ASU Football: N’Keal Harry will be missed in bowl game

ASU football‘s star wide receiver was not expected to play in the Las Vegas Bowl on Dec. 15. But his shoes will be hard to fill as the Sun Devils take on No. 19 Fresno State.

N’Keal Harry announced on Nov. 26 that he would forgo his senior season to enter the 2019 NFL Draft. It was an easy decision for him as he is currently recognized as a potential first-round pick.

However, it was not yet decided whether the all-conference wideout would suit up one last time for the program’s bowl game. Head coach Herm Edwards explained the discussion was still to be had between Harry, ASU AD Ray Anderson and himself at the press conference.

On Monday, ESPN first broke the news that Harry was going to skip the game and that he had also signed with an agent, according to Edwards. Harry’s focus is now on preparing for the moment when his name is called in Nashville at the end of next April.

If this was maybe five years ago, there would be people showing concerns about an NFL Draft prospect choosing not to play in a game for his own benefit. But the narrative has changed progressively over the past few seasons and several notable players continue to make the same choice Harry did.

Unfortunately for the Sun Devils, his absence will be evident. No. 19 Fresno St. has one of the better defenses in the country and it hasn’t allowed more than 30 points in a game since its Week 3 loss to Washington in 2017.

Harry finished his last year at ASU with 73 receptions, 1,088 yards and 11 total touchdowns. The  junior was easily the go-to target for quarterback Manny Wilkins, nearly doubling the numbers of the next best player in the receiving group.

“It puts a lot of pressure on the receivers now,” Edwards said on Tuesday. “With N’Keal being in your offense we always felt like we had a guy that, eventually if you got him the ball, he was going to make some big plays. Now some of those receivers are going to have an opportunity to do this in the bowl game. So they’re going to have to pick it up in their performances.”

The Bulldogs allow just under 200 yards passing a game. Wilkins will have to look for other weapons in the passing game to move the ball down field.

“Well this is a bowl game and the guys that are available you play. We are gonna ask them to play,” Edwards explained. “We got some young guys that haven’t played a lot, obviously.”

Juniors Kyle Williams and Brandon Aiyuk have been reliable throughout the 2018 season. Redshirt sophomore Frank Darby possesses a deep threat similar to Harry. Darby had the longest reception of the season (72 yards) for the Sun Devils against Colorado back in October.

Freshman wide receiver Geordon Porter will play, according to Edwards, after only appearing in one game this year. He also said that 6-foot-8 sophomore Curtis Hodges will return to the field.

“You want to win a football game like this, finish up our season at 8-5,” Edwards said. “But you also have to look at players. Players that maybe didn’t get as many reps during the season, or if it doesn’t effect their eligibility to be redshirted.”

Porter is able to play in the bowl game and still redshirt with this season’s new NCAA rules. Edwards noted the they planned it out that way.

But No. 19 Fresno St. is tied for second in the nation in scoring defense. The Las Vegas Bowl will be a true test for most of these younger players if ASU has to move down the field through the air.

It also provides an opportunity for someone to emerge as a playmaker for the Sun Devils in a nationally televised game with eyes already looking forward to next season.

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