THE GAME - Sun Devil Football returns home this weekend for its Pac-12 Conference opener against No. 24 Oregon on Saturday, Sept. 23 at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Ariz. The game is scheduled for a 7 p.m. PT kickoff and will be broadcast live on the Pac-12 Network.
AN ASU VICTORY WOULD...
- End the Ducks' 10-game winning streak against ASU, currently the second-longest active streak by one Pac-12 team over another.
- Give the Sun Devils consecutive wins in Pac-12 openers for the first time since 2011-12 (vs. USC, Utah) and just the fifth time overall since 1996.
- Move ASU to 16-22-2 all-time in Pac-12 openers and 24-15-1 in all-time Pac-12 home openers
- Improve Todd Graham to 4-2 in Pac-12 home openers
- Move the Sun Devils to 27-9 since the 2012 season in games played at Sun Devil Stadium
- Improve ASU to 9-8 in its last 17 games against ranked opponents
- Give Todd Graham his 90th career win overall.
#10THINGS (Twitter-Friendly Notes)
- The Sun Devils have had 4 different receivers with 100+ yards in a three-game stretch. That has NEVER happened before in school history.
- 26 of 33 Jalen Harvey career catches have been for 1st down and seven of his eight receptions this year have moved the chains.
- D.J. Calhoun is one of just 12 ILBs in the Pac-12 to not miss a tackle this season despite playing the second-most snaps
- The Sun Devils have scored 71.0 percent of the time following an opponent turnover since 2012 (93 of 131) w/ 72 TDs (55.0 percent).
- Kalen Ballage needs just three touchdowns (has 25) to move into ASU's all-time top-five for rushing touchdowns (28).
- 65 student-athletes earned Scholar Baller recognition last year and 431 Football Scholar-Athletes have done so in 8 semesters under Graham.
- ASU is the only team in country with three linemen and one outside linebacker with double digit quarterback pressures.
- .@MannyWilkins5 (16-17) has tied Rudy Carpenter (2005-06) for ASU school record for consecutive pass attempts without an interception at 149
- ASU is one of just two schools in the country with a perfect red zone percentage (8-for-8) to do so with only touchdowns scored.
- ASU is fourth nationally with four passing plays of 50+ yards this season. It had one in all of last year.
THE DUCKS AND CONFERENCE OPENERS
- ASU trails Oregon, 19-16, in the all-time series, including an 8-9 record against the Ducks in Tempe. Oregon has won 10 straight against ASU, currently the second-longest active winning streak by one conference opponent over another. The Sun Devils will be looking for their first win against the Ducks since the 2004 season and first Pac-12 victory in the 2017 campaign.
- Oregon moved into the polls this week after a 3-0 start to the season, coming in at No. 24 in both the AP and Coaches Polls. ASU is 8-8 in its last 16 games against AP-ranked opponents.
- ASU is just 16-22-2 all-time in Pac-12 Conference openers but is 24-15-1 in program history in Pac-12 home openers. ASU is looking to win consecutive conference opners for the first time since 2011-12 and just the fifth time since 1996.
MONICA VAUGHN
- Recent Arizona State grad and 2017 NCAA individual medalist Monica Vaughn is being honored at this weekend's game with the national champion Sun Devil women's golf team as well as individually for winning the Honda Award for Golf this spring.
- The fifth winner of the award in ASU women's golf history, Vaughn was chosen by administrators from over 1,000 NCAA schools from four finalists. The CWSA has annually presented the Honda Sport Award for over 40 years to the top women athletes in 12 NCAA-sanctioned sports, signifying "the best of the best in collegiate athletics". The CWSA honors the nation's top NCAA women athletes based on athletics, leadership, academics, and community service.
- The Sun Devils have had 4 different receivers with 100+ yards in a three-game stretch. That has NEVER happened before in school history. In fact, it already ties the school record for most individual players with at least 100 receiving yards in a game in a single season (2004, 2005, 2012, 2015, 2016) - notable of four of the six times in history it has happened have come since 2012 when Todd Graham arrived.
