Cal Football: Previewing the Bears' 2020 Opponents -- Game 10: Arizona State Sun Devils
Game 10: CAL at ARIZONA STATE, Saturday, Nov. 7
Arizona State’s 2019 record: 8-5 overall, 4-5/tied 3rd in Pac-12 South
Series record: Cal leads the series 18-17, but the Sun Devils have won six of the last eight meetings, including a 27-17 victory over the Bears in Berkeley last season. Chase Garbers left that game in the second quarter with an injury. The last time Cal faced Arizona State in Tempe, Ariz., was 2016, and the Bears won that game 51-41.
In the video below, Cal offensive tackle Jake Curhan discusses the defense Arizona State used to stop the Bears' running game last season:
Arizona State coach: Herm Edwards, 15-11, entering 3rd year as ASU’s head coach
Arizona State's top players: Sophomore quarterback Jayden Daniels (17 TD passes, 2 interceptions, 355 rushing yards last year as a freshman); redshirt senior wide receiver Frank Darby (19.9 yards per catch, 8 TDs); junior defensive lineman Jermayne Lole (6.5 sacks, 10 tackles for loss); senior safety Evan Fields (83 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, 2 interceptions); junior linebacker Darien Butler (90 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, 3 forced fumbles); redshirt senior cornerback Jack Jones (3 interceptions, 13 pass breakups).
ASU's Strengths: The Sun Devils’ biggest strength is their quarterback, Jayden Daniels, who won the starting job last season as a true freshman and is expected to make a sizable improvement in his second season after throwing 17 touchdown passes and a conference-low two interceptions last year. He is also a threat to run . . . ASU returns most of the key members of a defense that allowed just 19.4 points per game last year, including a strong linebacking corps and defensive lineman Jermayne Lole. Nine of the Sun Devils’ top 11 tacklers from 2019 return. Marvin Lewis was added as co-defensive coordinator, and having a guy who spent seven years as an NFL defensive coordinator and 16 more as an NFL head coach can’t be a bad thing. . . . Arizona State will benefit from the fact that the Pac-12 South does not look particularly strong. . . Freshman running backs Daniel Ngata and freshman wide receiver Johnny Wilson could help immediately.
ASU's Weaknesses: The Sun Devils lost their two main big-play performers in running back Eno Benjamin and wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk, both of whom were first-team all-Pac-12 selections in 2019 and both of whom are expected to be taken in the upcoming NFL draft. It leaves ASU without a proven star on offense . . . The Sun Devils don’t have a proven star on either side of the ball . . . Punter Michael Turk had two seasons of eligibility after being named the first-team all-Pa-12 punter last year, but has opted to enter the NFL draft. . . . ASU has new coordinators on both offense (Zak Hill) and defense (Antonio Pierce, Marvin Lewis), and that kind of transition can take time, especially without the benefit of a full spring practice schedule.
What you should know about Arizona State: Arizona State won its final three games last season, including a 31-28 victory over eventual Pac-12 champion Oregon . . . ASU head coach Herm Edwards turns 66 on April 27, and in January his contract was extended by two years, taking him through the 2024 season. He was an NFL head coach for nine years (Jets and Chiefs), and he began his college career at Cal in 1974 before finishing up at San Diego State. He had some interesting things to say about his time in Berkeley, which can be seen here . . . Marvin Lewis, who will begin his first year as Arizona State’s co-defensive coordinator, was an ASU advisor last season after being the Cincinnati Bengals head coach from 2003 through 2018 . . . Arizona State has not won a conference title sine 1996, when former Cal coach Bruce Snyder was the Sun Devils head coach. . . The Sun Devils have played in a bowl game in eight of the past nine years, missing only in 2016 during that span.
Spring practice status: The Sun Devils began spring ball on February 24, and they got seven practices in before taking a two-week break following their March 5 workout. However, the final group of eight spring workouts was canceled because of the sports shutdown that resulted from the COVID-19 pandemic. Their spring game, scheduled for March 28, was canceled.
2020 Season projection: A number of media outlets have put the Sun Devils in their top-25 in their early 2020 preseason rankings. Sporting News ranked ASU 21st, Sports Illustrated pegged the Sun Devils for No. 18, CBS Sports put them at No. 24, and NCAA.com had ASU at No. 25. ASU is generally picked to finish second in the Pac-12 South, behind USC, but the lack of quality teams in that division is one reason for the optimistic projection. Road games against USC and Oregon make the task a little tougher for ASU.
Cal-Arizona State game prediction: Cal 24, Arizona State 20
(Previews on Cal's earlier 2020 Opponents: Game 1 UNLV, Game 2 TCU, Game 3 Cal Poly, Game 4 Utah, Game 5 Washington State, Game 6 USC, Game 7 Oregon and Game 8 Oregon State, and Game 9 Washington.)
