A Week in Review
Over the previous 4 games, a broken record sounded the alarm of slow starts that led to insurmountable deficits. Sun Devil Nation has been wanting to see Arizona State come out of the gates strong and put together four quarters of good football. They did just that last Saturday as they defeated No. 6 Oregon and ultimately dashed the Ducks’ playoff hopes. A complete team effort with offensive standout performances from Jayden Daniels, Brandon Aiyuk, Frank Darby, and Eno Benjamin made for an exciting game in front of a full crowd at Sun Devil Stadium that didn’t leave until the final bell. It was a great sight to behold after a tough stretch of games. Another great sight to behold was the 2019 edition of the Maroon Monsoon uniform.
Without a maroon helmet option, it wasn’t a true monochromatic uniform, but it didn’t at all take away from how good the Sun Devils looked on Frank Kush Field last Saturday. The gold helmet/maroon jersey/maroon pant uniform combination was sharp. The gold helmet with the gold facemask and gold pitchfork were put over the top by the maroon center stripe. Many readers reached out to me saying that they think the center stripe should always be on the helmet after seeing it executed to perfection.
The overall uniform was so well executed that it earned the 8th spot in UNISWAG’s weekly uniform rankings. It was also the clear winner in the uniform game against the program in Oregon that prides itself on its uniforms more than maybe any other team in the nation. It was modern, clean, and mean. After seeing the helmet teased in marketing materials prior to the beginning of the season, it was great to finally see it on the field as it did not disappoint. Another big win for equipment manager Jerry Neilly and company in a season already full of outstanding uniforms.
2019 Edition Maroon Monsoon: A+
The Week to Come
Uniform
Regardless of the results of last week’s game, the game that matters the most is now in the immediate future as the Sun Devils prepare to battle to keep the Territorial Cup home in Tempe. Jerry Neilly and ASU Football have been lobbying for something to happen in this rivalry for years, and this year it’s finally coming to fruition. After years of trying, and finally receiving approval from Sun Devil Athletics, the Sun Devils and their rivals will both wear their traditional home uniform combinations. We’ve seen color vs. color matchups most notably in the USC and UCLA annual rivalry, but also in The Civil War between Oregon and Oregon State as well as in the Holy War when Utah takes on BYU. ASU has approved this, and it is set to enrich the rivalry so long as it is continued when the game is played down south.
On game day, the team on the opposite side of the field will their white helmet/blue jersey/white pant combination, the Sun Devils will be outshining them in their traditional gold Sparky helmet/maroon jersey/gold Sparky pant combo.
This is the first time that Sparky has appeared in the Territorial Cup game since the 2014 game and is the first time Sparky has appeared in a home Territorial Cup game since 2009. Sparky has been worn for Homecoming the past few seasons, but there’s truly no better way to utilize him than in the nation’s most heated rivalry. 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 are outlined in black on both the front and back of the jersey, as are the TV numbers on the sleeves.
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 black and gold Pac 12 shield and a white and gray “150” patch signifying the 150th season of college football as well. Last, but not least, at the base of the collar is the black PT*42 shield in honor of ASU Football legend, Pat Tillman.
ASU will be wearing throwback Sparky pants to go along with their helmets. The gold pants have a small Sparky on the left hip and a maroon adidas logo near the right hip.
Helmet
The classic gold helmet features a maroon facemask, maroon chinstrap, Sparky decals with a white border, and for the second straight week, a maroon center stripe.
The front bumpers on this week’s helmet are both 2D and 3D with a gold base and maroon font that reads PT*42, also honoring the legendary Sun Devil, Pat Tillman. The maroon decals on the back of the helmet include the Pac 12 shield, the outline of the state of Arizona with a small pitchfork over Tempe, and even the text in the Warning label. The decals on the back of the helmet are completed by a white rear bumper decal with maroon text and two small Sparky decals on either side of the rear bumper itself.
Cleats & Socks
The Sun Devils will wear maroon cleats this weekend. The two sets of cleats pictured below feature the adidas Adi-Zero cleats on the top row and adidas Freaks on the bottom. The Adi-Zeroes are typically worn by speed position players (wide receivers and defensive backs), while the Freaks are typically worn by heavier players (linebackers and linemen).
