Hey, Ma! We Found a QB!
Four hundred and thirty-five. That’s how many yards Trenton Bourget threw for on Saturday against Colorado. Now, I know that Colorado is really bad this year, but ASU has played quite a few really bad or talent-poor teams in the past seven seasons, and no other quarterback has eclipsed 400 yards passing during that time. The last time any quarterback achieved such a feat was when Mike Bercovici threw for 418 yards on January 2nd, 2016, in a loss to West Virginia in the 2016 Cactus Bowl. The 435 yards that Bourguet threw is also a record for the most yards thrown by an Arizona State quarterback in their first start.
Three. That’s the number of touchdowns that Bourguet threw, and wouldn’t you know it; they were all to Jaylin Conyers, who just happens to be a tight end. Shaun Aguano’s play calling and Bourguet’s reads led to the tight ends seeing as much action in one game as they had the whole season thus far. That doubled his output from his previous outing against Washington.
Forty. The Sun Devils have scored more than forty points only twice this season. The only two games they accomplished this were games in which Bourguet took the vast majority of the snaps. Taking over halfway through the second quarter against Washington, and then in his first start against Colorado this past Saturday, the Sun Devils scored 45 and 42 points, respectively.
Two. The number of wins over FBS teams. The number of wins over Pac-12 teams. The number of times a quarterback has thrown for three touchdowns this season. And the amount of times Trenton Bourguet has been the primary quarterback in a game this season. It all lines up.
It’s a treat to see #16 behind center and making plays again. The confidence in delivery, trust in the pass catchers, and their trust in their quarterback to deliver an accurate ball on time is obvious as you watch this team with Bourguet at the helm. Route discipline is better. Pass protection blocking is better. The team responds to what the new starting quarterback is doing, and it shows. A real test lies immediately up ahead, but it’s worth noting what has been accomplished by Bourguet thus far because we’ve found our quarterback.
Week in Review
It was great to see the team get back in the win column last week, and it was great to see a new uniform combination with the classic colors on the field. The maroon helmet/white jersey/gold pant combination looked stellar. There was no mistaking that Arizona State was out on the field despite a few wrinkles being thrown in there.
The decals looked great; however, I’m beginning to grow slightly tired of the gradient decals. I get why they’re being used. They play along with the color shift of the iridescent maroon helmets, which works. However, a solid chrome gold decal could make just as big of an impact.
I know there was some reaction about the gold facemask looking better in the initial reveal from the athletic department, but I thought the final product looked outstanding with the maroon facemasks. Gold would have played well with the gold pants; however, it would have looked a bit loud, and the maroon facemask brought it all together very well. It was an overall great look. It was one of those uniforms that, as pictures accompanying the accomplishments of different players from the win flood the internet, it strikes a very positive chord within the soul of a Sun Devil. It went overlooked by tracking websites like UNISWAG and UniAuthority as they released their weekly top ten best uniforms, which was a big whiff on both of their parts. I’d be happy to see this as an annual recurring away uniform.
2022 Maroon/White/Gold: A
The Week to Come
Uniform
The Sun Devils will play in their first home game in nearly a month this weekend when they welcome the red hot UCLA Bruins to Tempe. When the Devils take the field, they’ll do so in their monochromatic Maroon Monsoon uniforms that will also serve as this season’s Salute to Service uniform. With UCLA ranked number 12 in the first College Football Playoff poll of the season, it’s an opportunity to add to the magic of the Maroon Monsoon uniform’s history with big wins over tough opponents.
The maroon jersey features a sublimated Arizona state flag in representing the sunset and the star across the chest in lieu of identifying text which is now on the back of the jersey. The gold player numbers on the uniforms being worn this Thursday are outlined in black on both the front and back of the jersey, as are the TV numbers on the sleeves. The TV numbers on the sleeves take the place of the pitchfork stylized shoulder stripes.
The nameplate on the back of the jersey utilizes the gold Sun Devil Bold font, and above the nameplate is a small, gold “ASU” outlined in black. On the front of the jersey, near the left shoulder, is a gold Adidas logo. Near the right shoulder is a maroon and gold Pac-12 shield. Finally, at the base of the collar is the black PT*42 shield in honor of ASU Football legend Pat Tillman.
The maroon pants have a small gold pitchfork with black trim near the right hip and a black adidas logo near the left hip. "Sun Devils" is in gold Sun Devil Bold, running vertically along the side of the left thigh. There is paneling on the pants that features the darker tonal white, not only providing further dimension to the uniform as a whole but also serving a purpose in providing a greater range of motion.
