Arizona State travels to Starkville, Mississippi, for its second game of the season and its first true test of the season. Although the Sun Devils beat Northern Arizona last Saturday, they had a few concerning aspects in their game that they will need to address.
1. Will the Sun Devils handle all of the noise?
The team practiced with several staff members ringing cowbells, along with cowbells being blasted over the speakers. That was not the only noise, as some media outlets and fans did not like Kenny Dillingham’s comments about the hotels in Starkville, which were taken out of context. The Sun Devils have to lock in this weekend to silence both the fans and cowbells, which I think they will.
2. Will the defensive backs improve to stop Blake Shapen and the rest of the Bulldog offense?
The pass defense as a whole looked weak against Northern Arizona, which was expected to be a run-heavy team. The Bulldogs could be similar, so Arizona State’s great run defense will be effective, causing the Bulldogs to head to a pass-heavy offense. The defensive backs all need to bring their A-game if the defense can stop the Mississippi State offense, which I am unsure about.
3. Who will be the top figure in the running game?
The running game was effective last Saturday, but was not featured much. Mississippi-native Kyson Brown has a homecoming game with over 50 friends and family cheering him on. Raleek Brown had a good game and was the Sun Devils' highest-rated offensive player according to Pro Football Focus. I expect a run-heavy game where Brown, Brown and Kanye Udoh get the majority of the offensive focus.
4. Who will be Sam Leavitt’s top target outside of Jordyn Tyson?
The running backs caught 10 balls for 101 yards last week, and I think that number will shrink. Malik McClain had a huge catch that got called back, and if Mississippi State double-teams Tyson, McClain could easily catch a few 20+ yard balls. I expect tight end Chamon Metayer will have a presence over the middle that was not exploited against NAU.
5. What will be the total number of flags?
The Sun Devils had 12 penalties for 93 yards last Saturday, versus Northern Arizona. Moving forward, that number has to shrink significantly. The noise with all of the cowbells at Davis Wade Stadium can easily cause false starts and delay of game penalties.
Arizona State should have an interesting match against Mississippi State this weekend. If the Sun Devils pass the test and win their first SEC road game in history, they have to have the answers to my questions.