Beginning with the top row, the Adi-Zero on the left features a maroon base and gold sole, a maroon and gold tongue, gold laces, three white adidas stripes near the toe on the outside of the shoe, and a prominent white adidas logo on the instep near the arch. The Adi-Zero in the middle is a Primeknit mid-top and has the same features as well, but the gold opening rises higher up on the ankle. The pair on the far right is a standard low-top Adi-Zero Primeknit with all the same features as the mid without going as high on the ankle.
The two pairs of adidas Freaks on the left also feature a maroon base and sole, with three white adidas stripes near the ankle on the outside of the shoes and three maroon adidas stripes on a reflective gold accent panel near the arch on the instep. They both also have a gold tongue and gold laces. The Freak low-top is on the far left and Freak mid-top is second to left, rising higher up the ankle. Second to the right, the Freak Primeknit mid-top has a maroon base and sole with three white adidas stripes near the ankle on the outside of the shoes and three maroon adidas stripes on a gold Primeknit fabric panel near the arch on the instep. The tongue and laces are gold as well. The Freak Torsion on the far right has a maroon base and sole. It also has three white adidas stripes on the outside of the shoe. There is a very large maroon adidas logo on a prominent reflective gold panel on the inside of the shoe. The tongue and large shoelaces are both gold, and a small, maroon adidas “Freak” logo can be found on the gold heel loop.
Along with the maroon cleats, the Sun Devils will also be wearing gold socks.
Gloves
The Sun Devils will wear both gold and white gloves this week, and as with the cleats, there are different gloves for different positions. The gold gloves on the top are Adi-Zeros which are typically worn by speed position players like wide receivers and defensive backs. Each glove features a gold pitchfork with maroon trim overlaying a tonal state flag pattern on the palm of the glove. They also have a white adidas logo on the back of the hand and maroon accents on the knuckles and the wrist-wrap.
The white gloves in the middle are adidas Freaks, worn by larger skill position players such as linebackers and tight ends. The adidas Freak gloves have a pattern of small, repeating adidas logos that are gold in color on the white palm, along with a large maroon adidas logo that is completed when the palms are placed together. The adidas Freaks also have a maroon adidas logo on the back of the hand and a black wrist-wrap.
Finally, for linemen, the white gloves on the bottom are white 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 with black padding on the palm and along with a maroon adidas logo on the back of the hand, they also a have gold accent on the wrist-wrap and knuckles.
Reaction
How can a self-respecting member of Sun Devil Nation not be thrilled about Sparky being on the helmet? The quintessential maroon center stripe and that inviting, yet menacing, smile on the side of the helmet is always a treat for fans. Classic primary colors inside of Sun Devil Stadium for Senior Day is one heck of a way to end an incredibly well-executed uniform season. Sparky helmets and Sparky pants have the right amount of nostalgia mixed with a retro appeal to fire up both the traditional fan base and the newest student on campus.
A traditional color vs. color game adds intrigue to the uniforms in a decade when both schools have worn copper and different monochromatic uniforms against each other. There has not been a traditional color combination matchup since the pitchfork rebrand in 2011.
Here is each uniform matchup this decade beginning with 2011:
This is an effort that Jerry Neilly and his staff have been lobbying to make a reality for years. It’s great to see it come to fruition and to enrich the rivalry even more. It’s also a great way to close out the decade of the 2010s after a plethora of different uniform matchups that went all over the board. Truly looking forward to seeing this on the field as the Devils fight to keep the Territorial Cup home.
What Color ASU Fans Should Wear: Gold
#Faniforms
Sun Devil Nation, don’t forget to post your gameday gear, or “Faniforms” on Twitter. I invite everyone reading this to do so. Use the hashtag #Faniforms and tag the Uniformity twitter account at @ASU_Uniformity. It’s has been great to see what fellow ASU fans wear to support their Sun Devils on gameday. I am going to be posting a few here in the Uniformity article each week. They will be chosen at random, so keep on sending them in every week! Here are a few of last week’s #Faniforms:
