On Wednesday, we opened up our site mailbag for the first time. Now, with just one day until Arizona State kicks off their quest to repeat as Big 12 champions, we're pulling from that mailbag to answer some questions.
Who will be the lead back replacing Cam Skattebo? - Jeff from Scottsdale
Kenny Dillingham notably did not name a starter here when he released the Sun Devils' first official depth chart on Wednesday. Interestingly, there were two different running back spots on the depth chart, with Kyson Brown listed first on one slot and Raleek Brown listed first on the other. It's unclear what the distinction is between the two.
My guess, though, is that Kyson Brown will be the first man up when the Sun Devil offense takes the field Saturday. He's looked the best in practices going back to spring ball, and he flashed a lot of promise as Skattebo's top backup last year. Army transfer Kanye Udoh should see plenty of work, especially in short yardage situations, and Raleek Brown can be used as a sort of gadget player.
Just how good is NAU? Is there any chance they keep things close? - Tomas from Irvine
Make no mistake: the Lumberjacks are a good team. The Big Sky conference has always been one of the best at the FCS level - blue bloods like North Dakota State, Montana, and Eastern Washington (to name a few) have kept it that way - and Northern Arizona finished fourth in the conference last season under first-year head coach Brian Wright.
Against Arizona State, though? I don't like their chances. Don't get me wrong, the Lumberjacks are a well-coached team and will play hard on Saturday. But they lost by 12 to a terrible Wildcats team last year and are now facing a significantly better Sun Devil squad, one that went undefeated at home last year and hasn't lost to this program since 1938. They may keep things close for a quarter, but I doubt Arizona State lets them hang around much longer.
Who scores the first points for ASU? - Nathan from Chandler
It's obviously a crapshoot predicting something like this, but that's the fun part. Kenny Dillingham has been pretty candid about how he plans to throw the ball more this year, between Skattebo's departure and the rise of Sam Leavitt, so the smart money has to be on a Leavitt passing touchdown.
As for who will be receiving that touchdown pass, I'll take the low hanging fruit and say Jordyn Tyson. Obviously, Tyson is going to see plenty of targets in this game, and all season, but there are a couple milestones at play in this one. Tyson needs three catches to hit 100 career receptions, and his next touchdown will be his 15th career score. I can see Leavitt trying to hit both of those on the opening drive.