Cal Football Opponent Previews: Cal Visits Arizona State in Game 2
* Second in a series of stories previewing Cal’s six firm opponents on their revised 2020 Pac-12 schedule. This story, which appeared on Cal Sports Report in April, has been substantially updated, reflecting changes since then.
.
Game 2: CAL at ARIZONA STATE, Saturday, Nov. 14
Original date: The Sun Devils originally were scheduled to host Cal in Game 10 on 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.
Arizona State coach: Herm Edwards, 15-11, entering 3rd year as ASU’s head coach
Recent changes: Arizona State has a better roster now than it did when the pandemic began. No Sun Devils opted out and none transferred out, but several players joined the program. Rachaad White, rated the third-best junior college running back prospect in the 2020 cycle by 247Sports Composite, originally committed to UCLA but decommitted in early February and announced his commitment to the Sun Devils on May 21. Safety De’Andre Pierce, a graduate transfer from Boise State, announced in May he would come to ASU. After redshirt sophomore punter Michael Turk declared for the 2020 NFL Draft, the Sun Devils got a commitment from graduate transfer punter Logan Tyler from Florida State. However, after Turk went undrafted and did not sign with a team, he was granted a waiver by the NCAA to return to ASU with two years of eligibility remaining, giving the Sun Devils two top punters. Offensive linemen Kellen Diesch (Texas A&M) and Henry Hattis (Stanford) had joined the Sun Devils as graduate transfers back in January.
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, junior college transfer running back Rachaad White 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 are playing in the NFL. It leaves ASU without a proven star on either side of the ball . . . 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. . . . ASU lost a lot of talent on its offensive line and is hoping to solve that with several graduate transfers.
What you should know about Arizona State: Arizona State will coming off a pivotal game against South Division rival USC in its opener the previous week . . . 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.
ASU 2020 Schedule: Sept. 7 at USC; Nov. 14 vs. Cal; Nov. 21 at Colorado; Nov. 28 vs. Utah; Dec. 5 vs. UCLA; Dec. 11 at Arizona
2020 Season projection: A number of media outlets put the Sun Devils in their top-25 in their early 2020 preseason rankings, but neither the Associated Press nor the Coaches Poll had them in their preseason top 25. In the spring, 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. A road game against USC makes the task a little tougher for ASU, but the Sun Devils’ revised schedule does not include a game against Oregon, which was scheduled to host the Sun Devils in the original schedule.
Cal-Arizona State game prediction: Cal 24, Arizona State 20
(Preview of Cal's earlier 2020 opponent: Game 1 Washington)
Follow Jake Curtis of Cal Sports Report on Twitter: @jakecurtis53
Find Cal Sports Report on Facebook by searching: @si.calsportsreport
Click the "follow" button in the top right corner to join the conversation on Cal Sports Report on SI. Access and comment on featured stories and start your own conversations and post external links on our community page.
