Both ends of the court represented polar opposite performances for the Sun Devils, ultimately resulting in a victory over Cal Poly that showcased offensive prowess yet also defensive concerns. Justin LaCertosa and I break down the Sun Devils' 93-89 win


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"It's not our finest work, for sure. We have to get back to our principles and be more disciplined at that end." Various defensive shortcomings reared their ugly head in a close win over Cal Poly, giving plenty of food for thought for the Sun Devils

During this young 2024-25 season, the Sun Devils’ offensive firepower has been fully displayed, and it needed every one of its points to fend off its opponent. Arizona State extends its streak of scoring 80 or more points to five games in a 93-89 nailbiter of a win over Cal Poly

I've been thinking about what season this year "feels" most like. To me, it's the 2007 season, Erickson's first. I'm not saying we will go 10-2 like that team did. There is still a lot of football to be played.

But that team and this one both feel like they're just finding ways to win. We aren't significantly more talented than most of the teams we've faced, but we've found a way to win most of the inevitable close games we've been in. That 2007 team did the same thing.

There are differences, of course - RS freshman Leavitt vs experienced Rudy, coming off a 3 win season vs a 7 win season, etc.

What team do you most closely compare this year's team to?

Good evening Huddle,

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"I think we’re a little bit too comfortable. We’re going to get the best version of BYU this week. If we’re not prepared for that, it’s not going to be good.” The lighter practices to maintain health but keeping a formidable edge are waters that are hard to navigate

The Good:
Stovall had 4 punt returns for 38 return yds but perhaps more importantly he came up to field the ball on fair catches and prevent long and unnecesary rolls

Parker Lewis had 7 kickoff touchbacks on 9 attempts

The Bad (not so bad)::
True Frosh Kanyon Floyd, in the first game of his career, punted from the 41 (after ASU intentionally took a Delay of Game penalty to give him more room to pin Wyoming down inside
Their 10) and got the touchback anyway.

On his 2nd punt with tonza space to flip the field his 2nd and last punt hit after 40 yards and fortunately Wyoming’s punt returner allowed
It to roll 11 yards before fielding it (resulting in a stat building 51 yd punt…and net 45
After the 6 yd return)

Floyd’s stat of 46.0 yds per
Punt will fool many……first game jitters? Did not cost ASU anything in this contest.

The Ugly:

After scoring a
Pic 6 on the 2nd play of the season, ASU’s stumbling ,Bumbling extra point team was
Missing a tackle until the very last second

With the ball on the 50 after a 15 yd penalty on Wyoming, ASU laid the ball on the ground and “specialist” Ian Hershey tried a “kickoff” that rolled To the 23 where Wyoming’s 2nd row easily fielded it and laid down. So much for taking advantage of the penalty.

Ian Hershey’s missed 38 yd FG attempt with as little pressure as is possible (home
Game, big lead, perfect conditions)

Carston Keiffer’s missed 43 yd FG attempt that went as far left as it did forward under all the advantageous circustances as Hershey’s.

This all accomplished with ASU likely being the only FBS team with TWO place
Kickers on sholi

Jake Smith’s stumble bumble on a kickoff return ….although he was
Likely told not to return the ball anyway due to the score/time circumstances

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ASU is RANKED, folks. @Joe Healey and I dive into the Sun Devils' statement win over Kansas State that got them back in the Top 25 and then talk with ASU LB Jordan Crook (29:23), RB Kyson Brown (33:08), and new 2025 LB commit Tristan Bacon (38:13). We then look ahead to the huge showdown with No. 14 BYU with Cougar insider Mitch Harper of KSL Sports (50:28) and then preview the game and give our predictions. Finally, we bring in the great Kyle Dodd to discuss the hot start by Sun Devil basketball (1:48:35).

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Preparations for the Top 25 clash on Saturday continued today in Tempe, with pumping in crowd noise to improve communication on defense. Here are our takeaways from today’s session

Not looking to post an outside link, but I saw an article that highlighted that this is the most expensive ticket in college football this weekend. I would assume some of the top tickets for OSU/Indiana are more expensive, but the nosebleeds are substantially cheaper, given that the stadium has a capacity of close to 100K.

I think this was Michael Crowe's first pick two years ago before getting over ruled. That would have been a very ASU pick.

“A lot of good memories. I embraced them every day because I never take it for granted being here at Arizona State.” The buzz around Saturday's Top 25 showdown also has a nostalgic tone for a group of key players that will play their last game in Tempe

RUSHIHG