Category: Arizona State Sun Devils

USC’s next opponent, Arizona State, gets shut out by Fresno State

USC hasn’t been challenged yet this season. Arizona State doesn’t figure to change that.

The USC Trojans face the Arizona State Sun Devils next Saturday, September 23, in Tempe. The Trojans can’t beat Notre Dame or Utah this Saturday. They have to play the team in front of them. Yet, one has to think the Trojans are spending their off week looking at Notre Dame film and Utah film, not just Arizona State film. It’s not as though the Sun Devils are going to exhaust every last resource the Trojans have.

The Sun Devils are themselves exhausted and very shorthanded.

It showed in their most recent game on Saturday night against Fresno State.

ASU, surprisingly just a three-point underdog despite missing at least five offensive linemen, played like a team which should have been a 33-point underdog. The Sun Devils committed eight turnovers. Three different ASU quarterbacks threw interceptions in this game, including former Notre Dame quarterback Drew Pyne, who played well for the Irish last year at USC but has far fewer resources around him now in Tempe under first-year head coach Kenny Dillingham.

Final score: Fresno State 29, ASU 0.

Arizona State’s leading passer was quarterback Jacob Conover, who threw for 89 yards and two interceptions.

You get the idea. We’ll have more on Arizona State’s dire situation as the week continues.

Catch all of Ducks Wire’s Pac-12 team previews for the 2023 season:

Arizona — Arizona State — California — Colorado — Oregon State  — Stanford — UCLA — USC — Utah — Washington — Washington State

USC has to play late-night game at Arizona State on Sept. 23 — which is great news

#USC and #Pac12 fans normally hate late-night games, but playing late is great news for the Trojans here. We’ll explain.

The Pac-12’s television selections have been announced for Week 4 of the season on September 23. USC plays at Arizona State, the Trojans’ first road game of their 2023 season.

We know that USC fans and Pac-12 fans hate the late-night kickoffs at 7:30 p.m. in Los Angeles, Seattle, Corvallis, Berkeley, and all other Pacific time zone locations. The Trojans will have to wait until 7:30 p.m. in Tempe, Arizona, for the Week 4 battle against the Arizona State Sun Devils. USC was placed in the late-night slot on Fox Sports.

USC fans might groan and grumble about the late-game placement for September 23, but we are here to tell you this is a good thing for the Trojans.

A night game being good? On the road? In this economy? This is actually one instance in which a night-game kickoff for USC is beneficial to the Trojans. The explanation is not complicated at all.

Let’s go through the details and give you other Pac-12 football information for Week 4 on September 23:

Arizona State OL Emmit Bohles (leg) out for the season

#USC’s next opponent, Arizona State, will be shorthanded on its offensive line.

Arizona State starting offensive lineman Emmit Bohles is done for the season after suffered a season-ending leg injury on the Sun Devils’ opening drive against Oklahoma State on Saturday night.

Bohles, a 6-foot-7 offensive tackle and a graduate student from Northern State (South Dakota), was carted off the field with an apparent leg injury within the first five minutes of the game. An air cast was placed on his left leg.

Bohles was replaced in Saturday’s game by junior Max Iheanachor, a 6-6, 320-pounder. Iheanachor is in his first year in the program after transferring from East Los Angeles Community College. He played basketball rather than football in high school and only took up football when he got to college.

It’s safe to say the Trojans should brining plenty of pressure up front after their off week. In their next game, they travel to Tempe to play Arizona State. USC will face Jaden Rashada and the Sun Devils on September 23 at 10:30 p.m. Eastern time in a Pac-12 after dark clash.

Check out our Pac-12 football predictions roundtable for the 2023 season.

Arizona State self-imposes bowl ban amid NCAA investigation

Arizona State has self-imposed a bowl ban for the 2023 season.

The Arizona State football program has self-imposed a bowl ban for the 2023 season as they await the NCAA’s investigation results and sanction decisions.

“Arizona State University has informed the NCAA and Pac-12 conference that it will self-impose a one-year postseason ban on its football program for the upcoming season,” Arizona State athletic director Ray Anderson said in a statement over the weekend.

The program is currently under investigation by the NCAA due to allegations that the Sun Devils hosted recruits on campus during the COVID-19 pandemic dead period. Those allegations happened under then-head coach Herm Edwards who mutually parted ways with the university last September following a 30-21 loss to Eastern Michigan.

