ASU Football: Five things we saw at Pac-12 Media Day
By Trevor Booth
2. Praise for the new running back core
Following the graduations of Kalen Ballage and Demario Richard, it’d be expected that the strength of the Sun Devil running game would fall off with a new core.
That’s not what coach Edwards made it sound like.
In an interview with Mike Yam and Yogi Roth of Pac-12 Networks, Edwards mentioned that this year’s backfield will surprise some people come this fall.
“I like our football team, especially on offense,” Edwards told Pac-12 Networks. “There’s a veteran presence, we’ve upgraded our offensive line. We have some unique running backs that people don’t even know about yet, which will be interesting.”
Arizona State’s ground game will likely be lead by sophomore Eno Benjamin, who finished with 142 yards and one touchdown in nine appearances in 2017.
Benjamin’s best game came against the Colorado Buffaloes on Nov. 4, where he showed unique versatility in rushing for 52 yards and a touchdown score in a 41-30 ASU victory.
If the Sun Devils were to run a two-back system like last season, Benjamin could be trailed by fellow sophomore Trelon Smith, who received several touches in this year’s Spring Game after being used primarily as a kick returner last season.
A deeper rotation would comprise of sophomore JUCO transfer Isaiah Floyd. He rushed for 1,797 yards and 21 touchdowns last season at City College in San Francisco, earning the ranking as the third-highest JUCO running back prospect from ESPN.
Check out our post regarding the full running back depth chart here.