Me trying to make sense of a very very very strange half of football.

Link: https://arizonastate.rivals.com/news/who-could-have-foreseen-this-

TrojanSorts.com Publisher Chris Swanson provides his insight regarding ASU’s next opponent and the state of that program.

Know Your Foe: USC

ATTIRE: Helmet and pads
LOCATION: Kajikawa Practice Fields, where the weather was absolutely lovely this morning.
MEDIA AVAILABILITY: ~ 20 minutes (no team tempo or 11-on-11)

GUESTS: Scouts from the Chicago Bears and Pittsburgh Steelers were in attendance. QB Bryce Perkins was in attendance, watching from a golf cart while wearing a neck brace.
EN VERDE: N/A
TOWEL AND SUNSCREEN (limited): OL Tyson Rising, LB Christian Sam, DL Ami Latu

OUT LAST WEEK: Christian Sam appeared to be fully dressed and did participate in stretches, but when the team broke out into individual drills he got on the exercise bike on Muscle Beach.

OTHER INJURY NOTES: DL Ami Latu had a big brace on his left knee. LB DJ Calhoun's left ankle was heavily taped, but he participated in drills.

TACKLING

The defense again worked on tackling during the opening session, notably the "scoop and score" plays. The players rotated at stations, with Shawn Slocum working the turnover-based drills.

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Of note: Kyle Williams continues to work with the safeties, a spot where he should receive increasing playing time as the season progresses. He took a couple snaps at Bandit safety during the Cal game, and looked solid despite not having much experience there.

BALL SECURITY:

Wide receivers, running backs and others again went through the ball security gauntlet, with just one ball hitting the ground that I saw -- a drop from Jalen Harvey (it was on a poor throw from the GA). Quarterbacks have gone back to wearing grey jerseys.

During this time, the offensive line was also at work. Haven't seen McCray work with the centers since Week 1, basically securing the depth chart at center to look like this (with McCray as an emergency alternate):

1. AJ McCollum
2. Tyler McClure
3. Stephon McCray (emergency alternate)
4. Marshal Nathe (likely redshirting)

OTHER NOTES:

LS Mitch Fraboni is back to being a full participant at practice after making his season debut on Saturday against Cal. He snapped with the first team as Zane Gonzalez practiced field goals and Matt Haack worked on holding and punts.

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While Haack punted, Gonzalez worked on catching/shagging punts. It was pretty funny to watch, though Gonzalez did show a decent arm in throwing the balls back across the field.

We got kicked out before special teams got into full gear.

As always, if you have any questions, comments or concerns, let me know.

It's been rumored during this offseason that ASU men's basketball will be part of an adidas package of throwback uniforms this season. It looks like they've been debuted.

http://content.sportslogos.net/news/2016/09/2017-hwcn_ASU.png

Here's a link to the full article: https://t.co/8hcVxGZbfF

Thoughts?

The UCLA at ASU game on October 8th will kickoff at 7:30 pm and air on ESPN or ESPN2

For the life long Sun Devil fans has the USC game lost any meaning at all? ASU has definitely gotten some wins in this series over the last handful of years and USC from a won/loss record has been a winner consistently but that program seems to have lost something. Having gone through a few coaches since Pete Carroll left the Trojans don't seem to have the same swag as they once did.

I could be wrong but they just don't seem to be the "USC" that I once saw on an annual basis.

St. Brown is up to 17 offers and expect that list to increase. He says that he isn't planning any visits for this fall, but has a good idea about what is important to picking out a school.

https://n.rivals.com/news/four-star-junior-up-to-17-offers

With widespread mediocrity in the Pac-12 this year and Stanford off the schedule, at this point there are only two currently ranked teams that are on ASU's 2016 schedule. Of course, things can change, but let's consider the situation. And for this research, I'm only considering the AP Poll (for reasons I'll detail later).

USC: Unranked
UCLA: Very, very unlikely to be ranked (22 votes (nine places out of the rankings); plays Arizona this week)
Colorado: Possibility to be ranked (33 votes (six places out of the rankings); plays OSU and USC, two wins could get CU into top-25)
WSU: Longshot to be ranked
Oregon: Plays WSU, UW and Cal; Likely will have to be impressively 3-0 to get back into rankings
Utah: Currently No. 18
UW: Currently No. 10
Arizona: Longshot to be ranked

For conversation's sake, let's say the first ranked team ASU plays is Utah and that Washington is also ranked at the time ASU plays the Huskies. With that Utah game being on 11/10, that would make it one of the latest points in the season that ASU has played its first ranked team. I did the research (using AP Polls only) back through 1978 (ASU's first year in the Pac-10). ASU didn't play a ranked team at all in 1983 and 1999, but the in the other seasons, at no time was ASU's first ranked opponent played in November (or later).

Also, if ASU were to play just two ranked teams in the regular season, that would tie for the fewest in a single year since 2000 (2008). Also, since joining the Pac-10 in 1978, aside from the two aforementioned seasons with zero ranked opponents, ASU faced just one ranked opponent in 1978 (though it was a massive one in #2 USC). There are a handful of other seasons that had two ranked opponents.

