2020 has been a difficult year for many, and ASU Football is no exception.
The Sun Devils have had three games in a row canceled in an already shortened season due to a COVID-19 outbreak within the program. However, the team has been back at practice and is ready to face UCLA in Tempe on Saturday at 8:30 p.m. MST.
“We’re confident about playing a game,” ASU head coach Herm Edwards stated. “We’re excited about playing a game. It’s kind of like our first game. It feels like we’re just opening the season again. It’s our first home game, which I think all the guys are excited about. That’ll be a lot of fun.”
Edwards, who contracted COVID-19, explained how it was difficult for the team to go through the wild loss to USC after an offseason of hard work, only to have three games canceled.
“This has been something that I don’t think anyone will ever forget in the world,” Edwards said. “I think everyone’s been affected by this virus, one way or another. And it’s made us all have to adjust, and life is not normal. Hopefully, one day it will become normal again.”
In order to play UCLA Saturday, ASU will need at least 53 scholarship players. According to Edwards, the plan is to have as close to a full squad as possible.
“We expect to have our players ready to play,” Edwards explained. “And that’s kind of where we’re at right now, so we’re doing everything we can do to make sure that we’re all available to go. And I think that has been the cry from everyone. Coaches, players, everyone involved in the building. We went almost eight months. And we were doing a pretty good job, and then it affected us.”
Last season, ASU traveled to play UCLA at the Rose Bowl. The Bruins dominated the Sun Devils for three quarters and led 42-10 heading into the fourth.
In the fourth quarter, ASU put up 22 unanswered points but it was too late, and UCLA ended up winning 42-32.
On Saturday, ASU will face a team much stronger than the one from last season. On Nov. 15, the Bruins (2-2) throttled a Cal team many media members thought would be a contender in the Pac-12 North, 34-10. This past Saturday, UCLA defeated Arizona 27-10 with Chase Griffin at quarterback instead of the Bruins’ usual starter, Dorian Thompson-Robinson.
UCLA’s two losses have been a six-point defeat at the hands of a good Colorado team and a three-point loss to No. 21 Oregon, a game Thompson-Robinson also missed.
Edwards praised the job UCLA head coach Chip Kelly is doing and talked about what ASU will need to do to contain the Bruins, who should have Thompson-Robinson back on Saturday.
“They’re very dynamic in their running game,” Edwards stated. “They have two wonderful backs. Do a nice job with their tight ends of blocking. They’ve got a big offensive line. Quarterback missed last week, but he’ll be back this week, I would assume. He’s very dynamic. Can throw from different platforms. And he’s fast once he gets outside the pocket. He can make a lot of plays and extend plays with his legs, so that’s a concern for any defense. And then defensively, they’re big inside. They have some athletic linebackers that run. They play hard, and so this is going to be a test for us.”
Edwards acknowledged UCLA’s major advantage in the game. UCLA has not missed a week of games or practices so far. Unlike ASU, the Bruins have had time to gel as a unit and get better off of losses. The Sun Devils will have had a little over a week back at practice to correct the USC game's mistakes and get back into football shape before facing UCLA.
“We have to go play,” Edwards said. “We have to prepare. Our coaches have done a pretty nice job so far preparing our players. We’re excited about the opportunity to play.”
In order to defeat UCLA, ASU will need to improve through the air. The Sun Devils’ ground game ran all over the Trojans on Nov. 7, but ASU quarterback Jayden Daniels completed just 47.8 percent of his passes.
“We’re going to have to make some plays in the passing game,” Edwards explained. “And that’s where we’re going to have to improve. I thought our run game was pretty consistent, to be honest, and with really two runners that had never played a Pac-12 game, I thought they played pretty well. And now we have to get more balanced on the other side of it and play better as far as in the passing game, be more consistent there with our offense.”
Over the quarantine period, Edwards said the coaching staff has had a lot of time to watch the film, which has allowed them to study UCLA, a team that brings in a new offensive scheme each week.
Obviously, this past Thursday was Thanksgiving, and Edwards was thankful he was able to spend time with his immediate family.
“We were all healthy, actually for Thanksgiving,” Edwards said. “That is a good thing. When you look at Thanksgiving, and you go back to all the family outings you’ve had with grandparents, with parents, with in-laws, that wasn’t the case for us this year. And maybe one of the first times because generally, wherever I’ve been, if I’ve been coaching, generally those families would come visit for Thanksgiving. This was not the opportunity to do that this year because of the virus. So we did a lot of FaceTime.”
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