Opening Hits
· ASU improved to 24-5-1 all-time against New Mexico, including 19 straight victories.
· Friday’s victory moved the Devils to 105-34-2 all-time against the Mountain West Conference.
· The Sun Devils are now 18-4 at home under Todd Graham.
· ASU is now 20-1 when holding opponents scoreless in the first quarter under Todd Graham.
· Arizona State’s victory Friday was also the 30th of Graham’s ASU career. He is the sixth Sun Devil head coach to reach the milestone and the only one outside Frank Kush and Darryl Rogers to do so by their fourth season.
· ASU has scored first in 31 of the 43 games under Coach Graham (25-6).
· ASU is 26-1 under Graham when leading at the half.
Super Demario
· Demario Richard’s previous career high for receiving yards was 51 (11/8/2014 vs. Notre Dame) and prior to tonight his longest career reception was 40 yards (11/8/2014 vs. Notre Dame). He smashed both of those marks with a 93-yard TD reception early in the fourth quarter, tied for the third-longest passing touchdown in ASU history.
· It the longest pass play since Jeff Van Raaphorst hit Aaron Cox with a 95-yarder vs. USC on Sept. 28, 1985.
· Richard finished with 104 yards rushing and 151 yards receiving, the latter representing highest mark for a running back in school history.
· His 255 total yards of offense represented 56.8 percent of ASU’s total 449 yards of offense.
· Richard now has eight touchdowns in his past four games, as he had four in the Sun Bowl win and two vs. Cal Poly.
Continuing in the White Direction
· Tim White continued to play well for ASU, finishing with four catches for 42 yards and a touchdown. He now has six catches for 65 yards and two touchdowns this season after starting the year with zero career receptions.
Haack This Way
· Matt Haack averaged 45.7 yards per punt on Friday, his highest average of the season thus far.
A First Time for Everything
· Kareem Orr became the first true freshman to start for ASU this season, getting the starting nod at safety. He finished with a career best four tackles, with half a tackle for loss.
· Redshirt freshman defensive lineman Renell Wren logged his first career appearance on Friday night.
· JoJo Wicker notched his first career sack.
· Jacom Brimhall logged his first career carry in the fourth quarter.
Dynamic Defensive Duo
· For the second time this season, Jordan Simone and Salamo Fiso each finished with at least 10 tackles. Simone finished with 10 tackles and grabbed his fourth career interception, while Fiso also finished with 10 tackles to go along with his 1.5 tackles for loss.
· ASU has had at least two players with double digit tackles in each game this season.
Don’t Cross That Line
· 30 of New Mexico’s 76 plays from scrimmage on Friday did not earn positive yardage (39.5 percent). The Sun Devils forced 17 incomplete passes, had seven tackles for loss and stuffed six plays at the line of scrimmage for no gain.
· ASU held the Lobos to just 3.9 yards per play on the evening (295 yards on 76 total plays), the lowest opponent average this season.
Foster the People
· D.J. Foster has accounted for at least one reception in each of the 43 games he has played at ASU, the longest active streak in FBS. The Pac-12 record is 48 by Kareem Kelly of USC (1999-2002). John Jefferson has the Sun Devil record of 44 straight games.
Explosive Plays
· Demario Richard 33 yard rush (3rd drive, 1st quarter)
· Devin Lucien 17 yard reception (2nd drive, 2nd quarter)
· Demario Richard 33 yard TD reception (1st drive, 3rd quarter)
· Gary Chambers 24 yard reception (2nd drive, 3rd quarter)
· Demario Richard 93 yard TD reception (1st drive, 4th quarter)
· Demario Richard 18 yard run (3rd drive, 4th quarter)
· Demario Richard 13 yard run (3rd drive, 4th quarter)
· Demario Richard 12 yard run (4th drive, 4th quarter)