Moral of the story: ASU's schedule is shaping up in what could be a favorable fashion.

Looks like there's been a couple former Sun Devils signed to practice squads within the last hour or so:

DT Demetrius Cherry to the Raiders practice squad:

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Cherry had been signed as a UDFA with San Francisco before being cut.

CB Lloyd Carrington to Washington's practice squad:

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Carrington is familiar with Washington, where he initially signed as an UDFA.

After facing 4 horrible defenses and 2 great offenses thru the 1st 4 games we have:

7th Scoring Offense @ 48.8
19th Total Offense 507.8
25th Rushing Offense 236.5
41st Passing Offense 271.3
61.18% rushes, 39.82% passes

104th Scoring Defense 34.3
120th in Total Defense 499.0
16th in Rushing Defense 95.0
128th++++ in Passing Defense 404.0 (43 yds/12% more than #127 and 75 yds/23% more than #126)
40.73% rushes/59.27% passes

USC has played the toughest schedule in the country (#1, #7, #24) all 3 with strong
defenses (#15, #24, #32 in total defense and #8, #16, #17 in scoring defense)

USC runs the same amount as they pass 133-135

Says ASU will make his top list when it's released after his weekend visit.

https://n.rivals.com/news/four-star-rb-t-j-pledger-talks-asu-visit-will-see-usc-this-weekend

What a hot mess it is. I liked after Week 1 how they went rogue and could move an unranked team up in to the top 15 for a big win...but looking at it now, they should know better. We are the first team out. Miami has played 3 dogs and are 3-0, I believe we have 4 wins. SDSU with 3 wins is ranked. Texas at 2-1 with a non-impressive win vs ND as it looks now, and loss to Cal. Boise St. ranked for 3-0 and a non top 25 win. Ole Miss moves up 7 spots with a 2-2 record. Wasn't bummed about not being ranked pre-season, but I felt we earned it and that number beside the school name does mean something after 4 weeks, felt we have been slighted. We should at least be around 21, 22. I don't even think beating SC could move the needle, they'll see 4 loses next to SC and will put another 2 loss team ahead of us.

Chilly is hosting a giant shoe/streetwear/music symposium with Suns G Devin Booker today, he sent me this to post in the board in his behalf to get your thoughts. Literally every room of this man's house is filled with shoes, and when ASU switched he was a big skeptic. I found this interesting.

It seemed like eons ago that there was a debate about how a change in official apparel companies would, or did affect ASU's relationship with its athletes- prospective and current. They were wrong.

Whoever is ultimately responsible for pulling the trigger on the Adidas deal looks like a genius!

I have to be honest, though I am a sneaker head, I absolutely love shoes, and at first I was VERY skeptical. But boy was I wrong- Adidas last season made some amazing looking uniforms for ASU's football team, and the players couldn't be happier with what they are wearing.

I was originally concerned that my Sun Devils were not going to be a priority for the brand or that the uniforms wouldn't be easy on the eyes (Think Maryland/Under Armor), I was also concerned that the fans wouldn't have as wide of a selection to satisfy their own apparel needs. Adidas and ASU proved me wrong on all points.

It doesn't seem like ASU is being treated like a stepchild in any way by the brand as Adidas seems to have more of a selection than the previous apparel company ever gave us, and they seemed to have embraced our desires for traditional colors as well as giving us the stylish new colors and trends. Oh and if thats not enough, currently Adidas is the leader in sneaker trends! Their boost technology is arguably providing for the MOST comfortable sneaker in the marketplace. I swear this post is not meant to be for Adidas advertisement as much as it is to show how grateful I am for the switch.

Up until about 3 months ago the only Adidas apparel that had made it into my closet were some pairs of the hard-to-get yeezy shoes. In the last 3 months a third of my too-large shoe collection might be Adidas NMD's, boosts, yeezys, and some of the ZNE line of clothing. I brought this post up because while working out at the SRC, a lot of students were saying they dont buy asu gear because its not as comfortable anymore. WRONG! Its more comfortable!

I'm curious how yall really feel about it after a little more than a season to embrace it. Do you like what our boys are wearing on the field? Do you like your options for the stands or house party or bar or wherever?

#ForksUp

Just Chilly

Hod, someone told me that there was a post on this board by you or one of the staff members that Jason Lewis is no longer on the team. I can't find that post.

You know me, I just may have read or heard something incorrectly.

So is he on the team and do you expect him to be on the team long-term?

TEMPE, Ariz. -- Redshirt senior defensive back Laiu Moeakiola has been named the Lott IMPACT Player of the Week, the Pacific Club IMPACT Foundation announced on Tuesday.

The 6-1, 215-pound Moeakiola was one of nine NCAA players listed as a nominee for the Week 4 Lott Impact Player of the Week due to his performance against California.

