THE GAME - Sun Devil Football hits the road ahead of the team's midseason bye week, slated for the squad's third contest against a ranked team this season at No. 21/22 Colorado in Boulder, Colo., on Saturday, Oct. 6. The game, scheduled for a 1 p.m. AZT kickoff (2 p.m. Colorado time), will be broadcast live on the Pac-12 Network with Roxy Bernstein, Anthony Herron and Lewis Johnson on the call. The game will be broadcast over the airwaves on Arizona Sports 98.7 FM with the Voice of the Sun Devils, Tim Healey, joined by Jeff Van Raaphorst and Jeff Munn.
ASU VS. COLORADO - The Sun Devils are 8-1 in the all-time series against Colorado, with the lone blemish coming in Boulder in 2016. ASU has a penchant for putting up points against the Buffaloes, scoring 30 or more points in 7 of the 9 contests in the series and averaging 38.9 points per game in history against CU.ASU VS. RANKED TEAMS - Colorado will already be the third-ranked team ASU will face this season through the first six weeks of the year. ASU is currently 1-1 in such games with a 16-13 victory over then-No. 15 Michigan State and a 27-20 loss on the road at No. 10 Washington. This will be a historic start to the season for ASU, who has not played three AP Top-25 opponents before October 7 since 1995 (#23 UW, #2 Nebraska, #5 USC and #19 Stanford on Oct. 7 or before).
That 1995 season and the 1980 season were the only campaigns to feature three ranked opponents prior to Oct. 7.
ASU played 6 ranked opponents in 1986, 1995 and 2014, currently the school record for most ranked games in a season. ASU will likely feature several teams during the second half of the 2018 campaign that could meet the qualification as well.
The Sun Devils are 11-14 against ranked opponents since 2012, a notable feat after going just 15-55 against teams in the AP Poll from 1992-2011.
AN ASU VICTORY WOULD...
- Give ASU its first road victory of 2018 and the Herm Edwards era.
- Give ASU its first road/neutral site victory since November 18, 2017 (Oregon State).
- Improve the Devils to 9-1 all-time against Colorado and 4-1 at Folsom Field
- Guarantee at least a 2-1 conference record through three games for the 8th consecutive season.
- Move ASU to 2-1 against AP-ranked teams in 2018.
- Give ASU it's fourth victory over a Top-25 team in the last two seasons.
- 89 passing yards needed for Wilkins to move into 5th in school history (6,912 currently at 6,823)
- 177 passing yards needed for Wilkins to reach 7000 in his career (currently at 6,823)
- 2 passing touchdowns needed for Wilkins to move into 9th in program history (44, currently at 42).
- 2 receiving touchdows needed for N'Keal Harry to move into 8th in ASU history (20, currently at 18).
- 17 receptions needed for Harry to move into 3rd in program history (188, currently at 171)
- 22 receiving yards needed for Harry to move into 9th in program history (2,242, currently at 2,220)
- 57 receiving yards needed for Harry to move into 8th in program history (2,287, currently at 2,220)
- 280 receiving yards needed for Harry to reach 2500 in his career (currently at 2,220)
1. No player in the Pac-12 has played more defensive snaps than Demonte King, who's been on field for 372 total plays this season (including penalties, special teams and no plays).
2. ASU has just two turnovers this season - tied for third nationally. ASU has outscored opponents 21-0 on points off turnovers on the year.
3. Only 8 Pac-12 TRUE freshmen have played at least 200 defensive snaps this season. ASU has 3 of them (Merlin Robertson, Darien Butler, Aashari Crosswell). Robertson's 308 snaps are 59 more than any other true freshman in the league.
4.Kobe Williams has allowed just six yards after the catch this season - leading Pac-12 corners with at least 75+ coverage snaps and good for the 11th-lowest total nationally.
5. No ASU running back has coughed up the ball on a rushing play on 669 consecutive carries (24 straight games without a fumble).
6. .@eno_benjamin5 forced or avoided 20 missed tackles on carries against OSU, tying the @PFF_College single-game record for most missed tackles forced on runs by a running back.
7. Kyle Williams is one of just seven slot receivers nationally to not have a drop this season and is second nationally with an 81.3 catch percentage among FBS slot receivers.
8. On runs to either side of @cohl_cohlcabral, Arizona State running backs totaled 148 yards on just 12 carries, averaging 12.3 yards per attempt and scoring two touchdowns according to @PFF_College.
