Cal Football: 5 Questions About Arizona State Answered by Arizona Republic Writer

Will the Sun Devils be able to bounce back from the tough loss to USC in their opener?

As of Wednesday morning, Cal’s Saturday night game at Arizonan State was in doubt, although it had not been officially canceled.

We forge ahead with five questions posed to Arizona Republic writer Jeff Metcalfe, who covers the Sun Devils for that paper.

Here are Jeff’s responses to our questions:

---How has the loss to USC affected the team, especially since the Sun Devils seemed to have the game in hand?

Answer: A question like this is always hard to assess but even more so due to lack of direct player access because of COVID. My best guess is there has to be some hangover particularly for the older players who better understand the lost opportunity vs. USC. But the coaches also can sell the idea that ASU showed it is capable of winning out and I don’t think one loss, no matter how painful, should derail the desire to make the most of a short season.

---How surprising were the performances of the two new running backs – junior college transfer Rachaad White and freshman Chip Trayanum?

Answer: It seemed apparent going back to spring when ASU got in seven practices that at least at least one of the three new running backs (including Daniyel Ngata) would an effective replacement for Eno Benjamin. Maybe the only surprise was that both White (76 yards rushing, 70 receiving) and Trayanum (84 rushing) were big contributors the first time out. They could develop into a combination like ASU had most recently (2017) with Demario Richard and Kalen Ballage or something even more dangerous once the speedy Ngata also becomes involved.

---Defensive back Evan Fields had 17 tackles on Saturday. Is he that much of defensive stopper, or was it just an unusual case presented by the USC offense? Who are the Sun Devils defensive standouts?

Fields now as a senior is the real deal but his tackle stats were inflated by USC’s Air Raid running a numbing 95 plays with 55 passes. There’s no surprise about defensive tackle Jermayne Lole and linebacker Merlin Robertson (Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week) playing well. Transfer DeAndre Pierce starting ahead of Aashari Crosswell at safety was a surprise, and Pierce (co-defensive coordinator Antonio Pierce’s son) proved himself with nine tackles and a fumble recovery.

---How would you assess the opening-game performance of quarterback Jayden Daniels, who rushed for 111 yards, but was just 11-for-23 for 134 yards in passing?

Considering Daniels was without his leading returning receiver Frank Darby (ribs) for almost the entire game and a number of passes were dropped by young receivers, he deserves some leeway for the passing game being mostly ineffective. He ran well obviously (10.1 yards per carry), but ASU doesn’t want to rely on his legs to win games. One of the most intriguing ASU story lines vs. Cal is how freshman receivers like LV Bunkley-Shelton and Johnny Wilson and for that matter new offensive coordinator Zak Hill adapt from game 1 to 2. (Darby might return against Cal.)

---How effective has Herm Edwards been at making ASU a Pac-12 title contender, and what are his biggest assets?

ASU is recruiting at the highest level under Edwards and Pierce (recruiting coordinator) I’ve seen in covering this team since 1985. The Sun Devils have expanded their recruiting footprint, particularly in pursuit of linemen, and the always personable Edwards is proving to be a good closer. His combined record at ASU is a just-OK 15-12 and the most consistent criticism is that he’s too conservative offensively. As in the Sun Devils attempting no passes in the fourth quarter vs. USC until falling behind. It feels like ASU is on the cusp of leaping up but needs to maximize the time remaining with Daniels (at least through 2021) and not squander opportunities like last week.

Follow Jake Curtis of Cal Sports Report on Twitter: @jakecurtis53

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