ASU Football: Herm Edwards: “Rankings don’t help you win”

ASU football coach Herm Edwards paid little attention to his team’s AP Top 25 ranking in Monday’s media session.

When it comes to football, Herm Edwards knows this best: you play to win the game. But you also play to win the next one, and the one after that.

At Monday’s media availability, Edwards quickly dismissed ASU’s No. 23 ranking in this week’s AP Poll, focusing instead on his team’s preparation for San Diego State.

“Rankings don’t help you win,” Edwards said. “Preparation and performance is how you win football games. Our motto is real simple: stay humble and hungry.”

News of the Sun Devils’ first top-25 ranking since 2015 has been discussed not only in Tempe, but at a national level. Dozens of media members have taken the chance to weigh in on the program’s early success.

In spite of that, Edwards has denied taking part in those discussions.

“I didn’t even hear that until today,” Edwards said. “I just coach the football team.”

The response makes sense. Edwards won’t want his team to overlook the Aztecs, who will be without starting quarterback Christian Chapman due to a left knee injury. He wants to maintain the same focus.

At the same time, the ranking means something. It’s a culmination of overcoming an uncertain past nine months, which included hiring a new staff and players adapting to and learning from a coach that hadn’t been on the sidelines in nine years.

More from Devils in Detail

• Sun Devils Primer: Game 2 vs Oklahoma State
• Sun Devil Insight: Quarterback Room
• Arizona State Spotlight: Kenny Dillingham
• Arizona State 2023 Season Opener: Off To A Good Start
• Arizona State vs USC Prediction and Promo (Expect Offensive Fireworks)

Maybe he won’t focus on the ranking, but Edwards knows there are things to celebrate.

“I think our coaches and players–they’ve done a magnificent job of really coming together,” he said. “It’s always hard to change. I think these guys have weathered all that now and I think we’ve earned their trust.”

That kind of trust comes from a belief Edwards has in his team. ASU relied on key players during the fourth quarter against Michigan State, setting up N’Keal Harry for a 27-yard touchdown pass to tie the game and leaving Brandon Ruiz with a 28-yard field goal opportunity to win it.

For those who struggled, Edwards was also at their side. Manny Wilkins overthrew a handful of passes that could’ve resulted in touchdowns, yet his coach encouraged him to keep throwing it. Wilkins ended up connecting passes to Harry, Kyle Williams and Eno Benjamin that led to two scoring drives to complete the 10-point comeback.

Edwards also doesn’t rely on experience alone to translate to playing time. He wants the best players on the field. That’s allowed opportunities for young players like Merlin Robertson, who was named the Walter Camp Defensive Player of the Week after recording nine tackles, 1.5 sacks and a forced fumble against the Spartans.

“You always do what’s best for the game of football,” Edwards said. “The best players play. I think these guys realize that it doesn’t matter if you’re a five-star guy, it doesn’t matter if you’re a one-star guy, it doesn’t matter if you’re a senior or a freshman. Buy in to the team and compete every day, you’ll get an opportunity to play here.”

Sure, maybe this ranking isn’t something to gawk over. But there are good things that have emerged from the team’s first two games. With the Pac-12 South being as open as it is, who knows what this team’s ceiling may be?

None of that is certain yet. For now, Edwards plans to keep his team at work.

“We haven’t played a complete game yet on either side of the football,” Edwards said. “But what we have done, is they play hard. I’ve always said this: just leave it on the grass. That’s all you have to do as a football player.

“You leave everything you got on that grass. And then you can live with the outcome of what happened.”

All quotes in this article were obtained firsthand by Devils in Detail unless otherwise noted.