- The Devils are tied for fourth nationally with four passing plays of over 50 yards this season. It had one in all of 2016. ASU is ninth nationally with four plays over 50 yards this year after having just two total last season.
- Manny Wilkins has tied the school record for most consecutive pass attempts without an interception at 149 dating back to last season, matching Rudy Carpenter's school record from the end of 2005 to the beginning of 2006.
- ASU is the only team in the country who's entire starting defensive line has double digit QB pressures and the 47 total pressures (with Koron Crump's 16 included) are the most of any four combined defensive linemen/outside linebackers in the country.
- Despite the second-most snaps than any other inside linebacker in the conference (223), D.J. Calhoun is one of just 12 inside linebackers in the league to not miss a tackle this season.
- Arizona State has scored first in 45 of the 68 games with Todd Graham at the helm and is 33-12 when doing so.
- The Devils are 1-1 this season when scoring first (win vs. NMSU).
- 265 of the Devils' 381 offensive scoring drives under Todd Graham have come in three minutes or less (69.6 percent).
- Of ASU's 62 scoring drives last season, 40 came in under three minutes (64.5 percent).
- Two of ASU's four scoring drives in the opener against NMSU came in under three minutes. In fact, both came in under 30 seconds - marking the first time ASU had two scoring drives of 50+ yards occur in less than 30 seconds since the 2014 USC game.
- The Sun Devils have outscored their opposition 578-360 in the first quarter under Todd Graham.
- The Sun Devils are 25-4 under Graham when holding their opposition scoreless in the first quarter.
- ASU has posted an impressive 32-3 overall record under Graham when leading at halftime.
- ASU forced 19 plays against Texas Tech that resulted in negative or no yardage (13 incomplete passes, 4 tackles for loss, 2 rushes for no gain) of the 79 total plays in the contest (24.1 percent)
- This season, ASU has forced 67 plays resulting in negative or no yardage of 228 total (29.4 percent).
- Under Graham, ASU has forced 1,725 plays that have not resulted in positive yardage out of 4,872 (35.4 percent).
SERIOUSLY, DON'T CROSS IT
- ASU is currently third in the nation since 2012 with 3.19 sacks per game. Additionally, ASU is in the Pac-12 and second in the nation (Clemson) with an average of 7.86 TFL per game under Graham (since 2012) and one of three teams in the nation with more than 500 total tackles for loss.
- Last season, the Sun Devils had at least two players who reached double digits in tackles for loss (Koron Crump, JoJo Wicker and DJ Calhoun) for the 5th time since 2012.. ASU has had 17 such occurrences under Graham (2012-p) after having just 17 TOTAL reach the mark in 10 previous seasons (2002-11) with at least two players reaching double digits in the category just six times in that span.
LIGHT 'EM UP
- ASU has scored 50 or more points 16 times since Todd Graham arrived in Tempe for the 2012 season.
- To put that in perspective, ASU eclipsed 50 points 10 times total in the previous 10 years before the current coaching regime (2001-11).
- Against Pac-12 opponents, the Sun Devils have scored 50 or more points 10 times under Coach Graham, after only tallying nine in the conference era prior (since 1978).
- ASU went 86 games without scoring 60 from 2005-2011. Under Coach Graham it has scored 60 or more four times ('12-63 NAU, '12- 62 Navy, '13-62 USC, '16-68 TTU).
- The Sun Devils have dropped 50 on Arizona twice in the last three years after doing so just three times in 86 previous contests.
GOLD RUSH
- The Sun Devils rushed for 27 touchdowns last season after having 19 in the entirety of 2015. The 26 touchdowns were good for 43rd among all FBS teams. ASU has six rushing touchdowns thus far this season.