9. N'Keal Harry has a reception in all 30 games of his career at Arizona State, the seventh-longest active streak of games for any returning player in the NCAA.
10. Arizona State and Louisiana Tech are tied for the active FBS record of 126 consecutive games scoring more than 7 points
BY THE NUMBERS
669 - No ASU running back has lost a fumble (or even put the ball on the ground) in 669 consecutive carries, dating back to the 2016 season - a streak of 24 consecutive games. That includes 94 running back carries this season (NOTE: this stat includes only RBs on rushing plays and does not include receptions). The fumble that ended the streak occured on a direct snap play to a running back. If only conventional running plays were included, the streak of carries without losing a fumble is 1008 carries over 36 games (since 2015).
126 - Arizona State and Louisiana Tech are tied for the active FBS record of 126 consecutive games scoring more than 7 points. The Sun Devils last scored a touchdown or less when they were shutout, 28-0, against eighth-ranked USC in the 2008 season. They have scored 30 or more points in 71 of those games (56.3 percent).ASU has allowed just 99 total points through the first five games of the season, the first time it has allowed fewer than 100 points through five games since 2012 (68 points) and just the sixth time since 1998.
42 - Eno Benjamin leads the nation with 42 missed tackles for this season. Benjmain forced or avoided 20 missed tackles on carries last against Oregon State, tying the Pro Football Focus single-game record for most missed tackles forced on runs by a running back. He has posted a for a 126.1 elusive rating from Pro Football Focus, good for 4th nationally. Benjamin has forced a missed tackle 34.7 percent of the time - good for second nationally. Benjamin's 14 explosive runs this season (runs for over 15 yards) are first nationally and three more than any other FBS running back.
29 - N'Keal Harry has a reception in all 29 games of his career at Arizona State, tied for the 7th-longest active streak among all current FBS players. Harry is now in 4th place in program history with 171 receptions. Harry has at least one touchdown reception in 8 of last 10 games. He has 10 touchdown receptions in those 10 games after he had just 8 in the first 20 games of his career. Harry has a 127.0 NFL QB rating when targeted, good for 7th nationally among receivers that have logged at least 50% of their team's targets. Harry has forced 12 missed tackles, which is good for 8th-most among all FBS receivers.
6 - Kobe Williams has allowed just six yards after the catch this season - leading Pac-12 corners and good for the 3rd-lowest total national. Williams has been targeted just once every 10.2 coverage snaps this season (12 targets on 122 snaps), tied for 13th most snaps between targets among all FBS corners. He has allowed just 75 yards total when targeted this season, the 27th-lowest total nationally. Terin Adams has been targeted just 9 times this season, leading Pac-12 corners that have played at least 50 percent of their team's pass coverage snaps.
0 - ASU has gone consecutive games without allowing a sack for the first time since 2005 (LSU and Northwestern). The Devils now have 3 such games this year (UTSA,UW,OSU). Since AT LEAST 2000, ASU had never had more than 2 games in a SEASON where it didn't allow a sack. The 3 QB hurries allowed by Cohl Cabral this season are the third-fewest among Power Five centers this season. He is one of just 20 Power Five centers to not allow a sack on the year. Cabral has scored a positive run-blocking grade on 13.7 percent of his rushing snaps this season - the eighth-best percentage among FBS centers in the country. Steve Miller has allowed just 5 QB pressures this season - the 10th-lowest total among Pac-12 guards in 2018.
FOCUSING ON FOOTBALL
- Eno Benjamin was the highest-graded running back in the Pac-12 during Week 5 against Oregon State according to Pro Football Focus, and his 81.1 grade was the second highest grade for a running back in the FBS.
- Cohl Cabral was the highest graded center in the Pac-12 and in the FBS during Week 5, finishing with an 81.0 grade overall. He is the 24th-highest graded center in the FBS for the entire season and 17th in the FBS among centers from a pass-blocking perspective.
- Among all offensive players that have played at least 250 snaps this season, N'Keal Harry is the 10th-highest graded player in the Pac-12 - regardless of position - with his score of 77.3. Manny Wilkins is the 15th-highest graded player among the league's players with 250+ snaps with a 74.7 overall grade.
- Darien Butler with the 5th-highest graded defensive player in the Pac-12 during Week 5 against Oregon State, regardless of position, scoring a 79.4 grade from PFF.
