THE GAME - Sun Devil Football returns back on the road this weekend in Pac-12 action as the team heads to Salt Lake City to take on the Utah Utes on Saturday, October 21. The game is scheduled for a 12:30 p.m. Arizona time kickoff (1:30 p.m. in Utah) and will be broadcast live nationally on Fox Sports 1.
AN ASU VICTORY WOULD...
- Move ASU to 21-8 all-time against Utah.
- End Arizona State's seven-game losing streak in road games.
- Mark ASU's first victory over a Pac-12 team on the road since defeating seventh-ranked UCLA on October 3, 2015.
- Move ASU to 3-1 in Pac-12 play for the first time since starting 5-1 in league action during the 2014 season.
- End Utah's two-game winning streak in the series.
- Give ASU its first victory in Salt Lake City since a come-from-behind 20-19 success in 2013.
- Give ASU consecutive wins in Pac-12 games for the first time since defeating Washington and Arizona back-to-back in the 2015 season.
#10THINGS (Twitter-Friendly Notes)
1. ASU is 3-1 this season in games decided by touchdown or less and 12-7 since 2012 UA comeback. Was 6-16 in such games from 2007 to UA game.
2. .@FootballASU is 8th nationally in red zone scoring at 95.2% (20-of-21) trips with lone blemish coming while kneeling at end of UW win.
3. Demario Richard is 9th in Sun Devil history with 2,391 career rushing yards and needs 309 more yards to move into the all-time Top-5 at ASU.
4. The Sun Devils have scored 71.4 percent of the time following an opponent turnover since 2012 (95 of 133) w/ 72 TDs (54.1 percent).
5. .@FootballASU's trio of Smallwood, Wicker, Latu is 9th nationally among teams with at 3 players with double digit pressures at 54 QBPs.
6. After having just 1.5 TFL and no sacks in his career entering '17, @Aj_latu44 already has 6.5 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks this season.
7. With the victory against Washington, ASU is 10-8 in its last 18 games against ranked teams and 2-0 this season.
8. The Sun Devils are first nationally with just 3.33 penalties per game this season and four in fewest penalty yards per game at 32.00.
9. 19 of Jalen Harvey's 22 catches this season have been for a first down and 38 of his 47 career catches (80.9%) have moved the chains as well.
10. .@dj_calhoun is 1 of 3 ILBs in the country to not miss a tackle this season. One of just 2 players in FBS with 30+ tackles and none missed.
THE UTES - Utah dropped out of the Coaches Poll, where it had appeared every week since the preseason, after last week's one-point loss at No. 13 USC (28-27). Utah's highest rankings this season have been No. 18 in the Coaches Poll and and No. 20 by the AP.
Arizona State leads the all-time series against Utah, 20-8, and is 6-4 in games played in Salt Lake City. Until Utah's 2015 win in Rice-Eccles Stadium, the Utes had been winless against ASU since 1976 and had not defeated the Sun Devils at home since 1973. ASU had won 11 straight in the series but has dropped the last two games agains the Utes.
The two teams were common foes for several decades before an 18-year hiatus from 1993 to 2011 when the Utes joined the Pac-12 Conference.
The Utes are 2-1 this season in Rice-Eccles Stadium, beating North Dakota and San Jose State and losing to Stanford. Utah's two conference losses (to Stanford and USC) have been by a total of four points. Utah has 140 first downs to 109 by its opponents. The Utes have scored 68 points off turnovers compared to 19 by their opponents.
FOOD FOR THOUGHT
- ASU's 16-play, 8:08-minute scoring drive against Washington was the longest scoring by plays and by duration since Todd Graham's career began in 2012.In fact, it was ASU's longest scoring drive since a 9 minute, 43 second field goal drive against Oregon State in 2008. It was the longest touchdown drive by time since at least the 1999 season (as far back as drive possessions were readily available).
- Manny Wilkins has shown what he can do in a clean pocket this season, ranked seventh nationally with a 73.8 completion percentage when there's been no pressure this season.
- Demario Richard is currently 9th in Sun Devil history with 2,391 career rushing yards and needs 309 more yards to move into the all-time top five at ASU.
- ASU is 3-1 this season in games decided by touchdown or less and 12-7 since 2012 UA comeback after going 6-16 in such games from 2007 to that Arizona game.
- ASU is 17-0 since 2012 when holding an opponent under 20 points.
- D.J. Calhoun is one of just three inside linebackers in the country this season - and the only Pac-12 ILB - to not miss a single tackle, despite playing more snaps than any other inside linebacker in that group of four (405).
- ASU is eighth nationally in coverting on 95.24 percent of its red zone appearances this season (20-of-21), however, the Devils took a knee in the final seconds of the team's victory over fifth-ranked Washington in the red zone - the lone 'blemish' to the team's total this season.
