Edwards to test if his team can self-motivate with mock game on Saturday

With its matchup against USC just 18 days away, ASU football is ramping up preparations for the 2020 season opener. Pads are now commonplace in practices, and an intrasquad scrimmage is slated for this weekend.

“Saturday will be more of a mock game procedure on how we go into the stadium,” Edwards said, “on how we do our pregame warmup. And then create somewhat of a game-like atmosphere in the stadium, a stadium with no fans in.”

The scrimmage will be the first extensive test to see how the Sun Devils respond to an environment without spectators. The Pac-12, unlike some conferences in college football has announced that there will be no fans in the stands other than a few hundred friends and families of players and coaches (still subject to local health guidelines).

“I think it’s important that we walk into a stadium, have a practice, somewhat of a mock game without any fans to see what it really feels like,” Edwards remarked. “I know I’ve talked to a lot of coaches that have played in that type of situation, and it takes a little more time to get used to it so that’ll be interesting for us Saturday.”

The Pac-12’s ruling does not just apply to spectators. Also barred from attending games are cheer squads and marching bands, making an extra-quiet stadium environment inevitable.

“It’s tough to deal with for everyone,” Edwards admitted. “For a fan that loves the game of football and even for the players. You’re excited when you can walk into the stadium when you have a fan base, whether you’re on the road or home. That’s part of the emotion. That’s part of the energy in stadiums.”

Edwards said without a crowd creating any noise this season, players on the sidelines would have to create the environment. Needless to say, that this is truly uncharted waters for everyone, from a veteran coach to a newcomer player.

“I’ve never experienced it,” Edwards explained. “I don’t think any of our players have. I think this will be interesting. I think we’re going to have to bring our own energy. Some of the teams that I’ve talked to that have played in stadiums with no fans, even at the pro level, when you think about there are some pro teams that have no fans.

“And I’ve talked to some coaches, and I said, what does that feel like? They said, well you can hear everything. You can hear the audibles of the quarterback. You can hear the defenses changing coverages. Now we’ll have some music and the ambiance noises of a fan when things happen in a game. But for the most part, both teams have to create their own energy on the sideline.”

One of the liveliest players on the ASU team is redshirt-senior wide receiver Frank Darby. While Edwards appreciates Darby’s spirit and wants his players to rile up their teammates, he hopes Darby can conserve some of his vigor for the game itself.

“He’s going to be on the field,” Edwards remarked. “I don’t want him doing double duty and running down the sideline, getting guys excited because we need his energy.”

Since early last week, the Sun Devils have been in pads for some of their sessions. According to Edwards, padded practices are a reliable method to test his players' conditioning due to the added weight the equipment creates. He also explained how they are beneficial to see how the freshmen match up against college-sized defenders who are, for the most part, more physically mature.

Many inexperienced players will be on the field this year for ASU. However, the kickers on special teams are not one of the team aspects where many young guns will be forced into action. The Sun Devils return their starting kicker (Cristian Zendejas) and their starting punter (Michael Turk) from the 2019 team, both will be juniors this year.

“We have some guys who have played on special teams the last couple years which is good,” Edwards noted. “It’s going to be a very critical part of how we play. When you think about what is going on early in games, there’s been a lot of mishaps in special teams play, whether it’s blocked kicks, whatever it may be, you see it. You don’t want to go down that road. And I think we have some experience over there. We have two experienced kickers that have kicked, which helps you. … Some coverage teams and some units that have played together.”

This year, both college football and the NFL games have been characterized by a higher number than usual sloppy displays to start the season. With no preseason games at the professional level and limited offseason workouts for some college teams, crisp play has certainly been the exception for many teams. With USC potentially bring ASU’s toughest test of the season, Saturday’s simulated game carries more significance than usual in the effort to iron out the kinks before November 7th.

“As far as the mock game goes, all the situations that would occur in a football game,” Edwards stated. “And I think a lot of it has to do with personnel. How do you change personnel? How do you go from whether it’s the kickoff to your offense coming on the field, running some plays? Third down situations.

“And for the most part, it’s for coaches too. We’re actually going to have our coaches get up in the press box. We’re going to do everything like it’s a game.”

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