Pressure continues to mount as Arizona State approaches its Sept. 2 showdown with Southern Utah. With fall semester classes underway in Tempe, the Sun Devils are now closer to the first game than their first practice of the season.
A veteran Sun Devil squad heads to the season-opener with high expectations for themselves and from their head coach. Edwards told reporters Sunday – an unusual practice time for ASU dictated by the first game being on a Thursday – that he’s stressed to his team the importance of closing games out this year, something Arizona State has struggled with at times.
Last year, Arizona State opened the season with a gut-wrenching loss to USC. According to ESPN, the Sun Devils had a 99.9 percent win probability when leading 27-14 over the Trojans with just over three minutes remaining. In Edwards's first three seasons in Tempe, ASU has gone 8-10 in games decided by a touchdown or less.
“If you’ve watched us play the last three years; we’ve been in position to win a lot of games,” said Edwards. “We let a few get away. I’ve always said, ‘we didn’t lose; we just ran out of time.’ We can’t allow that to happen. When we have games that we can put away, we’ve got to close them out.”
Year four of the Edwards era in Tempe has always been circled as one in which the Sun Devils believed they would compete at a high level, as the roster's foundation would finally have his fingerprints all over it. For the lofty goals of a Pac-12 Championship and Rose Bowl appearance to come to fruition, ASU must handle everything thrown their way.
“I felt (pressure) when I first took this job. There’s always been that,” Edwards remarked. “There’s always a sense of ‘can we capture the moment?’”
Edwards has spoken since he changed offensive coordinator’s and hired Zak Hill after the 2019 season about the importance of scoring more points. Arizona State’s goal is to score in the upper-30s or mid-40s. But with late leads, Edwards knows the luxury his talented backfield provides him to salt games away if need be.
“I always think good teams have the ability to run the football. We all like to throw passes because that makes the highlight reels and quarterbacks still want to throw the football, but I still think there’s a toughness to you when you can run it on offense,” Edwards said as ASU enters this year returning redshirt senior Rachaad White, who averaged 10 yards per carry in 2020. “It brings a toughness to you on defense when you have to defend the run. If not, you become a little bit soft when you don’t practice against the run.
“We have some talented players. You saw the two guys (White and Deamonte Trayanum) last year that played for us, but don’t lose sight of (Daniyel) Ngata. He’s a good football player.”
For as much as Edwards and the Sun Devil coaching staff might believe they know about their team, opening night provides newfound observations and perspectives on the roster.
“You think you know, but you don’t know. Once the ball gets kicked in the air, you kind of figure it out,” said Edwards, citing special teams as an area of interest as game week comes closer into sight. “We have two new kickers, so that’s going to be interesting. Kicking is a big part of football, and sometimes we don’t think about that until you’ve got to kick one with four seconds left against Michigan State to win. Those things become big all of a sudden.”
Weather-permitting, Edwards prefers to practice outside. Practicing in that setting prepares Arizona State to have an advantage over opponents during home games in the month of September.
“We play outside. We’re gonna practice outside,” shared Edwards as his reasoning. Edwards recalled a trip to Tempe during his time as an assistant coach for San Jose State, during which he noticed how significant the heat – and the exhaustion it created – was. “Players have become accustomed to it, and I think they use it to their advantage… The stamina of a football team is important, and when you can practice in those conditions, it helps you mentally.
“I have looked over across on sidelines during games here early, and it has helped us.”
Arizona State finished the fall “training camp” portion of preseason tune-up and has now entered season and game preparation, according to Edwards. That means the depth chart is getting tighter, and roles are becoming more defined.
“The players are starting to understand… we’ve got to get ready,” said Edwards. “They know what road we need to travel. There’s a lot of guys that came back, and they feel like if we can just stay healthy and play smart, we’re going to have an opportunity. That’s all you ask for every year.”
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Over the weekend, ASU awarded Harvard tight end transfer John Stivers a scholarship, adding another scholarship body – and one who contributed with playing time in 2020 – to interim tight ends coach Juston Wood’s position group. Edwards explained the significance of the decision to celebrate and reward a walk-on with a lesson learned from his time playing in the NFL.
“It’s really become a part of college football,” Edwards said of awarding scholarships to hard-working walk-ons. “I think it’s a moment for players, for their family, and for the team. We’ve been fortunate enough to do that since I’ve been here every year. We’ve given out one or two. I think it’s important just to show other guys that have walked on that they have an opportunity.
“I have a softness for guys that are walk-ons. For some reason, I didn’t get drafted, and it wasn’t because of talent. I was a free agent, and all I wanted was a chance. Dick Vermeil gave me a chance, and it turned out pretty good.”
Stivers contributed for the Sun Devils during the 2020 campaign, utilizing his hard-nosed approach as a predominantly blocking tight end for ASU.
“He’s a tough football player, and we can use him in ways in our offense that can highlight what he does well.”
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