STRIKE FIRST
- Arizona State has scored first in 47 of the 71 games with Todd Graham at the helm and is 35-12 when doing so.
- The Devils are 3-1 this season when scoring first (wins vs. NMSU, ORE, WASH).
STRIKE FAST...OR NOT?
- 271 of the Devils' 395 scoring drives since 2012 have come in three minutes or fewer (68.6 percent).
- However, ASU has been content with more methodic drives in 2017 with just 12 of 29 scoring drives coming under three minutes (41.4 percent).
- ASU had three scoring drives over 5 minutes against Stanford and followed that with two drives over 6 minutes against #5 Washington, notable as the Devils had just four scoring drives total in 2016 that lasted longer than five minutes.
- ASU's 16-play, 8:08-minute scoring drive against Washington was the longest scoring by plays and by duration since Todd Graham's career began in 2012.In fact, it was ASU's longest scoring drive since a 9 minute, 43 second field goal drive against Oregon State in 2008. It was the longest touchdown drive by time since at least the 1999 season (as far back as drive possessions were readily available).
- The fast paced-offense was still in full effect against Oregon, however, with four drives coming under two minutes in that effort.
- Two of ASU's four scoring drives against NMSU 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.
GETTING STARTED ON THE RIGHT FOOT
- The Sun Devils have outscored their opposition 605-374 in the first quarter under Todd Graham.
- ASU is currently 24th nationally in scoring 8.5 points per first quarter this season.
- The Sun Devils are 26-4 under Graham when holding their opposition scoreless in the first quarter. ASU has posted an impressive 34-3 overall record under Graham when leading at halftime.
DON'T CROSS THAT LINE
- ASU forced 24 plays against Stanford that resulted in negative or no yardage (13 incomplete passes, 9 tackles for loss, 2 rushes for no gain) of the 61 total plays in the contest (39.3 percent)
- This season, ASU has forced 132 plays resulting in negative or no yardage of 411 total (32.1 percent).
- Under Graham, ASU has forced 1,790 plays that have not resulted in positive yardage out of 5,055 (35.4 percent).
SERIOUSLY, DON'T CROSS IT
- ASU is currently second in the nation since 2012 in averaging 3.15 sacks per game. Additionally, ASU is first in the Pac-12 and second in the nation (Clemson) with an average of 7.80 TFL per game under Graham (since 2012).
- 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 individual occurences 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.
HE'S THE MANNY
- Despite being pressured on 36.9 percent of his dropbacks - the ninth-highest total nationally among QBs who drop back at least 50 percent of the time - Manny Wilkins is 10th nationally with a 92.5 NFL QB rating under pressure - fifth-highest among all QB's pressured at least 27 percent of the time.
- His three touchdowns under pressure are tied for 20th nationally among all quarterbacks.
- Wilkins has shown what he can do in a clean pocket however, ranked seventh nationally with a 73.8 completion percentage when there's been no pressure this season.
- Wilkins has three touchdown passes over 50 yards this season after not having any in his career previously and has at least one 50-yard pass in four of his six games this season. Wilkins has a 112.0 NFL quarterback rating on deep passes (passes of more than 20 yards), good for 14th nationally among quarterbacks who drop back at least 50 percent of the time.
- Since his first quarter interception at Arizona last year (over 6 1/2 games), Wilkins is 171-of-253 (67.6 percent) with 2,031 yards, 11 touchdowns, 2 interceptions (one on a tipped pass) with a 147.49 passing efficiency in that time
- Wilkins has thrown for 300 or more yards in five of his last nine games, and had 298 in one of those.
- Wilkins broke the school record for most consecutive pass attempts without an interception at 192 dating back to last season before his first quarter interception against Stanford, breaking Rudy Carpenter's previous school record of 149 from the end of 2005 to 2006.
GOLD RUSH
- ASU has 12 rushing TDs this year as it seeks to reach 25 rushing touchdowns for the fourth time in the last six seasons. That current total of three such times 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 and Kalen Ballage. 320 of ASU's total 687 rushing yards this season have come after contact (46.6 percent) with Ballage accounting for 182 of those (2.30 yac per rush).
GOLD ZONE
- ASU is eighth nationally in coverting on 95.24 percent of its red zone appearances this season (20-of-21), however, the Devils took a knee in the final seconds of the team's victory over fifth-ranked Washington in the red zone - the lone 'blemish' to the team's total this season.
- The Devils sit 13th nationally in red zone touchdown scoring with 16 touchdowns on those 21 attempts (76.19).
- 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 9th in Sun Devil history with 2,391 career rushing yards and needs 309 more yards to move into the all-time top five at ASU.
- Richard now has nine 100-yard rushing games in his career, three shy of cracking the ASU top-five in the category.
- Richard had a touchdown rush in three consecutive games for ASU this year, the first three-game stretch reaching the feat in his career.
