ASU Football: 2018 midseason grades

With ASU football on its bye week, the Sun Devils are officially halfway through coach Herm Edwards’ first season. How has his team performed thus far?

Through six games Edwards’ metaphorical train has since transformed into a rollercoaster off its rails, throwing passengers for unpredictable turns with little certainty of what it might do next.

Three losses in four games brought a swift end to the honeymoon period at Arizona State as the Sun Devils’ road struggles have been exposed, marring a 2-0 start complemented by the No. 23 ranking in the Associated Press poll.

At the midpoint of the 2018 season, where does this ASU team stand?

Offense: B+

Much like how he’s carried the ASU offense over the past two weeks, sophomore Eno Benjamin is almost single-handedly sustaining this grade. Against Oregon State and Colorado, he’s carried 58 times for 432 yards and six total touchdowns. At 119.2 yards per game, Benjamin has the 10th-best single-game average nationally.

It’s been difficult to evaluate the passing game, especially as of late considering Edwards has publicly expressed his desire to be a run-heavy team.

Redshirt senior quarterback Manny Wilkins was averaging 39 passing attempts over the first three games of the season. Since, that number has dropped to 24. Similarly, wide receiver N’Keal Harry only just 13 receptions from the date of the Edwards announcement.

Granted, the Sun Devils’ caliber of opponents has increased after beginning Pac-12 play but they are 3-1 when Wilkins attempts more than 20 passes.

Defense: B-

If this unit was measured against what ASU has put on the field defensively over the past few years, a higher grade would be in order. But the evaluation is based on performance solely during this season.

First-year defensive coordinator has taken tremendous strides with the Sun Devils, implementing a complex 3-3-5 scheme while bringing in personnel that possesses grit and an abundance of playmaking ability.

Make no mistake, the defense has considerably improved than product former coach Todd Graham played his final three years in Tempe. But the inexperience of Gonzales’ group is still apparent after six games.

ASU is no longer getting itself into shootouts with the No. 35 scoring defense, allowing 21.2 points per game.

Mental mistakes have led to blown coverages and costly penalties that will diminish as the defense continues to mature and develop further under Gonzales.

Special Teams: B

Outside of the return game, this unit looks much better than it did a year ago. A lot of credit is due to the change in punter Michael Sleep-Dalton‘s form. The redshirt junior abandoned his rugby-style kick in favor of a traditional punt.

The result has paid dividends as he averages 44.3 yards per punt, good for 21st in the FBS.

Sophomore Brandon Ruiz continues to be near-automatic with just one field goal miss on the year and a 23-of-23 mark on extra point attempts.

The lone blemish comes on kick returns where ball security and questionable decisions are the highlighted concerns. This led to Harry taking reps on the punt return team where he was ultimately injured against Colorado.

Off the bye week, ASU returns to action on Thursday night against newly-unranked Stanford.