As Herm Edwards left Sun Devil Stadium on Saturday following ASU’s 34-21 loss to Washington State and returned to the facility in the following days, the 67-year-old head coach couldn’t get the pit out of his stomach. The Sun Devils had lost in an embarrassing showing on homecoming, and barring an all-out miracle, they lost their chance at a shot for the Pac-12 Championship Game, a given expectation considering the talent listed on the roster.
Through eight games in 2021, Edwards’ Sun Devils have yet to put together a complete game of football. They’ve had strong plays, drives, quarters, and even halves of football which demonstrated their potential, but for the past three weeks, Arizona State has been spinning its tires, unable to put rubber to the road.
“We didn’t react in a way to give ourselves a chance,” Edwards opened. “Every week, you realize there is so much put into this, and what you get out of it is the joy of winning a football game. We haven’t felt that in two (games). That’s what football is about... We haven’t felt that feeling of accomplishment when you win a football game; we’ve been on the other side of it. It doesn’t feel good. There’s nothing comfortable losing.”
The Sun Devils looked uncomfortable on Saturday from the very first snap of the ballgame. Junior quarterback Jayden Daniels looked to get the run game rolling, feeding the rock to sophomore running back DeaMonte Trayanum. Trayanum carried for seven yards before catching the ball for a 13-yard gain on the second play from scrimmage, in which he fumbled.
First play of the next offensive drive, Daniels targeted Utah transfer receiver Bryan Thompson, who also fumbled the rock, yielding Washington State possession.
After a much lengthier drive of 11 plays, infringing on the red zone, Daniels threw an interception.
Three turnovers in 14 plays from scrimmage to open a contest is an unacceptable number to process on any level of football. Not to mention that between the second-half meltdown against Utah and the first-half woes on Saturday, ASU allowed 56 unanswered points (this was stopped by a late second quarter ASU touchdown). When adversity knocked on the Sun Devils’ door on Saturday afternoon, instead of answering it, they opted to stay put and let it sit at their doorstep.
“It’s all about the reaction of what happens to you, how you handle adversity,” Edwards explained. “We didn’t respond. We responded in the fourth quarter, but then at that point, we were in catch-up mode, and everything was very difficult. No one wants to start a football game like that… Those two halves of football were not good, and it’s given us a way to look at ourselves and ask how we get it fixed. That’s a part of my responsibility. “
“We are not a good enough team to just turn the ball over, have three-and-outs on offense, and not score (and still win). We are not good enough to do that.”
With talented, experienced players all over the roster and a coaching staff increasingly figuring out what weapons they had at their disposal, 2021 seemed like the year Arizona State would shake off the rust and make a bonafide bid at Pac-12 glory. Three weeks ago, the team was a standout frontrunner in the conference; now, it sits at 5-3 and 3-2 in conference play. The season hangs in the air, hovering over like a dark cloud ready to dump down rain on an already faltering parade. To cover themselves, Edwards believes everyone must turn to the same page.
“People say talented teams win,” Edwards began. “We can play in spurts and win, but we haven’t been able to play together… This is a very talented team, and we know that. They’re never going to be out of the game because we have enough playmakers on both sides of the ball that can change the game. I think our guys understand that, but we must go out and compete and play a full game, not halves and quarters. If you do that, you feel better about yourself and give yourself a chance. We haven’t given ourselves a chance in two of our last games.”
On Saturday, the fans let Edwards and his team show how much they disapproved of their efforts and their inability to give themselves a fighting chance. Boos rang loudly from the stands behind the bench all the way up to the nosebleeds towering above the Bermuda grass. Each time Washington State scored or Arizona State turned the ball over or made a mistake; they got louder.
Daniels said he didn’t hear the boos postgame; instead, he was focused on the contest itself and blocked all the noise out. Whether Daniels did truly hear the displeasure or not, his head coach didn’t beat around the bush when asked the same question. Edwards heard them.
“Oh sure (I heard them)!” Edwards told reporters. “Remember, I played in Philadelphia. Fans are invested in their teams; they have a right to be angry and frustrated… You can’t ever take that personal. That’s the great part about being in an arena; I’d rather people come in here and get their anxiety out and get mad, just let it all out and be done with it.”
When Edwards first came to Arizona State, he and athletic director Ray Anderson set out goals to be a Top 15 team, competing in major bowl games. In four years (one shortened COVID season), the pairing hasn’t accomplished that. He was asked how close he was to reaching that goal; Edwards told reporters to “figure it out.”
“That’s not for me to say; that’s up to you guys,” he said. “You guys write, you have opinions, that’s up to you. I know the Rose Bowl team (from ’96-97) was here this weekend. How long ago was that? 25 years ago. That’s how hard it is.”
Last week, Edwards told the media that he wrote letters to his captains, a physical token of his appreciation that outlined his expectations of each of them, hoping to light a fire inside of his most trusted performers. Senior linebacker and captain Darien Butler expressed his gratitude later in the week.
Edwards was asked if he’d do something similar this week. Instead of writing with his captains, he does plan on meeting with them, some of which he’s already spoken to. He’s optimistic about them picking up his downcast garrison of players, one which he must bet on if the team is to finish this season on a high note.
“They’re disappointed,” Edwards admitted. “They are a disappointed group, and they don’t want to be in this situation. I told them the only way to clean it up is to get out of the situation. We must find a way out, and I’m betting on my players to do that. I’m betting that they’re going to play, and we are going to find a way out of this, my coaching staff, too. That’s what I’m betting on.”
With another home game coming up against USC this Saturday, Edwards and his staff have got some figuring out to do. An abysmal Trojan defense and a season-ending injury to Pac-12 leading receiver Drake London certainly bode well for ASU’s chances but looking in the mirror is where the Sun Devils have faltered. The narrative must change, or the slide will continue, the boos will become louder, and the seats will grow warmer.
“We had an opportunity this year,” Edwards said in his final statement. “We still have an opportunity to accomplish a lot of things… I think if things were easy, they would just happen. It doesn’t work that way. There are a lot of highs and some lows in football. Right now, we are low, and we have to get out of it. We want to feel better; we want everyone to feel better.”
“It’s a part of the process, and you have to live with it sometimes. I’ve done this a long time, and I’ve seen it before, and you go, ‘Okay, how do we get out of it?’ That’s what we have to do. We have to find a way out of this.”
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