During his postgame press conference after Saturday’s 44-13 season-opening win over NAU, ASU head coach Todd Graham admitted that his team’s sluggish first half was nerve-wracking.

But just as he did Saturday — and even more so — Graham emphasized Monday that his team is still 1-0 and he is pleased with the direction it’s headed.

“We’re 1-0, we won 44-13,” Graham said. “We gave up 13 points. We’re going to go with the next week. That’s how I feel about that. I don’t get it. We’re 1-0 and I told our players that half the teams in the country would like to be 1-0…I’m pleased with where we’re at. Do we have a lot of work to do? Yes, we do…The key is, we have heart on this team and I think our guys showed it. You’d always like things to be easy, but they’re never easy. Nothing worth having is easy.”

On Saturday, redshirt sophomore quarterback Manny Wilkins — who had not even logged a pass at the collegiate level — started his first career game, scored his first career touchdown and earned his first career win.

He completed 20-of-27 passes for 180 yards and rushed for 89 more yards with the aforementioned touchdown. Additionally, he made two separate plays by hurdling NAU defenders at different points in the game.

“One of the best things I think Manny did was just the conversation and listening in-between the series,” Graham said. We could’ve thrown the ball a lot more than we did, and we didn’t. …We wanted to run the football. I think he did some really nice things running the football, made some good decisions there…I think for his first game, he learned a lot and I think he did a solid job.

“I like Manny’s leadership. He has a lot of tools.”

But the quality that stood out most to Graham is something many first-year quarterbacks seemingly have a tough time with.

“The thing I was most impressed with about him was his poise,” he said.

***

Graham pointed out defensive linemen Renell Wren and George Lea as standouts for their efforts on the defensive line and even credited linebacker D.J. Calhoun for his performance.

However, offensive right guard Quinn Bailey looked like a former Sun Devil who started 25 games on the offensive line, Graham said.

“I told (offensive line coach Chris Thomsen) that I thought (Quinn Bailey) was Christian Westerman a couple of times,” he said. “They’re very similar in their stances and just the mannerisms and stuff. He’s got a way to get the experience and the knowledge level that Christian is at, but I thought he had his best game for us.”

***

In the third quarter of Saturday’s win, Spur linebacker Marcus Ball was flagged for targeting. The call was upheld; Ball was ejected and now needs to sit out the first half against Texas Tech too.

However, Graham said he agreed with the call for player safety reasons.

“The thing you have to look at on those is the safety of players,” he said. “He did not launch with his head, but if you hit with the crown of your helmet, it’s also considered targeting, and it’s for safety…If there’s any doubt, we should err on the side of safety.”

Graham also said he hopes linebacker Christian Sam will be available this week after suffering an ankle injury in the first quarter against NAU.

***

When asked about Texas Tech and its Air Raid system, Graham pointed out the blatantly obvious: The Red Raiders’ strength is their offense and their ability to score points.

Graham also said Texas Tech quarterback Patrick Mahomes is right up there with the best in the Big 12.

“He understands the system, he’s big, he’s very hard to tackle,” he said. “He has a very quick release and they spread you all over the place.”

He also dubbed former Texas Tech head coach and Washington State head coach Mike Leach as the “foundation” of the Air Raid offense.

However, he said Texas Tech and head coach Kliff Kingsbury pose a similar challenge.

“(Coaches) have all added wrinkles and different things to it,” Graham said. “I’d say that Texas Tech is purer and very much similar to Washington State.”

Graham said he is focused on continuing the steady improvement his team displayed to turn a shaky start into a dominant win over NAU.

“The key to winning is getting better every week,” Graham said. “We — from start to finish — are a good example of getting better every snap.”