- The Sun Devils have reached 25 rushing touchdowns three times under Graham in five seasons. That total is notable as the Devils had just three previous seasons with at least 25 rushing touchdowns from 1980-2011 (1985, 1986 and 1996).
- After having just two five-rushing touchdown games in nine previous seasons, the Sun Devils did it in back-to-back games to open the 2016 season, marking the fifth and sixth times in the Graham era that ASU had gone over five rushing touchdowns in a game. The Devils had three such games TOTAL from 1997-2011.
- Yards after contact have been a been impressive in recent years with the likes of Demario Richard, Kalen Ballage and Nick Ralston. 146 of ASU's total 291 rushing yards this season have come after contact (50.2 percent) with Ballage accounting for 105 of those (2.16 yac per rush).
- ASU is a perfect 8-for-8 on scoring touchdowns in the red zone this season, one of just 20 schools to do so and one of just two of those to have only touchdowns in the process (no field goals).
- The Sun Devils scored on 43-of-47 trips to the red zone in 2016 (91.5 percent), a total that ranked 10th in the nation. ASU scored a touchdown on 33 of those trips (70.2 percent). That percentage was ranked 22nd nationally and notable as ASU found the end zone on just 51.5 percent of its red zone trips in 2015 - a total that ranked 108th in the country.
SUPER DEMARIO
- Demario Richard is currently 12th in Sun Devil history with 2,224 career rushing yards and needs 104 yards to move into the all-time Top 10.
- Richard now has nine 100-yard rushing games in his career, three shy of cracking the ASU top-five in the category.
- Of Richard's 1,697 rushing yards as a sophomore and junior, 780 came after first contact (46.0 percent/2.1 yards per touch).
- In 2015, Richard became the fourth Sun Devil in history to have at least seven 100-yard rushing games in a single season, joining Freddy Williams and Art Malone (8) and Woody Green (7, 2 times).
- Kalen Ballage had 14 rushing touchdowns last season, making him just the fourth Sun Devil since 2000 to reach double digits and moved him into a tie for the seventh most single season rushing touchdowns in ASU history. He finished 26th in the nation in rushing touchdowns (14) and 34th among all position players with 94 total points scored.
- Ballage has four rushing touchdowns this season, good for 17th nationally and now has 25 in his career, creeping up on ASU's all-time Top-5 in the category (the threshold being 28 rushing TDs).
- He has averaged a touchdown rush every 13.68 times he has carried the rock in his career.
- Ballage returns with the highest receiving grade among all returning Power Five running backs in the country with 84.4 according to Pro Football Focus.
- The Sun Devils have held 24 opponents under 100 rushing yards in the Todd Graham era (68 games/35.3 percent), including four of 12 games last year and once so far in 2017.
- Last year, ASU held three straight opponents under 100 rushing yards for the third time under Graham (2013, 2015, 2016). The Devils had limited opponents to under 100 rushing yards in three straight games in just five previous seasons dating back to 1986.
- ASU is ranked second in the Pac-12 and 13th in the nation at 36.6 points per game in the Graham era.
- ASU has outscored opponents 557-294 in points off takeaways since 2012 and 21-10 this year. ASU has three takeaways this season and has scored touchdowns on all three of them.
- Since 2012, ASU has scored 71.0 percent of the time following an opponent turnover since 2012 (93 of 131) w/ 72 TDs (55.0 percent)
- Conversely, opponents have scored just 52.1 percent of the time following an ASU turnover since 2012 (50 of 96) w/ 38 TDs (39.6 percent).
- The Sun Devils have forced 131 turnovers under Todd Graham, which is tied for the 12th-highest total in the country in that span.
- ASU has 15 interception returns for touchdowns under Graham, compared to posting just four total in the three previous seasons prior to 2012. The total is second in the FBS behind only Ohio State in that time (16). ASU has added four fumble return touchdowns as well for 19 defensive touchdowns since the 2012 season, good for fourth in the country in that
- ASU is ranked seventh in the nation with a .50 average turnover margin per game since Graham took over the helm and is ninth in the nation with a plus-34 total turnover margin since 2012.