- Richard became the 27th Sun Devil to eclipse 3,000 career all-purpose yards against Stanford and also brought his career touchdown total to 25, needing just five more to move into ASU's all-time top-10.
- 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).
CAME IN LIKE A WRECKING BALLAGE
- 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 five rushing touchdowns this season and now has 26 in his career, creeping up on ASU's all-time Top-5 in the category (the threshold being 28 rushing TDs).
- Ballage became the 26th Sun Devil to eclipse 3,000 career all-purpose yards and his 28 career touchdowns overall are two shy of cracking ASU's all-time Top-10 in the category.
NO RUSH
- The Sun Devils have held 25 opponents under 100 rushing yards in the Todd Graham era (71 games/35.2 percent), including four of 12 games last year and twice so far in 2017. (Texas Tech and #5 Washington).
- 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.
TAKING OFFENSE
- ASU is ranked second in the Pac-12 and 14th in the nation at 36.1 points per game in the Graham era.
- Arizona State and Louisiana Tech are tied for the active FBS record of 114 consecutive games scoring more than 7 points. The Sun Devils last scored a touchdown or less when they were shutout, 28-0, against eighth-ranked USC in the 2008 season. They have scored 30 or more points in 63 of those games (55.3 percent).
MAKE 'EM PAY
- ASU has outscored opponents 563-308 in points off takeaways since 2012 and 27-24 this year. ASU has five takeaways this season and has scored points following all five of those.
- Since 2012, ASU has scored 71.4 percent of the time following an opponent turnover (95 of 133) while finding the end zone 72 times in that span (54.1 percent).
- Conversely, opponents have scored just 52.5 percent of the time following an ASU turnover since 2012 (52 of 99) with 40 touchdowns (40.4 percent).
A HAND IN THE COOKIE JAR
- The Sun Devils have forced 133 turnovers under Todd Graham, which is tied for the 20-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 time span behind Ohio State (25), Alabama (22) and Boise State (21).
TURNOVER FACTORY
- ASU is ranked 12th in the nation with a .46 average turnover margin per game since Graham took over the helm and is 14th in the nation with a plus-33 total turnover margin since 2012.
- The Devils are third in the Pac-12 and tied for 11th in the nation with 82 total interceptions in that span.
WINNING THE BATTLE FOR FIELD POSITION
- Since 2012, ASU has an average starting yard line of its own 34.4 in 42 victories compared to 25.5 for their opponents in such contests.
- Conversely, opponents have an average starting field position of their own 31.4 yard line compared to ASU starting at its own 28.2 in ASU's 29 losses under Graham.
CLOSE IT OUT
- ASU has outscored other teams 717-574 in the fourth quarter and overtime under Todd Graham (10.1 points per fourth quarter and OT/+2.0 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.
T.N.T., WE'RE DYNAMITE
- 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 5 such plays against Washington and 51 total this season.
- The Devils are tied for sixth nationally with six passing plays of over 50 yards this season. It had one in all of 2016.
- ASU is 24th nationally with six 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.
KEEP IT CLEAN
- ASU has averaged just 36.6 penalty yards per game since 2012, good for the third-lowest total in the country behind only Navy (26.0) and Georgia Tech (36.19).
- Since Todd Graham arrived at Arizona State, the Sun Devils have had just 311 penalties in 71 games (4.38 penalties per game).
- ASU is current first in nation in fewest penalities per game this season (3.33), second in fewest penalties (20), third in fewest penalty yards (192) and fourth in fewest penalty yards per game (32.00)
PROTECT THIS HOUSE
- ASU is 28-9 at Sun Devil Stadium since Todd Graham took over in the 2012 season. The 28 wins are the second-most home wins under any Sun Devil head coach behind Frank Kush.
- In 37 regular season home games under Todd Graham, the Sun Devils have averaged 38.2 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 three times in Todd Graham's tenure - a 19-16 overtime victory over Utah in 2014, a 42-14 loss to #19 USC in 2015 and a 13-7 victory over #5 Washington in 2017.
- The Sun Devils are 285-104-3 (.730) all-time at Sun Devil Stadium since 1958, the 29th-highest active winning percentage in a stadium among all FBS schools.
USE THEM WISELY
- Since the start of the 2012 season, ASU has used 71 timeouts on defense in third down situations, and have not allowed a first down on the ensuing play and/or forced a turnover on 50 of those occasions (70.4 percent).
HOLD ON TO YOUR SEATS
- ASU has now gone 12-7 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 3-1 in games decided by a touchdown or less this season.
HOLD ON TO THAT BALL, ALSO
- ASU is now 14-3 under Todd Graham in games where it does not have a turnover after the Washington victory this season and 2-0 in such games in 2017..
- 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 10-8 in the last 18 games against ranked teams.
- In his time at ASU, Todd Graham is 10-11 against AP-ranked opponents after defeating Oregon and Washington this season.
