Oregon faces off with Arizona State in Tempe on Saturday.
This week, the No. 6 Oregon Ducks will visit the desert to play the Arizona State Sun Devils.
Oregon has solidified its status as one of the top teams in college football with a 9-1 record, but Dan Lanning is warning his team that they cannot afford to lose any games in the vital month of November.
Oregon has solidified its status as one of the top teams in college football with a 9-1 record, but Dan Lanning is warning his team that they cannot afford to lose any games in the vital month of November.
1. What’s the vibe of the Arizona State fan base given how the season’s gone so far?
For a 3–7 team, the atmosphere hasn’t been all that bad. Except for a 55-3 loss at Utah, every Pac-12 game was one that the Sun Devils had a chance to win. They failed due to a deluge of injuries sustained by their offensive players, while their defense performed admirably for the most part.
Although it might not have a significant impact on the win-loss record, ASU wasn’t totally eliminated from the game after each conference loss. Obviously, on Saturday there is a potential for Oregon to blow out ASU, but as mentioned Arizona State is one team that really has made life difficult on its opponents, and you wouldn’t expect it just by looking at their record.
2. What do you view as the biggest strength of this team?
It’s their defense, hands down. Brian Ward, the defensive coordinator who was the Washington State coach last season, has been a superb addition. Despite the fact that ASU’s defense was dreadful the previous season and had nowhere to go but up, Ward’s work cannot be undervalued.
The defensive performances last week in a victory at UCLA and in the close loss at Seattle were masterworks. Though its front six has been able to exert a lot of pressure on opposing quarterbacks and, for the most part, really slow down rushing attacks, this defense still may benefit from having better depth at every position.
Despite not having a lot of interceptions, their defensive backfield does a good job of typically avoiding being burned on big plays. I know Oregon’s offense can be just as dangerous as Washington’s, if not more so, so I’m curious to see if that game plays out like the one the Sun Devils had in Seattle. Washington’s explosive offense really ground to a halt against ASU.
3. What are your thoughts on Kenny Dillingham in his first year as a head coach?
After a terrible Herm Edwards tenure, he has undoubtedly been a much-needed breath of fresh air. He may be the youngest head coach in the Power Five, but his players and ASU supporters will undoubtedly catch on to his excitement and contagious energy.
Although he has a great rapport with the players, he nevertheless demands toughness, discipline, and accountability. Therefore, it’s not as though he actively seeks to coach the players. The fact that ASU’s head coach is an alumnus who plans to stick around and work hard to truly turn the program around and ensure long-term success has delighted the university’s supporters.
As I previously stated, despite the unremarkable win-loss record, you could see that, for the most part, this is a well-coached team that has demonstrated resolve and hasn’t allowed itself to be embarrassed against their opponents, even though they constantly struggle with a talent gap.
4. Most people know about Cam Skattebo and Elijhah Badger, but who are the defensive players you think people need to know about?
Dashaun Mallory (#0), a defensive tackle and Michigan State transfer, has been an excellent addition to the defensive line and has affected the rest of the defense with his play. A better scheme and better quality around him have allowed defensive end BJ Green (#35), who has played well in his first two years, to step up his game even further.
Tate Romney (#24), a linebacker transfer from BYU, has performed admirably and is arguably one of the biggest surprises among the newcomers. This season, nickel back Jordan Clark (#1) has excelled in coverage and, along with the rest of the secondary, is benefiting from an extremely potent pass rush up front.
5. How would you define success for Arizona State this season given a first-year head coach and Ray Anderson stepping down as AD?
Even though the team has suffered a few setbacks, Kenny Dillingham has stated that he is more concerned with the process and making sure the team is improving each week, or at the very least, not getting worse. That, in my opinion, is the proper definition of success, and I do think that the general fan base is aware that this season will require patience due to the enormous mess that the new coaching staff had to clear up and the fact that they were welcoming over 50 new players, which inevitably means a slow process of acclaim.
Regarding Anderson’s resignation, I don’t know many fans who are unhappy with that decision because he brought about the catastrophe known as the Herm Edwards era, and not everything pertaining to major sports like baseball and basketball has been easy. There is hope that the NIL initiatives will improve now that Anderson is no longer involved, so that is a positive development.
