ASU Football: Sun Devils hope to accomplish more in waning season

With only five games remaining in the 2018 season, ASU football is intent on maximizing the opportunities they have left.

Herm Edwards knows the clock is ticking – not for him, but for his players.

“I think guys understand the importance of this game,” he said after Wednesday’s practice. “We’re running out of opportunities. These guys want to win a football game. And they know we’re very close.”

With a 3-4 record (1-3 Pac-12), the Sun Devils can’t play for championships. They sit in the cellar of the Pac-12 South, drowning in the curses of 7-point defeats and preseason media predictions beginning to find truth.

But their spirits have not been taken. Rather than sulking in the negatives, ASU sees Saturday afternoon’s matchup with USC as a chance for accomplishment.

“We put ourselves in position in the games that we have lost,” Edwards said. “We got to find a way to win a couple of those.

“We just haven’t cashed in on opportunities. I think players are starting to understand what we’re trying to do. They’re working hard every day. I told them – there’s a process to all of this, and one of the things to the process is you get better every day. I think they’re buying into that, which is a good thing.”

After a checkdown pass to Eno Benjamin that expired time and a comeback against Stanford, Manny Wilkins called this past Sunday his “critical day” to release frustration and anger.

Back at practice, the redshirt senior opened up to long conversations with Rob Likens and N’Keal Harry. Wilkins talked to Harry on the phone for an hour-and-a-half on Tuesday, coming to the same conclusion as his head coach.

“I just told him [Harry], ‘It’s time for us to slip the switch,'” Wilkins said. “We got to do more. Even if we feel like we’re doing what we’re supposed to do, we got to do more because we want it too much.”

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With five games remaining in his college career, the quarterback knows he doesn’t have much time to work with.

“I’m starting to count my practices,” Wilkins said. “We got five weeks left guaranteed, so that’s four practices, three practices a week. I don’t have many practices left here.

“It means too much for me to let it slide.”

In light of frustrations have been continuous improvements from the Sun Devil defense. Against Stanford, ASU limited the Cardinal to three yards per carry, including an effort that left Byrce Love with just 21 yards on 11 carries.

Danny Gonzales acknowledged his unit’s effort, citing stellar play from an area that has crackled in fire for most of the season.

“I thought our secondary was very aggressive on [Thursday],” Gonzales said. “They were really good on the run game, I thought Jalen Harvey played as good as he’s played. He was aggressive and he did some things at the Tillman spot that we’ve been coaching him to do.”

As he has, however, Gonzales went into coach mode, urging his defense to create turnovers and opportunities for the offense.

“We create turnovers, like Aashari [Crosswell] had a chance to intercept that ball, they [Stanford] don’t get that field goal,” said Gonzales when discussing the fourth quarter. “You’re able to catch that ball and change the game.”

As our Cody Whitehouse mentioned, the Trojans will likely start third string quarterback Jack Sears under center. Mistakes, specifically turnovers, have a higher chance to occur.

The Sun Devils realize they can’t count on things like that to happen. But if they put themselves in position, there’s a chance to maximize an opportunity.

That’s the message Edwards is relaying. And it’s the way to tackle any form of success possible, including what is likely the team’s best hope of accomplishment remaining – a bowl berth.

“We haven’t fared well on the road,” Edwards said. “It’d be fun to win a road game. I don’t know how these guys would act – I haven’t seen them win a road game yet. I haven’t won a road game with them either.

Next. ASU Football: USC to lean on third-string quarterback. dark

“We’re going to have to play very well. And I think the guys understand that. When you play an opponent like this with so much talent, you can’t make errors. You can’t give them second chances. You just can’t do that.”

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

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