- The Devils are third in the Pac-12 and tied for ninth in the nation with 82 total interceptions in that span.
- Since 2012, ASU has an average starting yard line of its own 34.5 in 40 victories compared to 25.4 for their opponents in such contests.
- Conversely, opponents have an average starting field position of their own 32.0 yard line compared to ASU starting at its own 28.5 in ASU's 28 losses under Graham.
- ASU has outscored other teams 704-557 in the fourth quarter and overtime under Todd Graham (10.4 points per fourth quarter and OT/+2.2 points per game) and averaged 12.8 points per fourth quarter last season (outscoring opponents 155-125).
- Excluding FCS NAU, the Sun Devils finished 2016 seventh nationally in averaging 19.6 points per second half against FBS opposition and second in the country with 11.9 points per fourth quarter against FBS teams.
- The Sun Devils are currently ranked 27th nationally in second half points per game at 19.0.
- Todd Graham has 10 Pac-12 road victories under his belt already, the second-most among all ASU coaches since 1980 behind only Bruce Snyder's 18 from 1992-2000. Graham is 10-12 in Pac-12 road games at ASU, notable as the Devils were 5-13 in four seasons prior.
- The Sun Devils are 4-4 in Pac-12 games in the State of California since 2012 after going just 3-23 from 1998-2011.
- The Sun Devils have a classification of "explosive plays" that equal a run of 12 or more yards or a passing play of 16 or more yards. ASU had 14 such plays against SDSU (16.5 percent) and 29 this season.
- The Devils are tied for fourth nationally with four passing plays of over 50 yards this season. It had one in all of 2016. ASU is ninth nationally with four plays over 50 yards this year after having just two total last season.
- ASU had two 50+ yard scoring passes in the opener, something it had not achieved since the Jael Mary game against USC in 2014. They were the first two 50+ yard scoring passes of Manny Wilkins' career.
- ASU finished 30th nationally in plays over 10 yards in 2015 with 216 and 27th in 30+ yard plays at 35. ASU finished 24th nationally with 20 plays over 40 yards in 2014 after having just 16 total in 2013 and eight the year before. ASU was 26th nationally in plays of 20 or more yards with 71. The Sun Devils finished 2013 tied for seventh in the nation in plays longer than 20 yards with 86 after having 72 in 2012, which was good for 19th in the country in the category.
- ASU has averaged just 36.8 penalty yards per game since 2012, good for the third-lowest total in the country. While that is impressive, what raises the eyebrows are the other teams in te top four: Navy (24.0), Army (36.7) and Air Force (37.4).
- Since Todd Graham arrived at Arizona State, the Sun Devils have had just 301 penalties in 67 games (4.49 penalties per game).
- ASU is eighth nationally with 30 penalty yards per game this season.
- ASU is 26-9 at Sun Devil Stadium since Todd Graham took over in the 2012 season.
- In 35 regular season home games under Todd Graham, the Sun Devils have averaged 39.8 points per game. Against non-conference Power Five teams, ASU is averaging 50.0 points per game at home under Graham.
- The Sun Devils join Baylor and Oregon as the only schools in the country to be ranked in the Top-40 in home points per game in EACH of the previous five seasons.
- ASU has posted under 20 points in a regular home game just twice in Todd Graham's tenure - a 19-16 overtime victory over Utah in 2014 and a 42-14 loss to #19 USC in 2015.
- The Sun Devils are 283-103-3 (.734) all-time at Sun Devil Stadium since 1958, the 26th-highest active winning percentage in a stadium among all FBS schools.
- Since the start of the 2012 season, ASU has used 70 timeouts on defense in third down situations, and have not allowed a first down on the ensuing play and/or forced a turnover on 49 of those occasions (70.0 percent).
