The Daily Devil: 10/8 – ASU News, Notes And More
Welcome to The Daily Devil, a feature of Devils in Detail bringing our readers news and views from around the world of Arizona State athletics. On a regular basis, we’ll refer you to the best articles, videos and other Sun Devil information we’ve found on the Internet.
ASU coverage you might find interesting:
Amidst the chaos of ASU’s losing effort against Notre Dame, junior college transfer Damarious Randall made a big impression in his first start at safety. Randall posted a game-high 17 tackles for the Sun Devils and harassed Fighting Irish receivers the entire game.
Doug Haller of azcentral.com wrote an interesting article about Randall’s emergence on the ASU defense:
“Todd Graham would love to say he expected Damarious Randall to shine in his first start, as the junior safety did Saturday against Notre Dame.
But it’s not true.
Truth was, the Arizona State coach didn’t think Randall was ready. The junior-college transfer had missed nearly all of preseason camp because of a groin injury. He hadn’t scrimmaged. The time Randall had spent with the first team in practice, it was clear he wasn’t always comfortable.”
While you’re on azcentral.com, take time to re-read Paola Boivin’s recap of Saturday’s game in Arlington. She provided a frank, but fair, analysis of ASU’s tough loss to the Golden Domers:
“What a moment it could have been for the former security guard who worked old Texas Stadium. Instead, Todd Graham’s Sun Devils fell short on a national stage, losing 37-34 to Notre Dame and not capitalizing on an opportunity to give ASU’s football program a Texas-sized boost.
How concerned should Sun Devils fans be? Graham always says Pac-12 games are the most important part of the schedule. That may be true but a victory would have given ASU momentum heading into the meaty part of its conference schedule. It would have provided recruiting a helpful nudge. It would have moved the Sun Devils up the Top 25 rankings.
Now it feels a little bit again like the program that in recent years has dogpaddled in a sea of mediocrity.
Is it end-of-the-world stuff? No. ASU put up a good fight. But once again, it can’t seem to get over the hump.”
Eric Sorenson over at Pros2Preps.com has a good story on Todd Graham’s Texas roots. For the article, Sorenson spoke to several of Graham’s former coaches involved in Dallas-area high school football:
“As I sat in Steve Bragg’s office not far from the train tracks which cut through the east Dallas suburbs I couldn’t help but notice the glass case in the corner neatly organized with photos and autographed helmets from some of the best college football programs in the country.
Football is more than just a hobby in Texas, particularly at the high school level where the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex churns out nearly as many Division-I players as fried Twinkie’s at the Texas State Fair.
Bragg, a former coach and now the Mesquite High School district athletic director, leaned back in his chair and calmly folded his arms.
“He always had that drive,” he matter-of-factly explained to me when describing longtime friend Todd Graham. “That drive to be successful.”
Few know better than Bragg who coached with Graham at his first stop in the late 80′s at nearby Poteet High School, just down the street from Todd’s alma mater, North Mesquite.”