ASU has gained a considerable amount of attention in the metro Phoenix area, but turn on any national sports outlet [read:ESPN] and you will see nary a word about ‘that other AZ Pac-12 team’ (the one that didn’t topple Oklahoma State last week).
The 2-0 Devils will ride that wave of Tempe attention to Missouri to take on the Tigers on their home turf. The Tigers lost to #7 Georgia at home last week, and some say they are looking to avenge their status as an SEC team by beating the upstart Sun Devils. A win in Missouri will gain the Sun Devils some national attention, and a little bit of street cred in the college football game.
The Tigers are 1-1, a team with something to prove, which makes them a dangerous opponent for Todd Graham’s first road game. The potential demonstrated by the Devils in their first two games will be put to the true test on Faurot Field, as Taylor Kelly and Michael Eubank tag-team to lead an ASU offense that’s ranked 7th in the country in points averaged per game (54 in the first two of the season).
The Sun Devil defense is worthy of attention as well, and they’ll need to stand firm against Missouri’s offense, led by junior James Franklin. In Missouri’s last showdown against ASU (in which Franklin threw for 314 yards, and ran for 84 more) his performance was to no avail, as Mizzou lost in overtime 37-30. Stopping Franklin, hailed by some as one of the top-performing quarterbacks ASU will face this season, will be key to a Sun Devil victory (and a possible subsequent ranking in the top 25). A detailed breakdown of the game and Mizzou’s strengths on offense and defense can be found here (bonus points for a Jay-Z lyric drop in the author’s analysis, HOV).
Notable changes in the Sun Devil’s lineup include the loss of freshman linebacker Carlos Mendoza after a shoulder injury in last week’s game, coinciding with the return of Brandon Magee to the same position. Graham has also been running practices with recorded crowd noise to simulate road play, and has expectations that his game plan will be equally matched by his opponent’s for the first time this season.
ASU’s campus is crowded today with students wearing gold, as is tradition, but the typical pre-game Friday excitement has been replaced by a curious intensity to see how ASU will play in front of a hostile crowd. All eyes in Tempe will be on the Sun Devils tomorrow in Missouri, and a win there will draw the attention of the national college football fan base. A loss, however, will speak for itself.
