ASU Football: Players to watch for on New Mexico State

ASU football hosts New Mexico State in the season opener Thursday with the Aggies looking to pull off the upset as three players seek to make their imprint.

ASU football will look to avoid what happened in 1999.

That was the last time the New Mexico State Aggies played the Sun Devils as NMSU pulled off a shocking upset of the 20th-ranked Sun Devils 35-7 in Tempe.

It was a humiliating loss for that team as Arizona State finished the season 6-6 losing to Wake Forest in the Aloha Classic.

Turning the clock 18 years to today, Arizona State will look to avoid the same fate of the 1999 team but the Aggies will have something to say about that.

New Mexico State is looking to improve this season after finishing 3-9 and 2-6 in Sun Belt play as NMSU was pegged to finish 10th in the preseason Sun Belt poll.

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Three players will look to lead New Mexico State to an upset of ASU and it begins with quarterback Tyler Rogers.

The redshirt senior quarterback will look to further etch himself in the program’s record books ranking second all-time in completions, third in passing yards, attempts, passing yards, and total yards, and fourth in total touchdowns.

Rogers finished last season throwing for 2,589 yards, 55.7 completion percentage, 16 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.

The Aggie starter likes to spread the ball around as nine different players caught touchdowns last season with the leading receiver finishing with 391 yards.

The engine that makes the Aggies offense is senior running back Larry Rose III.

Rose, who was named to the Maxwell Award Watch List for best running back in the nation, was the team’s leading rusher with 159 carries for 865 yards and four touchdowns last season.

The senior tailback will also look to climb the program’s records book as Rose currently stands third all-time in rushing carries and rushing yards and fourth in rushing touchdowns and all-purpose yards.

On the defensive end, cornerback Jaden Wright is the leading player for a New Mexico State defense that ranked as the worst in the Sun Belt last season.

The senior defensive back finished last season fifth in tackles (81) and led the team in interceptions (5) and forced fumbles (4).

Wright was named to the Bronko Nagurski Award Watch List, which is given to the nation’s best defensive player.

Next: ASU Football: Pac-12 Week One Power Rankings

These three seniors will look to begin their season with a statement against a Power 5 opponent in Arizona State and the Sun Devils will have to prepare for them.