HOLD ONTO YOUR SEATS
- ASU has now gone 10-7 in games decided by a touchdown or less since the 2012 Arizona comeback in Tucson. ASU had gone 6-16 in such games since the 2007 season up until that moment. The Devils are 1-0 in games decided by a touchdown or less this season.
- In 2016, ASU went 4-4 in games it had been tied or trailed in the second half after going 8-19 in four previous seasons.
- ASU went 3-1 in 2013 in games decided by less than a touchdown, after going 4-13 in the previous four seasons in such games.. ASU was 3-1 in 2014 in games decided by less than a touchdown.
- ASU is now 13-3 under Todd Graham in games where it does not have a turnover after the NMSU victory this season.
- In 2014, the Sun Devils had six games where they did not turn the ball over and went 6-0 in those contests. That number was notable because in the previous two seasons, ASU had just five combined games where it did not turn the ball over.
- ASU earned its first victory in a game in turned the ball over three times against UTSA last year after going 0-6 in the Todd Graham era prior.
TAKING DOWN THE TOP
- The Sun Devils have gone 8-8 in the last 16 games against ranked teams.
- In four seasons at the helm, Todd Graham is 8-11 against AP-ranked opponents and the team was 4-2 in such teams in 2014.
- Graham has more than doubled the Top-25 win total of Dennis Erickson (3) and Dirk Koetter (2) during their tenures.
- In the previous 14 seasons, ASU was 5-40 in games against teams ranked in the AP poll. Other notable victories include the come-from-behind victory over Arizona in 2012, winning a game in the Coliseum last season for the first time since 1999 and defeating USC in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 1996-97. ASU also ended a four-game losing streak to Stanford.
DIRTY HARRY
- Possessing deceptive speed and elusiveness, N'Keal Harry had 111 yards after the catch this season on 266 yards (41.7 percent)
- Harry has proved himself as a valuable possession receiver as well and has 26 receptions on 32 targets this season. The 32 targets are fied for the most in the Pac-12 this season while he sits eighth in the conference as well with a wide receiver rating of 120.1.
- The sophomore has started every game at Arizona State, now at 15 straight games - tied with Quinn Bailey for most among all offensive players. He has a reception in every one of those games.
- Harry recorded 659 receiving yards last season – breaking Zach Miller's 2004 school record for a freshman of 552. He had 58 catches on the year, also breaking Miller's freshman record of 56.
- Despite being pressured on 42.7 percent of his dropbacks - the seventh highest total nationally among QBs who drop back at least 25 percent of the time - Manny Wilkins is fifth nationally with a 134.4 QB rating under pressure, second nationally among all QBs with at least 100 dropbacks.
- His three touchdowns under pressure are tied for third nationally among all quarterbacks.
- Wilkins has three touchdown passes over 50 yards this season after not having any in his career previously. Wilkins has a 126.2 quarterback rating on deep passes (passes of more than 20 yards), good for third in the Pac- 12 and 21st nationally.
- Since his first quarter interception at Arizona last year, Wilkins is 103-of- 149 (69.1 percent) with 1,258 yards, 10 touchdowns, no interceptions with a 162.20 passing efficiency in that time . Wilkins has thrown for 300 or more yards in four of his last six games, and had 298 in one of those.
- Wilkins has tied the school record for most consecutive pass attempts without an interception at 149 dating back to last season, matching Rudy Carpenter's school record from the end of 2005 to the beginning of 2006.
- He is one of just three players nationally with over 100 attempts this season without an interception.
DO THE HUMPTY CRUMP
- Koron Crump was second on the Sun Devils with 10.5 tackles for loss last season and 9.0 sacks. He averaged a tackle for loss just once every three times he made a tackle and a sack for every four tackles.
- Crump had four sacks in the first two games of the season to lead the country before leaving the Texas Tech game early with an injury, though he still sits fourth nationally and leads the Pac-12 with 1.33 sacks per game.
