Four Takeaways From Arizona State's Victory Over UNLV
The Arizona State Sun Devils improved to 2-0 on the season, defeating UNLV fairly easily.
The game wasn't always in ASU's favor, however. The Sun Devils struggled early with the Rebels, allowing UNLV to hang around through the entire first half. However, ASU eventually found their footing, separating themselves rather quickly from UNLV after the third quarter began.
ASU won handily in their second game of the season, as the team now focuses their efforts on a road trip to BYU next week. For now, however, Arizona State will watch and reflect on their victory over UNLV.
Four Takeaways
DeaMonte Trayanum was missed: Look, nobody was saying Trayanum was insignificant to Arizona State's offense. However, when he was absent from warm-ups prior to the game, everybody had expected fellow running back Rachaad White to fully take over. Instead, White was limited for a majority of the first half with the ball in his hands before reaching the end zone twice in the second half.
ASU was able to run the ball, yet their running back corps felt the absence of Trayanum's ability to power his way through defenders.
Not as much dirty laundry: It's hard not to improve after 13 penalties for 135 yards, right? Head coach Herm Edwards was adamant the team would look to improve on that mark, and they did just that. While ASU had 11 penalties in the first two quarters of last week's game, the Sun Devils had just three in the first half against UNLV.
Nobody expected Arizona State to complete a penalty-free game, especially after last week's performance. ASU took a step in the right direction vs. UNLV, a performance the team can hopefully build upon moving forward in their efforts to play clean football.
Jayden Daniels' rushing attitude: Against UNLV, Daniels eclipsed the 100-yard rushing mark for just the second time in his career. Daniels' pocket presence fell under heavy scrutiny, as often times he would run himself into sacks. The ability to simply take off out of the pocket and immediately turn into a runner is something rarely seen from Daniels.
That skillset was on full display Saturday night, as Daniels transformed into a dangerous runner with the ball in his hands. His ability to make defenders miss in the open field, despite possessing phenomenal athleticism, isn't typically seen due to ASU's prominent running backs occupying that role.
Daniels evacuated the pocket with no hesitation once his reads weren't open, typically beating a linebacker or cornerback for extra yardage. We know Daniels' running abilities are solid when presented the opportunity, yet it's rare we saw Daniels prioritize moving the ball on the ground like we did against UNLV.
Just kickin' it: After a dismal kicking performance last week, the Sun Devils were welcomed by the return of kicker Christian Zendejas from the transfer portal. Zendejas converted 4 of 5 extra points attempted on the night, as Tyler Logan was limited to kickoff duties.
Although not perfect on the night, there was an obvious comfort level on extra points with Zendejas in the game. Punter Eddie Czaplicki did a great job pinning UNLV deep in their own territory on multiple occasions.
Special teams, as far as kicking goes, isn't all the way there yet. However, Saturday night was a step in the right direction for everybody who placed their laces on a football for ASU.
Donnie Druin is a Deputy Editor with AllSunDevils. Follow Donnie on Twitter @DonnieDruin, and AllSunDevils @AllSunDevils. Like and follow AllSunDevils on Facebook, and for more ASU news visit https://www.si.com/college/arizonastate/