Sparky's Countdown: Two Weeks Until Arizona State Football Begins

The Arizona State Sun Devils are two weeks away from their season opener against Southern Utah, and things are beginning to ramp up for ASU in their preparations.

Star defensive lineman Jermayne Lole recently had surgery on a triceps injury sustained in practice last week, with an unknown timetable of when we may see Lole on the field again.

Recently, the Sun Devils have also had three players enter the transfer portal and land in different homes: Michael Turk (Oklahoma), Stephon Wright (SMU) and Cody Shear (Syracuse).

Losses come and go for football programs across the country, and ASU is no exception. The 2020 season was an odd year for everybody in the college football world, and Arizona State's losses last season leave a lesson for this year's team to emphasize: Finishing.

Sparky's Magic Number of the Week: 2

Arizona State's two losses in 2020 stung, both for the same reason: Losing leads late in the fourth quarter.

The Sun Devils led by two possessions against USC before a botched onside kick recovery and two Kedon Slovis touchdown passes suddenly erased an ASU lead. Watching a 13-point lead dwindle within minutes was heartbreaking for the team, especially when considering the level of play the Sun Devils maintained prior to the later stages of the game.

Against UCLA, Arizona State managed to pull off a comeback of its own, climbing out of a 17-0 deficit in the first half to eventually take a slim lead with under five minutes left in the game. The Bruins marched down the field and scored to regain the lead before stalling ASU on one final drive.

Two games. Two different stories. One result.

It became ever-so apparent to Arizona State last season that games aren't merely won or lost in one quarter. Sixty-minute efforts are required by teams looking to be great week in and week out, and the Sun Devils would like to think of themselves as something great heading into the new season.

Whether it be how they start (UCLA), or how they finish (USC), head coach Herm Edwards will undoubtedly be preaching the importance of playing a complete game.

The Sun Devils did just that in their road trip to Tucson, and we all remember how that played out (the scoreboard nearly broke after reaching 70 points against Arizona).

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 /college/arizonastate/

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