ASU: Four Story Lines to Watch vs. Colorado
There's no overstating the importance of what Saturday night means for the Arizona State Sun Devils. A victory would put the Sun Devils at 1-0 in Pac-12 play for the first time in head coach Herm Edwards' tenure at ASU.
It's especially important to secure a victory and prove to everybody (most importantly, themselves) that the loss at BYU was a mere misstep, and Arizona State is indeed the team everybody believed they would be.
However, that's looking too far into the future. The biggest game for the Sun Devils is indeed the next one, and that's a home matchup with the Colorado Buffaloes. Arizona State currently sits as 14-point favorites, and are highly favored to emerge victorious.
Yet, Sun Devil fans know no opponent can be overlooked, and the same goes for a Colorado team that hung with No. 5 Texas A&M just two weeks ago.
Four Story Lines to Watch vs. Colorado
Running back Daniyel Ngata's role: The status of running back Chip Trayanum is unknown, yet even if Trayanum is active, it will be interesting to watch how the team monitors his touches throughout the game.
This bodes well for Ngata, a runner who has thrived when given the opportunity in Trayanum's absence. Ngata has 25 attempts for 183 yards and three touchdowns this season, scoring once in all three games.
Ngata, regardless of Trayanum's active status, should again see more opportunity against Colorado.
Can Jayden Daniels Rebound?: The ASU quarterback is coming off his first ever game where multiple interceptions were thrown in a loss to BYU.
The game wasn't awful from Daniels by any means, yet it was apparent he wasn't able to safely protect the ball like we've been so accustomed to seeing. That's been a theme for Daniels this year, with three interceptions already in 2021.
The challenge for Daniels? Make smart throws and try not to force balls into windows where they could easily close in a millisecond. If a read isn't there, simply tuck and run or get rid of the ball.
How will Travez Moore's absence impact the defensive line?: The Sun Devils now have two defensive linemen out for the year with injury, as both Jermayne Lole and Travez Moore won't be with ASU moving forward.
How will the Sun Devils control the trenches? What changes with run and pass support from the front four?
Those will all be questions to monitor. D.J. Davidson and Tyler Johnson have done a stellar job of making their presence felt throughout the early portions of the season. Yet who else will step up to ensure Arizona State still plays its best football defensively?
We're looking at you, Omarr Norman-Lott and Shannon Forman.
How disciplined will Arizona State be?: The Sun Devils are averaging 12 penalties for over 100 yards through their first three games of the season, and had 19 flags thrown on them last week at BYU.
There's no sugarcoating it: ASU has not played disciplined football.
The task falls on both coaches and players to see how they will respond as conference play gets underway for the Sun Devils. Playing clean ensures that your best outputs on the field are going towards your opponent only, and not against the officials and ultimately yourselves.