ASU Football: Arizona State vs Northern Arizona Preview
After a disappointing 6-7 season, Arizona State is ready to put last year in the rear view mirror as the open up the season Saturday vs in-state foe Northern Arizona.
The Sun Devils are coming into this year with some uncertainty surrounding the team. Nobody is really quite sure how good ASU will be this season.
Head Coach Todd Graham, who is entering his fifth season, named Manny Wilkins the starting quarterback this week after an open competition with backups Brady White and Dillon Sterling-Cole.
Similar to what other universities do during the opening week of the season, ASU could very well give both Wilkins and White playing time and give them each a chance to win the job.
Whoever the starting quarterback ends up being, the running back duo of Demario Richard and Kalen Ballage should help take some of the pressure off.
Richard and Ballage, who both battled injuries last season, are fully healthy and are ready to lead the offense. Both are coming off career years, as they combined for 1,751 yards and 11 touchdowns last season.
ASU will look to establish the running game early to help set up play action passes and make life easier for Wilkins and White.
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ASU’s opponent is Northern Arizona, who is facing ASU for the first time since 2012, when ASU won 63-6 in Graham’s first game as Arizona State head coach.
The Lumberjacks are coming off a 7-4 season last year, finishing fifth in the Big Sky Conference with 5-3 conference record.
NAU led the Big Sky in points last season, scoring 344 points and are led by sophomore quarterback Case Cookus.
Cookus was named STATS FCS Freshman Player of the Year after throwing 3,111 yards, and an FCS-record 37 touchdowns. He also threw the fewest interceptions, 5, for an FCS quarterback with more than 3,000 passing yards.
The key will be for ASU to put pressure on Cookus and force him into making bad decisions. Graham loves to blitz, and putting pressure on Cookus should create opportunities for the defense to get some takeaways.
After struggling last season vs Cal Poly and New Mexico, ASU should not take NAU lightly as they have the ability to put up points and make key defensive stops.
Prediction:
It will likely be a shootout, but eventually the Sun Devils should be able to make stops and take over the game.
Arizona State 38, Northern Arizona 20