- ASU's victory over No. 5 Washington this season was one of just four victories over a Top-Five team in program history and the first since a fateful 19-0 victory over #1 Nebraska in 1996.
- 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.
- By defeating Pac-12 North Division heavyweights Washington and Oregon in the past three weeks, ASU has now defeated the Pac-12 Conference North Division Champion team of three of the past four years (Washington in 2016 and Oregon and 2014 and 2015).
DIRTY HARRY
- Possessing deceptive speed and elusiveness, N'Keal Harry has 263 yards after the catch this season on 555 yards (47.4 percent) and is averaging 6.1 yards after catch per reception this season. The 263 yards after catch are third in the Pac-12 behind USC's Deontay Burnett (347) and WSU's Tavares Martin (288).
- Harry has proved himself as a valuable possession receiver as well and has 43 receptions on 61 targets this season. The 61 targets are fourth in the conference while his 43 receptions are tied for second.
- Harry is third in the Pac-12 and 31st nationally with a 108.3 wide receiver rating this season.
- At 555 yards thus far this season, Harry is already within striking distance of his freshman total of 659 receiving yards.
- Harry accounted for a touchdown in four consecutive games (three receiving and one passing) in Games 3-6 and five of the last seven games dating back to last season.
- The sophomore has started every game at Arizona State, now at 18 straight games - the most among all offensive players. He has a reception in every one of those games.
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.
BRING THE WOOD...OR THE WICKER...OR THE LATU
- Tashon Smallwood is tied for fourth nationally among all FBS defensive tackles with 20 quarterback pressures this season while JoJo Wicker is eighth among tackles with 17 pressures this season.
- A.J. Latu is tied for 21st among defensive ends with 17 quarterback pressures this season as well.
- The trio has combined for 54 pressures this season, good for ninth among all Power Five defensive lines with at least three players over 10 pressures. Among those nine teams, ASU is fourth among the team's that only have three players representing their total - Michigan (70), NC State (57), Clemson (55).
- 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.
- After having just 1.5 tackles for loss and no sacks in his career entering the season, A.J. Latu already has 6.5 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks this season.
- 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.
IN THE RIGHT HANDS...OR FEET
- 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.
- 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.
- Ruiz became became the first Sun Devil in school history to kick two or more field goals longer than 50 yards in their freshman season.
- The true freshman is currently eighth nationally in touchback percentage (80.00 percent) and is 9th nationally with 28 total touchbacks.
- Against #24 Oregon, he was 3-for-3 with a game-winning 41-yard field goal while also kicking a successful onside kick en route to earning Pac-12 Special Teams Player of the Week honors.
- Michael Sleep-Dalton has at least one 50 yard punt in four of his six games this season.
- Against Washington, the Devils faced the nation's top punt returner in Dante Pettis, tied for the NCAA record for most punt returns for a touchdown and averaging 33 yards per return this season. Sleep-Dalton finished the game with six punts for 40.5 yards while allowing Pettis just three returns for 7 total yards and a muffed return.
- 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.
AIR IT OUT
- 38 of Jalen Harvey's 47 career catches (80.9 percent) have gone for a first down (19 of his 22 catches this season) while he has averaged 17.7 yards per catch average in career and 47 yards per catch on two career touchdown receptions.
- ASU currently has the 30th-highest graded receiving corps in the country this season, according to PFF.
- 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 5 different receivers with 100+ yards in five games this season, a total it had never reached in an entire season prior to this year.
- Only six times in school history has ASU had four different players with at least 100 receiving yards in a game in a single season (2004, 2005, 2012, 2015, 2016, 2017) - 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.
- D.J. Calhoun is one of just three inside linebackers in the country this season - and the only Pac-12 ILB - to not miss a single tackle, despite playing more snaps than any other inside linebacker in that group of four (405).
- In fact, of all players in the country - regardless of position - that have played at least 50 percent of the defensive snaps this season, Calhoun is one of just 70 players that have no missed a tackle and one of only two of those to have over 40 tackles on the year (43).
- Calhoun is third among Pac-12 inside linebackers with 17 combined tackles in the passing game - good for 14th nationally this season - and is sixth in the league with 24 tackles in the rushing game.
- Calhoun is third in the conference and 35th nationally with 9.0 tackles per game. He is tied for ninth nationally and is second in the Pac-12 in averaging 5.8 solo tackles per game.
SAM, I AM
- Christian Sam is currently ranked fifth in the nation and first in the Pac-12 with 6.8 solo tackles per game.
- He is 23rd nationally and third in the conference in averaging 9.4 tackles per game.
- He is ranked 27th in the country among inside linebackers with a 12.9 run-stop percentage and second in the Pac-12 behind only USC's Cameron Smith (13.0).
- Sam has 17 tackles in the passing game this season, a total good for seventh nationally among all inside linebackers.