A Week in Review

Everything looks better when it’s accompanied by a win, doesn’t it? The fans are happier, the team has a bounce in their step, the bye week is far more bearable, and the outlook for the season is more optimistic. Going into an away game against an undefeated and ranked Pac 12 North foe rarely bodes well for the Sun Devils, especially in Memorial Stadium where they have not had the best luck. However, playing well and earning a hard-fought win looks very good. Especially when the team as a whole overcomes missed field goals and a turnover to come out victorious. Along with the victory, the other thing that looked good was the uniform.

The Sun Devils wore a white helmet/white jersey/maroon pant uniform for the first time since the 2014 Sun Bowl against Duke, and ended up with a similar result, a close, hard fought win that was locked down by the defense late in the game. The large maroon pitchfork decal with gold trim matched with the maroon player number decals with gold border looked fantastic. Though the white facemask isn’t my favorite option, it worked well with this helmet because there was already enough maroon representation from the decals.

Altogether, the combination had a great look that was immediately recognizable with heavy maroon and gold presence, as many traditionalists prefer. The primarily white helmets and jerseys were aptly anchored by the maroon pants. Jerry Neilly and his staff are continuing to knock these combinations out of the park despite the limitations on helmet color. It feels like I’ve been very generous with uniform grades this year, but really, the uniforms have just been very impressive aided by the creative use of various decals and facemasks on helmets. The last game’s uniform earns another high mark.

White Helmet/White Jersey/Maroon Pants: A

The Week to Come

Uniform

This week has a sense of déjà vu to it. The Sun Devils are coming off a tough road win against a ranked team and in turn, earned themselves a Top 25 ranking. They’re coming home to play a Pac 12 opponent who, on paper, should be someone the Devils should beat. Not to take anything away from Washington State, who still deserve respect for their ability to score points and compete, but they’re coming off two straight losses and just saw their defensive coordinator resign. On paper, ASU seems to have an advantage. However, they’ll need to look good on game day to prove it with their play. Let’s take a look at how they’ll look when it comes to their uniforms, shall we?

For the second week in a row, ASU will be playing a team that they have not seen since the 2016 season. The last time the Sun Devils played Washington State, they wore a traditional look with Sparky helmets in a close loss. This year, the same base elements will be worn, but it will look quite different. When the Sun Devils take the field against the Cougs, they will wear a gold helmet/maroon jersey/gold pant uniform combination. It will be the second time this season they will wear this base combination, the first coming against Kent State in the opening weekend of the season. 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 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.

The gold pants have a small gold pitchfork with black trim near the right hip and a maroon adidas logo near the left hip. The text “Sun Devils” runs vertically along the side of the left thigh in maroon Sun Devil Bold font. There is paneling on the pants that features the darker tonal gold, 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 gold helmet worn this week is similar to another helmet look that has been teased in marketing materials before and throughout the season but isn’t quite the same. Not to worry, that helmet look is still coming before the season’s end. On this week’s helmet, the Devils will wear standard-sized gold pitchfork decals with maroon trim. For the first time ever, a gold helmet will feature a gold facemask. The front bumpers will be 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 rounded out by small Sparky decals on either side of the helmet’s rear bumper.

Cleats & Socks

The Devils will wear maroon cleats this week. 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 Ultra, is a Primeknit mid-top that 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 maroon socks.

Gloves

The Sun Devils will wear maroon gloves this week, and as with the cleats, there are different gloves for different positions. The 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 maroon pitchfork with gold trim on the palm of the glove. They also have a gold adidas logo on the back of the hand and gold accents on the knuckles and the wrist-wrap.

The 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 maroon palm, along with a large maroon adidas logo outlined in gold that is completed when the palms are placed together. The adidas Freaks also have a white adidas logo on the back of the hand and a black wrist-wrap.

Finally, for linemen, the 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

It’s midseason and there are limited color options available to the team this year, so while I was a little surprised at a gold/maroon/gold choice at first, I honestly shouldn’t be. That being said, because of the helmet decals and facemasks this is different than it’s ever been done before which is pretty cool.

Gold/maroon/gold is the classic, quintessential ASU look, so I already know I’m going to like the way it looks on game day, but I’m curious how it will compare to classic looks with maroon facemasks and decals. Up close the helmet looks sleek and bold, but how will it translate from a distance? Overall, I’m pleased with it what the team is wearing this weekend. The questions I have been coming down to the nitty gritty, which makes it fun and I look forward to reviewing it next week.

What Color ASU Fans Should Wear: Gold