Arizona State Sun Devils
2015 Record: 6-7 (4-5 PAC-12 South)
Bowl: Cactus Bowl, Lost to West Virginia 43-42
What Went Right: Offense has never been a problem under Todd Graham at ASU,
as the Sun Devils scored 34.6 points per game. ASU picked up 305 1st downs,
compared to 271 that they gave up, and averaged 4.33 yards per carry in the run
game. The passing game flourished on TD/INT ratio, as they tossed 30 TDs on the
season to 9 picks. The punting game was strong, averaging 42.77 yards per
try,
One also needs to take these numbers with
somewhat of a grain of salt. In an age where Sirius College Sports Nation
personalities try to sell us on teams like Oklahoma State playing great defense
(they don't), offensive numbers are bloated like a corpse being dragged out of
a river. Offenses like we see today were a blip on the radar 20 to 30 years
ago, and were limited to leagues like the old WAC, where defense was a mere
suggestion in the days of Steve Young at BYU.
What Went Wrong: Lack of defense was ultimately the downfall of the 2015
Arizona State season, as they gave up 30 or more points 8 times, including 43
to West Virginia in a one point bowl loss. You simply should never have to
score 40 points per game just to secure a win, and that was largely a major
issue in Tempe. ASU did come up with big plays here and there, as evidenced by
having 15 picks to just giving up 9 on the season, but these plays were not
enough to ensure that they did not give up over 6000 yards in 13 games, a
staggering number. Because so many games were incredibly tight, ASU was never
able to develop a QB behind senior Mike Bercovici, and therefore enters 2016
without much of a developed option at all. ASU also failed to have a defender
eclipse 100 tackles for the year. I do give credit to LBs Salamo Fiso and
Antonio Longino, as they were forces off the edge with more than 20 TFLs each,
but there wasn't much else going on.
Top Stars: QB Mike Bercovici, RB Demario Richard, WR Devin Lucien, WR
Tim White, P Matt Haack, DB Kareem Orr, LB Salamo Fiso, LB Antonio Longino
Look Ahead: There are problems on the horizon. ASU loses a boatload of
productivity on offense, starting at QB, where not one backup got credible
playing time last season. They are starting over from nothing. Three of the top
four WRs are departing as well, leaving the passing game in a state of flux.
The running game could use some depth as well, as only two backs received more
than 100 carries on the season, but both return. On Special teams, Haack
returns at Punter, which is important, but Zane Gonzalez was a bit of a mess in
2015, hitting on only 76.5% of his tries.
Defensively, ASU has got to shore
themselves up, because if they give up 33.5 points per game once again, they
will be no better, and could actually be worse than 6-7. Three of their top
five tacklers are gone, and Longino is one of them, leaving Fiso on his own
moving forward. If you thought this season was uneven, at best, next season
could be a bit of a train wreck if some young players don't step up big.
The good news is that the Devils have a
soft non con schedule, with games against Northern Arizona, Texas Tech, and
UTSA on the slate. The conference schedule, however, will be unforgiving.
2016 Prediction: 5-7. No Bowl
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