ASU Football: Rapid reaction of Devils’ blowout win vs. UTSA

The Herm Edwards era began with a lopsided victory, and several trends throughout the game could be key for the ASU football moving forward.

The metaphorical “Herm Train” has officially left the station.

In Herm Edwards’ debut as head coach, the Sun Devils cruised to a 49-7 victory over UTSA. The opponents only get tougher from here on out, but the season opener couldn’t have gone much better for ASU.

Running backs will be key going forward

Without Kalen Ballage and Demario Richard, many expected the running game to be a weakness this year. But after the opener, it turns out the running back position could actually be pivotal to the offense.

Eno Benjamin and Isaiah Floyd both showed tremendous speed in the backfield, and perhaps what was most impressive in the opener was each of their abilities to hit the hole at full throttle.

Benjamin and Floyd finished with a combined 210 rushing yards and a touchdown a piece, and they will be relied on heavy going forward.

The 3-3-5 defense showed up

After Edwards accepted the job, he announced plans to institute a unique 3-3-5 defensive setup, and in its first game, it showed up.

Arizona State forced three turnovers and allowed just 220 total yards. Sure, UTSA isn’t an offensive juggernaut, but even so, the physicality of ASU’s defense was impressive in the win.

However, the 3-3-5 will face its first true test next week when the Sun Devils host Michigan State.

Manny Wilkins gained comfortability as the game progressed

Though his stats don’t show many blemishes, quarterback Manny Wilkins started the game with some inaccurate, risky throws mixed in with quality passes.

However, as the game progressed, his decision-making improved, and Wilkins started making plays reminiscent of the ones he made in 2017.

He finished the game 16-of-24 with 237 yards and four touchdowns — an excellent start to his senior campaign.

N’Keal Harry isn’t Wilkins’ only trustworthy target

While Harry accounted for 140 of the team’s 237 receiving yards, he was far from the only Sun Devil receiver to make a contribution.

Eight other Sun Devils caught passes, including Frank Darby and Kyle Williams, who each made tricky catches that set up for a Benjamin touchdown.

The Inferno was hopping

Despite a somewhat spotty crowd overall, the student section, nicknamed the Inferno, was jam-packed.

This was the first game since Arizona State merged both Infernos to one in the south end zone, and there was not any room left in the section by kickoff.

Because of the Sun Devils’ success, the section was buzzing with energy, and if it can be like that in future weeks, it could make up for a rather stagnant rest of the stadium.