With the investigation now going on for over two years, the Arizona State athletic department and football program decided that self-imposing a bowl ban was likely the best way to diminish any punishments handed down by the NCAA itself in the future.

The Sun Devils are coming off a 3-9 season in 2022, the program’s first losing season since 2016 and just their second since 2009. Following Edwards’ firing, the program was led by interim head coach Shaun Aguano, who served as the program’s running backs coach since 2019.

This season, the Sun Devils are entering their first season under Kenny Dillingham, who spent the last five years as an offensive coordinator at Memphis, Auburn, Florida State, and Oregon. The Sun Devils will begin their season on Thursday, August 31, against the Southern Utah Thunderbirds, an FCS program out of the United Athletic Conference.

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Jaden Rashada set to be named starting quarterback per reports

It appears we have a new starter for Arizona State.

According to On3 college football insider Matt Zentiz, freshman quarterback Jaden Rashada is set to be named the starter at Arizona State.

Rashada made plenty of headlines this past offseason with his commitment to the Florida Gators and ultimately landing at Arizona State with first-year head coach Kenny Dillingham. The Sun Devils also brought in former Notre Dame quarterback Drew Pyne to compete for the starting job.

Although Rashada hasn’t been flawless by any means during the preseason, his arm talent and the capability to make big plays down the field has stuck out and been an advantage for him compared to the other quarterbacks.

Arizona State, which is entering its first season with former Oregon and Florida State offensive coordinator Kenny Dillingham as its head coach, opens its season against FCS Southern Utah August 31.

The first big test for Arizona State and Rashada will come on Sept. 9 when the Sun Devils host the Oklahoma State Cowboys. It will also give fans a preview of the new-look Big 12 given that Arizona State joins the conference in 2024.

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Arizona State quickly makes itself public enemy No. 1 for other Big 12 schools

Shockingly insensitive remarks from Arizona State AD Ray Anderson have already infuriated #WestVirginia fans. #HailWV #Big12

Big 12 schools and fan bases are quickly learning about their new members. They are quickly learning why Arizona State has not been particularly successful in football in recent years.

Big 12 fans are getting to know what Phoenix residents have known for a long time: Arizona State athletic director Ray Anderson is not the sharpest tool in the shed.

Anderson, for absolutely zero good reason, said over the weekend: “I promise I’m not going to Morgantown,” a reference to ASU road trips to West Virginia, one of the longer commutes the Sun Devils and their athletic teams will have to make within the Big 12 Conference. This follows remarks made by ASU President Michael Crow about being very disappointed the Sun Devils couldn’t stay in the Pac-12 and that the Pac-12 couldn’t be preserved. Crow was a steadfast defender of Larry Scott and was deeply invested in saving the Pac-12.

Arizona State doesn’t like being in the Big 12, but Anderson’s shockingly insensitive comments have already transformed the Sun Devils from “unhappy neighbor” to “vocal troublemaker and bomb-thrower.” West Virginia fans are irate. Other Big 12 fan bases are raising their eyebrows and wondering why these guys were ever invited into the conference.

Here’s a sample of the very emotional reactions which greeted Ray Anderson’s incredibly dumb public comments:

Twitter reaction to Arizona State joining Big 12 as Pac-12 evaporates

ASU President Michael Crow didn’t want to leave the Pac-12, but in the end, he had no choice. Reactions poured in on a historic day.

It happened. Arizona State left the Pac-12 and moved to the Big 12 on a remarkable, memorable Friday that shook college sports to its core.

ASU President Michael Crow did not want to leave the Pac-12. Remember: He was one of the most ardent defenders and advocates of Larry Scott.

Moreover, ASU enrollment has been fueled in part by Californians. The state of Arizona’s population has grown in recent years because of an exodus from California. The demographics of the state of Arizona are changing. They seemed to nail down ASU to the Pac-12, but, of course, the incompetence of George Kliavkoff and the Pac-12 CEO Group (of which Crow has been a central part) created a stampede out the door.

That stampede began with Colorado in late July. The University of Arizona began to lose trust in Kliavkoff while realizing — as did Oregon and Washington — that the money for a TV deal simply wouldn’t be there with only nine schools left.

Now there are only four left.

