ASU Football: Sun Devils radiating confidence after third consecutive win

ASU football is on a hot streak after picking up its third-straight win over UCLA last Saturday. The successful stretch has led to confidence within the program.

The Sun Devils’ Senior Day game held a lot of weight for the program. Emotions ran high for players who represented the school one last time on Frank Kush Field.

But as ASU knocked off the Bruins in a close contest, the Herm Edwards era took another huge step in a positive direction.

According to Edwards at his weekly Monday press conference, there were over 30 recruits, official and unofficial, in attendance last Saturday. The Sun Devils also concluded the sweep of the Los Angeles schools which is big for the recruiting side of things in the offseason.

“It helps to have five guys who played in the National Football League on your staff,” Edwards said. “That wasn’t done by accident. I just think you have to know the mindset of young people who play football in the world; they wanna play on Sunday.”

When players commit to a high-end NCAA Division I football school, they usually want to have a shot at the next level. Edwards and his staff continues to show that it can become a reality through ASU.

“It’s the highest mark of football and brand of football you could ever play your whole life. And most kid want to do that,” Edwards said about the NFL. “So why not build a platform that helps them to achieve that. But also, when they leave here, they have a piece of paper that’s worth something as well.”

Nonetheless, the 2018 squad is on a mission with two games remaining on the schedule. ASU, now 6-4, is bowl-eligible and has the chance to represent the South division in the Pac-12 conference title game if the team wins out.

A lot of the late triumph has been due to the Sun Devils’ ability to control games on the ground.

“I like the way we’re running the football,” Edwards said. “It has a lot to do with the cohesion of the offensive line and their coach. Dave’s (Christensen) done a fabulous job with our commitment to run.”

Eno Benjamin is excelling at carrying the rock. The sophomore broke ASU’s single-season record in Pac-10/12 history, previously held by Ryan Torain (1,229), on Saturday against UCLA.

“Our running back has been fabulous,” Edwards said. “I don’t think anyone could ever imagine he was gonna put up some of the numbers that he’s put up.”

Benjamin is now the Pac-12’s leading rusher this season with 1,295 yards after a 182-yard performance against the Bruins.

And the Sun Devils have one of the top receivers in the nation, N’Keal Harry. His explosive playmaking ability has greatly attributed to the three-game win streak, and helped him become a semifinalist for the 2018 Biletnikoff Award.

Along with the high offensive production, Edwards credited his team’s late success to being able to make the correct adjustments in critical situations.

“When you prepare, you have no fear of what’s about to happen,” Edwards said. “We’ve seen this before, we’ve got an answer for the question. Move on. That’s how we try to do things around here.”

Now, the Sun Devils prepare for arguably their biggest game of the year when they take on the Oregon Ducks in Eugene. ASU’s defense will be without standout freshman linebacker Merlin Robertson in the first half.

Robertson was ejected from the game last Saturday because of a targeting call and has to sit out a half due to NCAA rules.

“He’s going to stand with me, in a baseball hat. Let him get a couple of plays called, he can do whatever he wants,” Edwards said jokingly. “But then as soon as he can go in, I’m gonna shove him in there real fast.”

The Ducks are 5-1 at home this season. ASU will be tasked again with having to make crucial adjustments on Saturday night with its Pac-12 title hopes still on the line.

Although there have been inconsistencies throughout the season, the Sun Devils are executing at a high level during their win streak. And it’s their confident swagger leading the way.

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