Helmet
The maroon iridescent, candy shell, color shift helmet shell will be worn for the third time in the last four games. The maroon helmet features a gold facemask and maroon chinstrap. The decals are the element that ties in the Salute to Service of the uniform. On either side of the helmet is a gold and maroon digital camo shield with a white PT*42 print within and a white border. The shield’s camouflage pattern is primarily gold, as is that of the center stripe, which mirrors the background pattern of the Pat Tillman shield. The digital camo center stripe is bookended by thin white stripes. The front bumper has a maroon base and gold font that reads PT*42 honoring the legendary Sun Devil, Pat Tillman. An added element to the PT*42 front bumper decal is that the star separating the PT and 42 doubles as the star in the Arizona state flag, with tonal maroon rays rising from it in a subtle detail.
Despite not being pictured in this example, the back of the helmet will feature the typical decals. Along with an American flag decal, the gold decals on the back of the helmet include the Pac 12 shield and the Warning label, which is in the shape of the state of Arizona with a gold border, featuring white text, and has a small, maroon pitchfork with gold trim over Tempe. The decals on the back of the helmet are rounded by the gold “Sun Devils” text over a tonal maroon desert landscape silhouette on the helmet’s rear bumper.
For a more dynamic look at the maroon helmet, see the video below for an example of the color shift from maroon to gold in different angles of light.
Cleats and Socks
Maroon cleats will be worn with the Maroon Monsoon uniform. From left to right, there are three different sets of cleats. The first three pairs are AdiZero, the next two are Freaks, and the last two are Nastys. The AdiZeros cleats are typically worn by speed position players (wide receivers and defensive backs), while the Freaks have a hybrid element and can be worn by mid-size players (fullbacks, linebackers, and tight ends), and the Nasty cleats are worn by heavier players (linemen).
Beginning with the left three, the AdiZero furthest on the left features a maroon base and sole, a gold tongue, gold laces, three white adidas stripes near the toe on the outside of the shoe, and a prominent white AdiZero logo with a digital ghost effect on the instep near the arch. It also has a gold finger loop on the heel. The next AdiZero is maroon on the outside of the shoe and on the sole, but more prominently gold on the instep and throughout the rest of the top of the shoe. The gold instep features a maroon AdiZero logo with a digital ghost effect and a gold finger loop on the heel. The third is the AdiZero Scorch which is a Primeknit mid-top. It has the same base color features as the previous pair, except the AdiZero logo with the digital ghost effect is silver rather than maroon.
The two pairs of adidas Freaks are in the middle of the group of cleats. The Freak pair on the left is the Freak mid. It has a maroon base and translucent gold sole, maroon laces, a maroon tongue with a white Freak logo on it, three white adidas stripes on the outside of the cleat near the toe, and a prominent white adidas logo on the instep. The Freak pair on the right is the Freak Ultra. It features all of the major base aesthetics as the Freak Mid but also features primeknit material, darker maroon accents, gold stitch detailing around the lace eyelets, and a gold finger loop on the heel.
The final two pairs on the right are Nasty cleats. The second to last pair is the Nasty Torsion. It is a heavier duty cleat with a maroon base and sole, maroon laces, maroon eyelets with gold accents, a maroon tongue with a white Nasty logo on it, three white adidas stripes on the outside of the cleat, a white adidas logo on the inside of the cleat near the heel, a small plastic gold plate on the arch, and a maroon and gold finger loop that mimics the styling of the lace eyelets. The far right pair is the Nasty Fly. It essentially shares all the same major details as the Nasty Torsion; however, it is not as heavy duty, and instead of a maroon sole, it features a metallic gold sole.
The Sun Devils will wear maroon socks along with their maroon shoes.
Gloves
The Sun Devils will wear both maroon and white gloves, and as with the cleats, there are different gloves for different positions. The gloves on the top are AdiZeros which are typically worn by speed position players like wide receivers and defensive backs. The maroon gloves feature a maroon pitchfork with gold trim on the palm of each glove. They also have a maroon adidas logo on the back of the hand, maroon striping and a small “Z” AdiZero letter mark on the wrist strap, and maroon stitching along the wrist strap. The gloves in the middle are adidas Freaks, worn by larger skill position players such as linebackers and tight ends. The maroon adidas Freak gloves feature a palm design so that when the palms are placed together, it completes the image of the gold ASU Sunburst made famous by the 1975 undefeated Sun Devil team.
