ASU Football: Sun Devils using bye week to reflect, rest

Following their third straight road loss by seven points, ASU football is using their bye week to reflect on midseason progress and rest key players.

Coach Herm Edwards was elaborate in his thoughts about Arizona State’s 3-3 start to the season.

“The bye week is about looking at yourself as a football team but also reflecting on yourself as a coach,” he said. “It’s helped me to look at some things and hopefully I can improve on [them] as a football coach.”

Edwards’ opening statement to the media following Wednesday’s practice was four minutes and 37 seconds in length, encapsulating the frustration of close losses, mental mistakes, time of possession and third down rates, among other things.

The 64-year-old was most critical of himself, imploring series of self-questioning following the Sun Devils’ 28-21 defeat to Colorado. The loss dropped ASU 1.5 games back of the top of the Pac-12 South.

“That’s part of the DNA of coaching,” Edwards said. “You always reflect things – maybe you could’ve done this better in practice, maybe you could’ve done that and that. And then you move on, but I think it’s good for me to self-reflect.”

Entering the season, a 3-3 start could satisfy supporters. ASU opened with a difficult schedule, and with more conference games on the way, opportunities would exist to secure a second straight bowl berth.

But how they got here has been disheartening. With each loss coming by the same total and almost the same score, it’s easy to look opportunities that could have the Sun Devils at 6-0 rather than 3-3.

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Perhaps nobody has thought about it more than quarterback Manny Wilkins. With six remaining games guaranteed in his final season, he hopes the team puts everything together sooner rather than later.

“I don’t have time,” Wilkins said. “Time isn’t on my side to come back. I don’t have next year.”

“We’re so close. And I can see it, and that’s why I’ve been so encouraged with this football team and how hard we play.”

Wilkins, along with junior wide receiver N’Keal Harry, didn’t practice Wednesday after injuries suffered against Colorado. Both are expected to return next week while preparing for Stanford.

As for the defense, Danny Gonzales believes his unit hasn’t done enough to give to create momentum. He noted his team’s tendency to get off the field with the offense struggling, but not in situations to extend leads off scoring drives.

Gonzales, who’s known to reiterate his defense is “not very good yet,” said the same but with a caveat. In evaluating the Sun Devils’ 3-3 start, he recognized his young linebackers and defensive linemen for stepping up to tall assignments.

“They’ve probably played a little bit above themselves,” he said. “With the amount of snaps we’ve played on defense, for four true freshmen to do that, and still have an opportunity to play at a pretty good level, they’re probably playing above themselves.”

He also issued a promise – one that puts huge implications on the future defensive success.

“Over the next two years, we’ll be really good on defense, or I’ll quit,” Gonzales said. “I promise you. We will be really good on defense or I won’t be here.”

ASU will move to a stretch of three of four games at home. If there’d be any time to salvage a divisional title run or a bowl berth, it would be now.

Sophomore running back Eno Benjamin, who has rushed for over 100 yards in three consecutive games, will continue to be a big part of the Sun Devil offense. Edwards said his team will continue to run the ball like the last three games to try to control games and protect the amount of defensive snaps.

While Edwards said not to expect a “culture change,” they’ll continue to use this week to evaluate and progress as a team. At the midway point, the timing couldn’t be much better.

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“We’re working on ‘us’ right now,” Edwards said. “Just trying to do things better. Make the players better. That’s what we’re trying to do.”

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