See how Twitter reacted when Arizona State moved to the Big 12:

All eyes on Arizona State and Arizona as Pac-12’s fate hangs in the balance

If the #Pac12 loses only Colorado, it can survive. If the AZ schools bolt, however, #Pac12DeathWatch begins.

Last week, on July 19, University of Colorado Chancellor Phil DeStefano said this, per Buffaloes Wire:

“‘I’m eagerly awaiting to hear what the commissioner (George Kliavkoff) has to say (at Pac-12 media day). But at this point, the 10 (Pac-12) schools are staying together and awaiting a message from the commissioner,” DiStefano told The Post. “(CU’s) goal is to stay within the Pac-12 and have a media deal coming up shortly. That’s our goal. And I believe the presidents and chancellors of the Pac-12 are together on that.”

One week later — on July 26 — we have Colorado seemingly out the door to the Big 12, which creates an existential crisis for the Pac-12.

If George Kliavkoff cannot keep Colorado from bolting, which would represent a massive failure on his (and the Pac-12 CEO Group’s) part, there’s one scenario he has to be able to fend off to ensure the Pac-12’s survival.

Let’s talk about that huge scenario and the other many scenarios now in play, all because Kliavkoff and the Pac-12 could not land the plane and get a media deal done:

REPORT: Arizona State, Northwestern set for late-December matchup in Phoenix

Northwestern and Arizona State are set to matchup for the first time since 2004 next December.

According to a new report from Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports and College Hoops Today, the Arizona State Sun Devils and Northwestern Wildcats will face off in a late-December matchup at the Footprint Center in Phoenix.

The matchup is expected to be part of a double-header at the Footprint Center on December 20 with Alabama vs Arizona to follow suit. Arizona State and Northwestern will also meet in 2024-25 at the United Center in Chicago.

Arizona State is coming off a 23-13 season and its first trip to the NCAA Tournament since the 2018-19 season.  The Sun Devils would defeat No. 11 Nevada in the First Four before falling to No. 6 TCU in the Round of 64.

The Sun Devils received good news earlier this week when point guard Frankie Collins announced his return to Tempe. Collins was the Sun Devils’ No. 4 scorer this past season, averaging 9.7 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 4.3 assists per game. They did, however, lose their leading scorer in Desmond Cambridge to the transfer portal. Cambridge elected to stay in the Pac-12 and will play for Oregon next season.

Northwestern themselves made their first NCAA Tournament appearance since the 2016-17 season, collecting a 22-12 overall record. The Wildcats won their first-round matchup against No. 10 Boise State and would end up losing to No. 2 UCLA in the Round of 32. The Wildcats will welcome back guard Boo Buie next season after the All-Big Ten selection averaged 17.3 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 4.5 assists this season.

Arizona State and Northwestern have met six times in their history, the last coming in 2004, a 90-55 win for Arizona State in Tempe.

Arizona State point guard Frankie Collins announces return to the Sun Devils

Arizona State saw one of their top scorers from last season announce his return on Friday.

Arizona State point guard Frankie Collins announced his return to the Sun Devils on Friday morning via Twitter. “Tempe!! Let’s be great.” Collins posted along with an edit of himself with the phrase “Run It Back” superimposed on top of it.

Collins is coming off his first year with the Sun Devils in which he played in 35 games while making 34 starts, averaging 9.7 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 4.3 assists per game. He was the program’s fourth-leading scorer last season behind Desmond Cambridge, DJ Horne, and Devan Cambridge.

His best game of the season for the Sun Devils came in mid-November when he scored 23 points and totaled eight rebounds and three assists in a 67-66 loss to Texas Southern.

Collins transferred to Arizona State in the 2022 offseason after spending one year with the Michigan Wolverines. In that lone season in Ann Arbor, Collins was a rotational player, averaging 11.0 minutes per game over 31 games and one start. He averaged 2.8 points, 1.7 rebounds, and 1.4 assists in his time on the court.

The Henderson, Nevada native was a four-star prospect in the 2021 recruiting cycle ranked as high as 38th in the country by ESPN. He committed to the Wolverines out of Coronado High School over offers from Auburn, Kansas, Minnesota, Oklahoma, TCU, Texas A&M, UNLV, and USC.

The Sun Devils under head coach Bobby Hurley went 23-13 overall this past season including 11-9 in Pac-12 play earning a No. 11 seed in the NCAA Tournament. They would defeat No. 11 Nevada in the First Four before losing to No. 6 TCU in the first round.

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