On the back of the glove, the adidas Freaks also have some extra padding, a white adidas logo, and white striping, and the Freak logo on the wrist strap. Finally, for linemen, the gloves on the bottom are adidas Freak-Max, which boast extra padding on the heel of the palm meant to withstand all of the contact that linemen endure throughout the course of a game. They are plain white and black two-tone on the palm, and along with a maroon adidas logo on the back of the hand, they also have gold accents on the knuckles and wrist-wrap.
Salute to Service
In addition to this week’s uniform and the PT*42 shield decals, the Sun Devil football team has been issued an off-field item in honor of Salute to Service weekend. That item is an army green pullover hoodie that has green drawstrings and black stripes along the top shoulder and along the rib cage. On the left side of the chest is a canvas-colored pitchfork with black trim, and on the right side is the word “Honor” in a military style block canvas print with a black outline.
Below the word “Honor’ is a black stripe with canvas-colored print within that all carries some meaning. STS signifies the Salute to Service game. 22 signifies the year 2022. 85281 signifies the zip code in which Sun Devil Stadium resides. And finally, 03, which signifies the third edition of this particular hoodie. Below all of that print is a block stripe with a classic army camouflage pattern within.
Reaction
The Maroon Monsoon is back. What a truly wonderful sight to behold. An opponent with a lot to lose on the other side of the ball coming into Sun Devil Stadium is rarely on steady ground. Arizona State has defeated the last three AP top ten opponents to visit Tempe, and UCLA is ranked tenth in that poll coming into this game. Plus, the Maroon Monsoon uniform and atmosphere often provide some magic of its own.
I know some folks were disappointed that the gold facemask ultimately was not on the uniform against Colorado last week, but I didn’t fret because I personally thought that it looked better with the maroon facemask, and I knew that the gold facemask was destined to return to the maroon helmet. The gold mask gives the monochromatic uniform a bit more dimension, and I think it was the right choice to go with it in this game with this all-maroon uniform.
Every year, I look forward to the Maroon Monsoon uniform, especially now that the maroon helmet has returned to the rotation. Maroon and gold are both incredible, but I appreciate being able to give the deep, rich maroon its day with plenty of gold accents to give us all that great ASU color combination we all know and love. I also love how exciting the Maroon Monsoon games always tend to be. The Sun Devils still have a shot at a bowl game, and a win over arguably the best remaining team on the schedule would be a huge boost towards the Sun Devils’ quest for bowl eligibility. It would also be a statement win for interim coach Shaun Aguano. There are plenty of storylines that a win this weekend would contribute to, but ultimately, we just want to see a Sun Devil victory!
Gridiron to ASU Gammage
Don’t forget to get out to Gammage Auditorium tomorrow, Friday, November 4th, to support former ASU quarterback, Pac 12 commentator, and viral Spanish balcony singer, the great Gus Farwell. He will perform at 7:30 in a variety concert, but not before a Gammage tailgate that begins at 6 pm in the parking lot, where plenty of food and drinks will be sold. Come out and hang out with your Sun Devil brethren in what Farwell has described as part opera concert, part pop concert, part pep rally.
Looking forward to seeing you all there! The event is FREE, and you can register at this link:
https://www.asugammage.com/gridirontogammage.
What Color ASU Fans Should Wear: Maroon
#Faniforms Presented by Cactus Sports
Welcome back to #Faniforms Presented by Cactus Sports! Uniformity loves to highlight your best gameday #faniforms that you wear to support the Sun Devils each week. As a reminder, with Uniformity’s partnership with Cactus Sports, three #faniforms will be chosen randomly each week, just like in the past, but this season, there will be a weekly Twitter poll to vote for which of those three #faniforms will become a contest finalist. At the end of the regular season, all of the finalists will be entered into a final vote, with the grand prize being a $125 gift card to Cactus Sports! Reminder, when posting to Twitter, remember to use the hashtag #faniform and tag the Uniformity Twitter account @ASU_Uniformity. Here are this week’s selections! Keep an eye out on Twitter for the fan vote! Cast your vote for the best #faniform each week!
Congratulations to @lilbobby28 on earning a finalist spot last week! And best of luck to @jwhitman36, @andrewtaylor09, and @crafty_devils in this week’s Twitter poll!