Grading ASU Three Quarters Through the 2025 Season
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The Arizona State Sun Devils are coming off a very interesting two-game stretch. They had an exciting and thrilling win over the Texas Tech Red Raiders, but then had a disappointing loss to the Houston Cougars. After two home games with different outcomes, how does the team grade out?
Quarterback: A-, before A-
For the quarterback, the grade stays the same. Sam Leavitt had a Heisman-like performance with the win over Texas Tech. He had great throws all over the field and showed that he can extend the play, as he had a crucial throw on the run late to help ASU win. It was an A++ game from Leavitt; however, where he drops is against Houston, where Leavitt was fine, not bad, but not amazing.
Running-backs: A-, before A+
The running back grade dips for ASU, but nothing major. Raleek Brown had 2 pretty good games. However, Brown did struggle at times against Houston to get things going. Also, the lack of Kanye Udoh has continued to be a very interesting aspect of the offense.
Wide Receivers: A, before A
Like the position that throws the receivers the ball, the quarterback, the grade stays the same for receivers. Against Texas Tech, Jordyn Tyson and Jaren Hamilton were both amazing and extremely clutch, however Tyson was out against Houston, and Hamilton had a quiet game.
However, Malik McClain stepped it up in the Houston game as he went for 159 yards. Over the past two games, ASU's tight ends, Chamon Metayer and Cameron Harpole, got involved as well, hauling in some clutch passes and moving the chains in key situations.
Offensive Line: D+, before C+
The offensive line did well against Texas Tech, though they did allow a lot of pressure from Red Raiders edge rusher David Bailey. However, the unit struggled mightily against Houston. In that game, ASU struggled to run the ball against the Cougars.
The pass protection was also a major weakness for ASU, as Leavitt was under constant pressure during that game. ASU's offensive line is something that the team has to get right quickly.
Secondary: A-, before B
The secondary played some great ball over the past two games. They did not allow that many deep passes from Houston QB Conner Weigman or Texas Tech QB Wil Hammond. Defensive Coordinator Brian Ward did an excellent job with the secondary and did not allow a ton of big gains down the field.
Linebackers: B, before B+
It was difficult to decide if the linebacker grade should stay the same or go down. They played well; however, they go down as Weigman was able to run very well against ASU, and some of that has to do with the linebacking core. However, this is still a great unit for the team. Another element is that linebacker Keyshaun Elliott has been a great leader at the post-game press conferences.
Defensive Line: B, before B+
Very similar to the linebacking core, the fact that opposing Quarterbacks were able to rush very well against ASU does fall on the defensive line. However, their run defense against running backs has been very good in that area, and Defensive Line Coach Diron Reynolds deserves a lot of respect.
Overall, there have been some bumpy moments recently for ASU, but this is still a pretty good team that is not done with the season yet.
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Tanner Cappellini holds a mass communications degree from Arizona State University and is pursuing his dream of being the person at the games, practices, and events who takes others inside the team they love.