With 2:52 remaining in the game on Saturday and Cal trailing 37-34, Moeakiola intercepted quarterback Davis Webb and returned it for a touchdown to seal the victory for the Sun Devils, putting them ahead 44-34. He also totaled five solo tackles and one batted down pass.

Moeakiola has been named to the Lott IMPACT Trophy watch list for two consecutive seasons entering 2016. He is the first Sun Devil to win the weekly award since former safety Alden Darby in September of 2013.

In recognition of Moeakiloa's performance, the Pacific Club IMPACT Foundation, sponsors of the Lott IMPACT Trophy, will make a $1,000 donation to the general scholarship fund at Arizona State.

Stanford at Washington -2.5/-3

Surprising...maybe think it's a pick 'em. If this was being played in Stanford, I'd flip the odds.

OSU at CU -17/-17.5

Probably about right, no contest here.

Utah at Cal -1.5

Very surprising, yet could see Cal win by 21 if they get on a roll.

ASU at USC -9.5

I think if we had a proven rushing game this would possibly be USC -4, they are pretty bad against the run but we can't rely on Manny designed QB runs and broken down passing plays the entire contest.

OU at WSU +1/+1.5

Have no idea here.

THE uofeh at UCLA -13.5

Was very wrong about the Scats play last week, but I think they'll be down and out for this one...though UCLA plays vanilla at home, I think UCLA's front 7 is to much and Dawkins will make a lot of mistakes.

Just some observations from being at the game last night.

• Overall, the crowd was terrific and loud. Most everyone stayed through the second half which is not always the case. And after watching the game on tv later the stadium and fans looked crazy and sounded loud.
• Both student sections were loud and I liked the yellow foam fingers they were all waiving around. Looked really good against the maroon background. Need to do that every week - just change the color of the fingers.
• The temperature was perfect. Not even warm and did not break a sweat.
• For the first time this year, the music from start to finish was perfect for each situation and it provided the right tone at the right time. Fans were chanting and singing on many occasions last night which was great to see and hear.
• Once we get the new video board and sound system in, all this will be enhanced 10x.

Story by Justin Toscano from today's presser

Greg Powers met with the media today to preview season two in the NCAA prior to the Maroon and Gold game on Saturday at 7 p.m.

I am surprised we did not get more pressing questions about the Arena plans and where we stand currently with conference affiliation and future scheduling. But there were some nice nuggets on some of the real nice additions to this years squad.

One exciting note for any hockey fans out there, the first two games of the season at Notre Dame (Oct. 7 & 8) will be streamed live on NBC Sports.

Home opener is at Gila on Oct. 14. Get your tickets and help get a big crowd in there to start the season!

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The Trojans are favored over the Devils by about a TD, which seems about right to me, since we are not to be confused with Alabama or Stanford for sure and it would be a push in my mind comparing us to Utah, at this point, and those are the three teams USC has lost to so far...

The Trojans also played on the road in all of those losses, although Bama was on a neutral field in Dallas and, unfortunately for them, they did not have a good QB in Max Browne and have now turned to RS FR QB Sam Darnold, who looks a lot better than Browne based on what he did vs the Utes...

The Devils lead the PAC in scoring at 49 pts pg while the Trojans are last in the conference at 22 pts pg, and the Trojans are 9th in scoring D, yielding 29 pts pg vs the Devils in 11th place giving up 34 pts pg...

In terms of total D, the Trojans are 7th in the PAC giving up 394 yds pg, while the Devils are 12th, giving up 499 yds pg...ASU is 1st in Rush D yielding only 95 yds pg, while the Trojans are 10th giving up 194 yds pg...however, that is mostly because the Devils are last in the PAC in Pass D, giving up 404 yds pg vs the Trojans who are 6th, yielding 200 yds pg...

Both teams are tied for last in the PAC in Turnover Margin at -1 each...

I suspect that we will give up over 30 pts to the Trojans and wonder if our offense can match or beat that when it is all said and done...

What do you think..??

I also wonder what you think about our play calling when we had a first down at the Cal 5 yd line late in the game and ended settling for a FG because we did not go with the Sparky formation at that point in the game...

Was that a big mistake or not..??

Ballage had been injured earlier but came back and seemed to be okay in the second half...

On another note, AU is concerned about their Rush D because they are undersized along the defensive front, which reminded me somewhat of our problems in the secondary because of some past recruiting deficiencies there...in both instances, I think it has more to do with personnel than coaching issues but could be wrong about that...

I'm also wondering today if Les Miles will end up at a place like Auburn to replace Gus Malzahn, who is on the hot seat and may not make it through the season, and also wonder if any PAC coaches, like Kyle Whittingham might be contacted about the LSU opening there...

It's hard to believe that anybody would fire a coach like Les Miles whose record is 114-34 and was 62-28 in the SEC and won a national championship at LSU...my guess is that they will really regret that at the school in the coming years, unless they can get Nick Saban to leave Bama and return to Baton Rouge...

I'm glad we have Todd Graham and hope and trust that he will be here for a long time even if the pass D is lousy...

Go Devils!!!