- Despite missing nearly the entire Texas Tech game, Koron Crump is still second nationally among all players this season with 16 quarterback pressures and leads all Pac-12 players regardless of position in the category.
- His 18.3 pass rushing productivity rating is eighth among all outside linebackers in the country and nearly two points higher than any other outside lineback in the Pac-12.
BRING THE WOOD
- Tashon Smallwood logged a career best 4.0 tackles for loss with two sacks against NMSU, becoming the first Sun Devil to have 4.0+ tackles for loss since Antonio Longino against Arizona in 2015.
- Four times in the Todd Graham era has a defensive player had at least 10 sacks in a season. ASU had just two players reach the milestone from 2003-2011.
- For the fifth consecutive season under Todd Graham, the Sun Devils had at least two players that reached double digits in tackles for loss (Koron Crump, JoJo Wicker and DJ Calhoun). ASU has had 17 such occurences under Graham (2012-present) after having just 17 TOTAL players reach the mark in 10 previous seasons (2002-11) with at least two players reaching double digits in the same season just six times in that span.
- Tashon Smallwood and JoJo Wicker are tied for third nationally among all defensive tackles with 10 quarterback pressures this season while A.J. Latu is tied for 13th among defensive tackles in the country with 11 pressures.
- ASU is the only team in the country who's entire starting defensive line has double digit QB pressures and the 47 total pressures (with Koron Crump's 16 included) are the most of any four combined defensive linemen/outside linebackers in the country.
- The Sun Devils came into the season as one of just three teams in the country that started the year with no kickers OR punters with D-I experience on the roster, along with Virginia and UAB.
- The team is replacing unanimous All-American and 2017 Lou Groza Award winner Zane Gonzalez at the placekicking position in addition to two-time Ray Guy Award watchlist punter Matt Haack but first impressions of the newcomers were positive against New Mexico State.
- Brandon Ruiz set an ASU record with his 52-yard field goal in the opener, his first career field goal to make him the first Sun Devil to have their first career field goal go for 50 or more yards.
- Michael Sleep-Dalton didn't blow anyone's mind with his yards per punt, but the redshirt sophomore downed four of his six punts inside the 20 in the opener while also adding a 51-yard punt to his tally despite kicking with his non-dominant foot. He has at least one 50 yard kick in each game this season.
- 26 of Jalen Harvey's 33 career catches (78.8 percent) have gone for a first down (7 of his 8 catches this season) while he has averaged 16.8 yards per catch average in career and 47 yards per catch on two career touchdown receptions.
- Kyle Williams is currently the top-rated receiver in the Pac-12 with a perfect 158.3 rating this season and catching 14 of the 15 balls thrown his way for 200 yards and his first two career touchdowns.
- Williams, Harvey and Harry are each ranked in the Pac-12's top 11 highest rated receivers - the only school with three players in the category.
- John Humphrey introduced himself to the Sun Devil nation in a big way in the opener, catching seven passes for 123 yards and a touchdown. The debut is the second best for a first collegiate game in Sun Devil history, trailing only Calvin Demery's 1969 school record of 201 yards in his first game.
- The Sun Devils have had 4 different receivers with 100+ yards in a three-game stretch. That has NEVER happened before in school history. In fact, it already ties the school record for most individual players with at least 100 receiving yards in a game in a single season (2004, 2005, 2012, 2015, 2016) - notable as four of the six times in history it has happened have come since 2012 when Todd Graham arrived.
GO D.J., THAT'S MY D.J.
- Despite the second-most snaps than any other inside linebacker in the conference (223), D.J. Calhoun is one of just 12 inside linebackers in the league to not miss a tackle this season.
- Calhoun leads all Pac-12 inside linebackers with 10 combined tackles in the passing game this season and is fourth in the league with 19 tackles in the rushing game.
- Calhoun is second in the conference with 10.3 tackles per game and has double digit tackles in two out of three games this season. He is tied for 20th nationally in averaging 6.0 solo tackles per game.