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Game preview: Southern Utah vs ASU
ASU football kicks off it’s 2021 season against Southern Utah and azcentral’s Michelle Gardner, Greg Moore and Kent Somers share what they are looking for and offer predictions.
Michelle Gardner, Greg Moore, Kent Somers and Brian Snyder, Arizona Republic
The No. 25 Arizona State Sun Devils will be a 40-plus point favorite when they take the field at 7:30 p.m. Thursday for their season opener against Southern Utah (0-1) at Sun Devil Stadium. No, games aren’t won on paper but all factors seem to point to an ASU blowout.
Conventional wisdom calls for ASU to jump out to a big lead, establish some rhythm on both sides of the ball, then clear the bench and get the starters out, looking ahead to more competitive games on the schedule.
Along with that is the common thought that you don’t have to show your hand completely, run the basic offense and defense and don’t put too much on tape for future opponents to scout.
But second-year offensive coordinator Zak Hill says he isn’t worried about that.
“My philosophy is we’re not going to hold back. Every game we want to be explosive, we want to have fun. We want to be creative, utilize what we’ve got,” he said. “You never know how many games you’ve got so we’re going to throw it out. I don’t think we’re trying to hold back by any means.”
More: ASU football depth chart: How roster stacks up for season opener vs. Southern Utah
Of course Hill would like to see his team get off to a good start. With nine starters returning on offense including junior quarterback Jayden Daniels, as well all the players that contributed to the Pac-12’s top rushing attack, that is expected.
The passing game has been a point of emphasis since last season, with ASU averaging just 194.3 yards per game through the air, which ranked 11th in the conference ahead of only California.
“You always have an idea of some things you want to get to early on and maybe certain things you’re going to be either efficient with or you feel reality good about,” Hill said. “I think every offensive coordinator is that way, wants to get to some early things, and show them some different looks and all that. But yeah, I think every game you have a few of those that you’re detailing up as, ‘This is what I want to start the first series.’”
It will be the 2021 debut for ASU but the Thunderbirds, who went 1-5 in 2020, played last week, falling to defending Mountain West Conference champion San Jose State 45-14 and giving up 543 yards in the process.
Asked what he will be looking for from his team, Hill didn’t cite a point or yardage total but said it was more about execution and some intangibles.
More: Herm Edwards keeps overconfidence in check ahead of Arizona State opener against Southern Utah
“If our guys are clicking, if we are not having a bunch of mental errors, if the ball is not on the ground. We want to do a great job with ball security. We want to be able to play fast and physical and ultimately create some explosive plays within that,” he said. “You look at penalty yardage, you look at mental errors. You look at some of the things that you can control. There are going to be physical mistakes in any game that you can’t control, but we just want to limit the mental errors and take care of the football.”
The Southern Utah opener was televised Saturday night, giving ASU players and coaches the opportunity to take it in. Most players said they did so.
Senior corner Chase Lucas says a bunch of the team’s defensive players watched it together. They’re saying the right things publicly, that they weren’t focused on the outcome and the prospect of being able to put up a lot of points too.
“It was blow out but as a football player you don’t look at the score, you look interior things, the details. A bunch of us defensive guys got together and watched it. We saw the different plays we can make, visualizing, attacking and I think that will show up,” Lucas said.
Defensive end Travez Moore is among those who will be taking the field in an ASU uniform for the first time and the transfer from LSU admitted he’s so excited he’s had trouble sleeping.
“I watched the whole thing from beginning to end. I was watching the offensive linemen and how they operate. Things they like to do,” Moore said. “They want to set the tone running the ball so we have to stop the run, keep them on third down.”
This week’s opener will be televised by the Pac-12 Network with Yogi Roth and Ted Robinson calling the action.
More: ASU football vs. Southern Utah odds, picks, predictions: Who wins college football game?
Reach the reporter at Michelle.Gardner@gannett.com or 602 444-4783. Follow her on Twitter @MGardnerSports.
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