Herm Edwards enjoys reflection. The 65-year old often bemoans the youngest generation for their lack to fathom history, to appreciate it and to understand that where they’re standing is merely a product as the actions of someone before them.
Chalk that up to phones, technology or a changing society as a whole.
“That’s the thing about young people, they’re not history buffs,” Edwards said. “They’re all about the current thing that’s happening. They’re not worried about the past. Well, the past has something to do with the present.”
But Edwards prides himself as a teacher. He doesn't yell. He doesn’t curse. He doesn’t embarrass his players or coaches. He always likes to bring up the fact that he’s not new school … or old school. “I’m right school,” he’ll joke. “I do things right.”
In the upcoming days, Edwards will lead ASU’s preparations for USC. He’ll also have a perfect opportunity to be that teacher he takes pleasure in.
This week marks the official anniversary of college football’s 150th anniversary and at the USC game on Saturday afternoon, the Sun Devils will honor former quarterback Jake Plummer’s induction into the College Football Hall of Fame.
“I’ll talk about it this week,” Edwards’ said of Plummer’s honor. “Jake has been coming out to some practices, so they know who he is … Great ambassador for ASU football.”
Edwards then thought back to his youth, when he would play high school football on Friday then watch the college games on Saturday and the NFL on Sunday. He’d finish watching the one game that was on TV back then go throw the football with friends and replicate what they just watched.
Things have changed since then -- just as things have changed for Edwards’ Sun Devils in the last three weeks. There was the loss to Utah. The loss to UCLA. ASU went from a Pac-12 South frontrunner to a middling team with its sights now set on a good bowl game.
The Sun Devils are now 5-3 and 2-3 in conference play. They’re fourth in the Pac-12 South, set to face the 5-3 Trojans, which were embarrassed by Oregon last week, on Saturday afternoon and attain bowl eligibility.
What’s at stake? Well not a whole lot as it relates to any type of championship, but it provides both teams the opportunity to get back on track. And for a young ASU team, that may be the most important thing at this point in the year.
Edwards wants emotion of the team to stop playing such a large factor in a game's results
At this point, the Sun Devils playing with more emotion than passion is nothing new, and quite frankly, Edwards sounds like a broken record when he’s had to speak on the subject over and over again during the past few weeks.
Obviously, it’s not something he wants to continue having to discuss, but it’s been an overarching theme of ASU’s previous two contests, one-sided losses to Utah and UCLA, respectively.
“Before the Utah game and the UCLA game, we were the least penalized team in the Pac-12, and we addressed it, that’s all you can do,” Edwards stated. “You’ve got to show them where it hurt the team. It hurts the team, and as I said earlier, we’re not good enough (to overcome so many penalties), we’re just not.”
Although this stretch marks the third time in the Herm Edwards era -- which accounts for the last two years -- the Sun Devils have lost consecutive games, ASU has not lost three or more games in a row since 2016, when the team dropped six straight after starting the season 5-1.
With the Sun Devils aspirations of winning the Pac-12 South hanging by a thread, it’s essential that ASU comes into the USC contest with the right mindset, and maintains its mental composure throughout the course of the game.
“You just have to deal with it, you have to keep them calm,” Edwards said. “Football’s one of those games you play kind of right on the edge but it’s kind of like don’t … and they always catch the second guy.
“When you’re giving somebody the business, you better do it first because the second guy will get caught, it happens all the time, and so you can’t be the second guy. Don’t get involved- don’t get into the trap of it all.”
He also noted how ASU isn’t the only team with this problem, citing USC’s previous game against Oregon as an example. But as Edwards said until the Sun Devils are as good as a team like the Ducks, they need to hone in on self-control and avoiding careless penalties if they are to give themselves any chance of winning going forward.
USC’s talent -- especially at receiver -- poses problems for the Sun Devils
Edwards thought back to the Sun Devils’ offensive situation, or last-ditch game plan, last season. Or rather the advice he gave then-quarterback Manny Wilkins about what to do when things broke down.
“(USC is) going to throw it in tight coverage and figure their guys are coming down with the ball. No different than last year when we had N’Keal (Harry),” Edwards said. “N’Keal was covered, but he wasn’t covered. Throw it to him. That’s what I used to tell Manny, I said, ‘If you’re stuck, just throw it to (No. 1).’”
That’s what the Trojans have in 2019 … with, arguably, three receivers.
Michael Pittman Jr., Tyler Vaughns, and Amon-Ra St. Brown are amongst the best wide-receiver trios in the country. The trifecta has combined to catch 163 passes for nearly 2,000 yards and 17 touchdowns.
(That’s more catches and yards than Alabama’s highly-touted receiver corps of Jerry Jeudy, DeVonta Smith, and Henry Ruggs II).
“It probably the most-talented receivers we’ve faced as a corps this season,” Edwards said. “Big, physical, can run, catch a lot of the 50-50 balls.”
The Trojans, as is the case most years, have talent -- more talent than most teams. But they, like the Sun Devils, are feeling some repercussions of youth and injuries. The youth with its offense -- USC is also starting a freshman quarterback in Valley native Kedon Slovis -- and the injuries more with its defense, which has been ravished by health issues in the last few weeks.
They’re 42nd in the country in total offense -- 52 spots ahead of ASU -- but 94th in total defense -- 48 spots behind the Sun Devils.
“We’ll have our hands full for sure,” Edwards said. “We have to understand that they’re coming in here off a tough loss and we had a pretty bad one too. This will be a game that we mentally and emotionally better be ready to play.”
Team’s mindset, ability to convert short first downs will be keys for success this weekend
Coming off a loss in a game that was essentially a “must-win” for the Sun Devils’ chances of finishing atop the Pac-12 South, it’s fair to wonder where the mindset of some of the players will be -- especially the older ones -- as November progresses.
However, Edwards reassured everyone that he believes in the character of his players, and the approach they take every week to being their best selves and winning football games.
“Anytime you’re in the situation that we’re in, it’s always the older guys that are like, you know, they’re leaving the program, ‘where am I at?’ Well you’re part of it, you’re part of helping build it,” Edwards said. “We’ve got good character guys here, and I truly believe that they’re invested in it; they want to win.”
With that in mind, a key area where improvement would help the Sun Devils win football games is converting third and fourth-and-shorts (includes plays where three yards or less would get a first down).
Against the Bruins last weekend, ASU was 2-for-5 in such situations, which does include a fourth-and-one the team was going to go for with true freshman quarterback Joey Yellen- after starter Jayden Daniels had gotten injured on the previous play- before a false start penalty moved them back.
“When you become a little predictable, I think, in third-and-shorts, people kind of anticipate- they’re going to put seven guys in the box,” Edwards explained, “they’re going to not allow you to run it in the ‘A’ and the ‘B’ gaps, so what are you going to do?
“You get the push, and they get the push on you. It’s a matter of will, basically, if you go for third-and-ones or fourth-and-ones if you’re going to run the football.”
Of course, winning the battle at the line of scrimmage against a team with as much raw talent as USC is a tall task, but it’s a challenge Edwards clearly expects his team to be fully prepared for.
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