Edwards looks to apply BYU loss’ lessons against Colorado

In front of 61,570 rowdy Cougar fans in Provo, Utah, Arizona State came under a microscope on Saturday night, falling 27-17 to No. 15 BYU amidst an inexcusable number of penalties and mistakes. Arizona State had four turnovers and lost 121 yards on 16 penalties, most of them caused by miscommunication in the hostile environment.

Following the loss, ASU head coach Herm Edwards addressed the media on Monday, addressing the concerns and lack of discipline amongst his experienced football team. Much like his press conference following the UNLV victory, Edwards continued to grow the narrative that this ASU team needs to learn how to not beat itself before it can prevail over a formidable opponent.

“It was really us against us,” Edwards explained. “We put ourselves in a bad position offensively and defensively. We gave them yards that weren’t earned by them making a play; it was by us misfiring, making a silly penalty. Those are the hidden yards that add up.”

Arizona State is one of the most experienced teams in all of college football. Graduate students and super seniors line the roster up and down, filling the depth chart with players who know what it takes to perform at a high level. Remember, this is a team that brought back 20 of 22 starters across both sides of the ball, including all 11 on defense before a season-ending triceps injury to senior defensive tackle Jermayne Lole.

Edwards has seen a lot of football in his lifetime, so he’s not necessarily surprised by anything he sees across the realm of the game anymore, but no matter what he’s experienced, he knows he needs to put an end to the penalty-ridden shift of his team’s identity.

“When something like this happens, you have to do everything to prevent it from continuing to happen,” he shared. “We have to take it upon ourselves.”

“Right now, you would assume the veteran guys would play a little bit calmer, and for some reason, they have not done that. I think it’s trying to force things and make things happen. Football is a competitive, violent sport, and you always have to understand that you have to maintain peace about yourself. You can’t get outside of that because when you do, that’s when bad things occur.”

The Sun Devil head coach also referenced his teams from the past, comparing the deficit of penalties. In 2020, ASU ranked ninth in the Pac-12, committing 54.5 penalty yards per game. In 2019, they were 11th, with 62.9 penalty yards per game. In 2018, the first year of Edwards’ tenure, they were seventh, averaging 53.8 penalty yards per game.

“Generally, if you’re a good football team, you’re going to average maybe four to five penalties a game,” Edwards remarked. “Now, that number is catastrophic, and you can’t survive playing football like that. We have a pretty good football team here, but we can’t win games when you play like that; it’s very difficult.”

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While the penalties were undoubtedly a dark cloud hanging over ASU’s loss, as self-inflicted wounds spelled defeat, there were still several bright spots about the contest. Arizona State’s passing game, which was highly questioned after the first two wins over Southern Utah and UNLV, really showed some promise on Saturday night.

On Saturday night, junior quarterback Jayden Daniels reached the 4,000 passing yards club, the 16th Sun Devil to do so while completing the feat in under 500 attempts. Daniels threw for a season-high 265 yards against the Cougars, looking calm in the pocket amidst the chaos. Despite throwing two interceptions, one of which was a bobbled catch that was dropped into the opposition’s hands, while the other was a glorified punt with too much heat, there is still legitimate optimism that this unit might be on the rise.

“I hope (the passing game can continue to improve),” Edwards said. “You’re going to need explosive plays, and they can’t all be from the running game. We need some explosive passes, and at BYU, we hit one, then it got called back. We hit a few, but you can’t get them called back… We need explosive plays in the pass game, and that always also helps get the offense excited as well.”

The Sun Devils also need to take a look at their depth and various positional units as they progress to this Saturday’s matchup with Colorado. Edwards announced that LSU transfer defensive end Travez Moore is done for the season after a knee injury sustained in the BYU game. Graduate student corner Chase Lucas and defensive tackle Shannon Forman also suffered injuries, but Edwards said they were both at Monday meetings. Edwards also mentioned that redshirt junior cornerback Timarcus Davis is nearing a return to action.

As far as Edwards’ mindset looking forward to Colorado to open Pac-12 play, the head coach wants everyone to be in the same place mentally. ASU can’t take back the mistakes made against BYU last Saturday; that contest is done and dusted. What ASU can do is focus on the future and making sure those same mistakes don’t happen again.

“I think we are all on the same page of what needs to transpire and take place,” Edwards shared. “When you look at our football team to play a game like that against a good opponent, it can be very difficult. When you turn the ball over, and you put yourself in that position numerous times due to your own miscues, that can’t be a part of it.”

“Anytime you can win a football game, it's important. We've played so up and down; you hope that everything goes right... all it takes is a loss, and then you're searching for something else. You go through peaks and valleys, and we need to get to the peaks."

The Sun Devils open up Pac-12 play against South division foe Colorado on Saturday. The Buffaloes are coming off a loss of their own, a 30-0 implosion against Minnesota. Edwards hopes to learn from the past to provide insight into the future.

“We have enough guys that have been here in this program long enough where we've gotten off to some good stars, and we lost the game, and we found our way back,” Edwards explained. “That's what you got to do now, and I think guys are excited it’s PAC 12 play now, and all of these games are very important.”

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