and intercepting him three times, two of which were by Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week Caleb McCullough. On the other side of the ball, Sam Leavitt sustained a rib injury of his own in the 2nd quarter, which led to Jeff Sim taking over at quarterback for ASU. He made the most of his time by flashing his athleticism as he rushed for a touchdown. Leavitt would return and play the entirety of the second half and complete some critical passes, none more crucial than a late third down conversion to the now three-time Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week, Cam Skattebo. It was another nail biter and marked the Sun Devils’ fourth win with a one-score margin. This team is gritty, and though the games aren’t always pretty, the current win-loss record of 5-1 is a thing of beauty. Speaking of beauty, let’s talk about that uniform.
Last Thursday, this year’s Blackout uniform was announced. It caused something of a hullabaloo. A ruckus. There was brouhaha. And why? Well, because the uniform was maroon, not black. I provided an explanation as to why that was, and Graham Rossini showed tremendous humility by taking full responsibility for inconsistency between theme and uniform.
Once the hubbub of the uniform reveal settled, it was time to take the field. Winning cures many things, and in this case, it seemed to lead to a turnabout of the fanbase. In fact, there were many who contacted me during the game to express how good the uniform, the helmet in particular, looked during the game. I find it hard to disagree. The helmet looked tough. It is the same helmet build that was worn in the Blackout against Oklahoma State last season, but it really stood out atop a maroon uniform versus the black jersey and pants from 2023. The gold trim on black pitchforks and black facemasks really accomplished an intimidating look. Plus, I make no bones, and I believe an all-maroon uniform is always a good look.
It was nice to see fan opinion shifting during and after the game. The crowd really showed out in black, making for an awesome home environment and accomplishing the energy we’ve come to know during Blackout games. Not only that, but lighthearted quips suggesting ASU should wear all maroon until they lose in it were suggested as well. I put forth a poll to fans as to what we ought to call this maroon uniform worn during Blackout week. The vote came out to a solid majority choosing to name it the Maroon Eclipse uniform. So, there we have it. This victorious 2024 uniform shall be known as the Maroon Eclipse. It was a winner on-field and in our hearts.
Maroon Eclipse: A-
The Week to Come
Uniform
Arizona State just missed out on landing a top 25 spot after defeating then 16th ranked Utah and improving to 5-1. That is of no concern to the team, as they are focused on their next test, a trip to take on an impressive 4-2 Cincinnati team. Cincy has lost their two games by a combined 4 points and are coming home after a win against UCF in Orlando. Both teams are exceeding external expectations after each coming off of 3-9 records in 2023. Both teams also have a lot to play for, as their meeting is at a crucial pivot point in the season. When the Sun Devils take the field against Cincinnati, they will be wearing a maroon helmet, white jersey, and white pant uniform combination.
The white jersey features the Arizona state flag as a stripe feature on either side of the uniform. It is a darker tonal white 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. 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 maroon 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 white 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 white pants have a large maroon pitchfork with gold trim on the right thigh and a maroon adidas logo near the left hip.
Helmet
The maroon color shift helmet features standard white pitchfork decals with gold trim and a thin maroon border. This week, there is no center stripe on the helmet. The facemask is white, and the front bumper has a maroon base and white “Arizona State” text.
The decals on the back of the helmet include a maroon Big 12 logo with a white border, a white PT*42 shield honoring the legendary Sun Devil, Pat Tillman, a white Warning label in the shape of the state of Arizona, featuring white text, a small maroon pitchfork with gold trim over Tempe, and an American flag. The decals on the back of the helmet are rounded by the white “Sun Devils” text on a maroon base rear bumper.
Cleats and Socks
The Sun Devils will wear white cleats against Cincinnati. 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 sparkling 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.
Another white cleat option is being made available to players as well. It is another pair of adizero Electric but with a different colorway. The mostly white shoe features metallic gold adidas stripes and accents, including an adizero word mark on the tongue.
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 final game of the “middle season,” aka the three games between each bye week, is keeping with the maroon helmet theme. The pitchfork decals on this week’s helmet are the same as those worn against Kansas; however, the helmet is different as it doesn’t have the center stripe that the helmet had two weeks ago. The maroon helmet is undefeated during this middle portion of the season thus far, so why mess with success?
Overall, I like the look. My complaint about predominantly white uniforms is typically that there is not enough dark to anchor it. The maroon helmet accomplishes this. White pitchfork decals also work as a complementary accent to the white away uniforms. All those details really tie this uniform together as a cohesive look. This is a winning look, and let’s hope it is worn during a winning result on the field to send the Sun Devils off into their bye week with a win, a 6-1 record, and a place secured within the top 25.
What Color #Faniform Travelling 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 the Cactus Sports contest. However, we would still love to highlight his participation and how well-dressed he is. Last week, Rossini wore a black Sun Devil Hockey jacket that had a black pitchfork with white trim and a white CCM logo. He also wore a black digicamo polo that has a maroon pitchfork ASU logo with gold trim on the right chest and a white adidas logo on the left chest. His shoes are a pair of adidas Tyshawn II with a maroon and black colorway. He also carried a maroon Heritage Gear duffle bag with a gold interlocking AS logo and a leather bottom.
#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 @JPopppppppp on earning a finalist spot last week! And best of luck to @swooshgolf18, @terryaqui, and @kylehsundevil in this week’s Twitter and Instagram poll!
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