Game Week, Fellas.
Those words, spoken by offensive coordinator Mike Norvell at Sunday’s practice, carry some weight. Not just any game week, these few days are leading up to uncharted territory: Todd Graham’s first game as head coach at ASU, Taylor Kelly’s first start as quarterback, and the first college football night broadcast by the newly formed Pac-12 network (ASU/NAU is the second game of a double-header). NAU gets into town today for a 7:30 p.m. kickoff at Sun Devil Stadium; it’s then that we’ll finally get a look at this year’s team in live game action.
The visiting Northern Arizona University (NAU) Lumberjacks are a part of the Big Sky conference within the FCS (formerly Division 1-AA). Some like to joke it’s like ASU playing a junior college, but NAU has experience at both the running back and quarterback position (Zach Bauman and Cary Grossart, respectively). History is playing sides in this match-up though, as NAU hasn’t beaten ASU since 1938.
Having said that, expectations are high, but some fear the worst. As one football player put it: “It’s a lose-lose. If we blow-out NAU, everyone will say that’s what we were supposed to do. If we lose, people are going to be saying our season’s done.” This isn’t lost on the fans either: “It’s a good barometer for how bad we are, but it won’t tell us anything about how good we are.” It’s been frustrating to be an ASU fan for the past few seasons and, though excitement is high, skepticism still creeps in.
There’s a lot to watch for during the game on Thursday. First and foremost, will Sparky Stomp the Bus? The pre-game video of a huge Sparky walking through Arizona landmarks and stomping the opponent’s bus before entering Sun Devil Stadium is a much-loved Tempe tradition, as are the ‘Sun Devil Story’ features where fans get their moment to tell their tales of ASU fandom. Regarding the players, a lot of the field is playing to keep their spot, as the talent difference between many of the players in the same position is negligible (especially at quarterback). Individual responsibilities aside, people will be watching to see how the team performs as a unit, and whether Todd Graham walks his victory talk on the field. Thursday’s game will be a moment of truth for Sun Devil football, and the ASU faithful are hoping that the truth doesn’t hurt.
