With 7:07 left in the 2nd quarter of the Territorial Cup, my girlfriend looked at me and said, “They have quit.” “They” of course were the 2016 Sun Devils. A team that started off 4-0 giving the fans a sense of hope that came crashing down harder than a meteor. Many of us, even Todd Graham himself, had to be wondering what this means for the future of Sun Devil football in Tempe.
I responded to my girlfriend, a first-year football fan, and said, “They won’t quit in this game.” My 20+ years of watching college football told me a team would not quit in a rivalry game. Looking back, I may have been the naïve one on that night in Tucson. While it may not be fair to say the Sun Devils quit on that Black Friday, it is certainly fair to acknowledge segments of the Sun Devil faithful had thrown in the towel well before the November 25th flop.
That night my football intelligence blocked reality. It reminded me how important it is to have an outsider’s perspective to see the truth. As a 27-year-old college football fan and 5- year-old ASU fan, maybe I can provide some of that truth (and hope) for the upcoming 2017 season.
This team is at a crossroads that is undeniable. A sputtering offense and non-existent defense have much of the fan base on the brink of disengagement. This is a story many lifelong Sun Devils have seen before, but I have faith that 2017 will be a success. First, we have to look in the mirror as Sun Devil fans and shed bandwagon stereotype that plagues many west coast teams.
Despite a lack of success on the field in the past two years, ASU has continued to recruit at a higher level than ever before. The 2016 class finished 30th in the nation, despite the team coming off of a 6-7 mark. The 2017 class has the makings of another promising group that could eclipse the number of four-star prospects pledging to the program. Sun Devil Stadium continues to get a major facelift and the team will have football operations facility that will rival the best in the nation.
Transfer players such as Blake Barnett, Ryan Newsome, and John Humphrey are igniting excitement on social media among fans and teammates. Freshman All-American N’Keal Harry appears to be well on his way to a great career, as ASU continues to improve its in-state recruiting accomplishments to levels that have not been seen before.
Truth is, the worst is over in the Todd Graham era. He will learn from his mistakes. It’s time for us as fans to learn from ours as well. It’s important for fans to begin investing in this program and this team more than ever. Now is not the time to give up season tickets and stop supporting this team. We have the energy and excitement to build on right now with these coaches, players, and stadium upgrades. ASU football has long been considered a sleeping giant. Maybe it’s time to realize one coaching staff, one athletic director, or one set of players aren’t the last piece to the puzzle. Maybe that sleeping giant will wake up when 57,000 fans fill Sun Devil Stadium each game and become that impactful 12th man.
Maybe you are right to call me the proverbial Kool-Aid drinker. However, the turnaround I’m envisioning is not that farfetched. As Blake Barnett’s father, Lance, shared concerning his sons’ commitment, “So my first impression with ASU, believe it or not, I was extremely impressed with the fan base. There was a lot of excitement that I had not previously seen in the Pac 12.”
Truth is, first impressions projected by the Sun Devil nation really do matter for prospects visiting Tempe. A consistent commitment by the fans to the program can help pick this team off the mat and march onto the path of success.