GOLD ZONE
- ASU had its streak of 64 consecutive successful red zone scoring drives (excluding game-ending kneel-downs) come to a end during the second quarter against San Diego State - a streak that dated back to the first half of the team's contest at Washington in 2016.
- However, ASU has still scored on 94.1 percent of its red zone trips (16-of-17) this season, good for 19th nationally.
- ASU finished fifth nationally in converting on 96.23 percent of its red zone appearances last season (51-of-53). HOWEVER, the Devils took a knee in the red zone in the final seconds of the team's victories over fifth-ranked Washington and in the Territorial Cup contest against Arizona.
- The Sun Devils scored on 43-of-47 trips to the red zone in 2016 (91.5 percent), a total that ranked 10th in the nation.
- ASU is the only team in the country to be ranked in the Top 10 in red zone scoring in each of the past two seasons.
DON'T CROSS THAT LINE
- ASU is currently 18th nationally in averaging 8.20 tackles for loss per game (41 total) this season while the team's 203 yards lost on tackles for loss are actually good for fourth nationally.
- The Sun Devils are fifth in the nation in sacks per game, averaging 3.60 per game thus far (18 total).
- ASU entered the season ranked fourth in the country in averaging 2.83 sacks per game in the past six seasons. Additionally, ASU was sixth in the nation with an average of 7.32 TFL per game since 2013.
- ASU recorded nine sacks against UTSA, the most since the Sun Devils sacked the UCLA Bruins the same amount of times on Nov. 23, 2013. ASU recorded 15 tackles for a loss, the most since the Sun Devils recorded that same amount against Washington State on Oct. 30, 2010.
DON'T CROSS THAT ONE, EITHER
- Among team's that have played at least five games, ASU is 18th nationally in scoring defense (19.8 points per game - 31st nationally among teams regardless of games played). Through 5 games last season, ASU was ranked 114th in scoring defense at 36.4 points per game.
- The Sun Devils did not allow a single point in the first quarter of games against non-conference opponents and haven't allowed one in four of five games this year. ASU has allowed just 2.8 points per first quarters this season, good for 20th nationally. Last season, ASU allowed 6.7 first quarter points per game - the 82nd worst tally nationally.
- ASU has allowed just 99 total points through the first five games of the season, the first time it has allowed fewer than 100 points through five games since 2012 (68 points) and just the 6th time in the last two decades (2000, 2004, 2007, 2009, 2012). ASU has played two AP Top-25 teams this season through the first five games. In those previous 25 games from other season, only the 2004 contest against #16 Iowa was against a ranked opponent.
HOLD ON TO THAT BALL
- No ASU running back has lost a fumble (or even put the ball on the ground) in 669 consecutive carries, dating back to the 2016 season - a streak of 24 consecutive games. That includes 94 running back carries this season (NOTE: this stat includes only running backs on rushing plays and does not include running backs on receptions).
- Of note on the above stat, the fumble that ended the streak occured on a direct snap play to a running back (Kalen Ballage against UCLA in 2016). If only conventional running plays were included, the streak of carries without losing a fumble is 1008 carries over 36 games, dating back to Utah in 2015.
- ASU has just two turnovers this season - tied for the national lead. ASU has outscored opponents 21-0 on points off turnovers on the year.
- The Sun Devils turned the ball over just 15 times last season (four on tipped ball interceptions), a total good for 27th nationally. ASU finished 82nd in the country in 2016 with 21 turnovers.
HE'S THE MANNY
- Manny Wilkins is currently seventh in program history with 6,661 career passing yards and he needs just 89 to move into the top five in program history.
- His 565 career completions are good for sixth in program history while his 42 career touchdown passes are just outside ASU's all-time Top-10 in the category
- Wilkins has 14 rushing touchdowns in his career, moving into a tie among all ASU quarterbacks for second in school history with Danny White (Mark Malone, 21). He had seven touchdowns on the ground last season, becoming one of just 10 quarterbacks in the FBS last season to pass for at least 20 touchdowns with at least 7 rushing touchdowns as well.
- Wilkins broke the school record for most consecutive pass attempts without an interception last season at 192 between the end of the 2016 season and the first half of last year, breaking Rudy Carpenter's previous school record of 149 from the end of 2005 to 2006. He has just one interception in 2018, tied for the 5th fewest in the country this season.
- Wilkins has accounted for 56 career touchdowns (42 passing and 14 rushing).
- Wilkins holds a 98.4 NFL QB rating this season, according to Pro Football Focus, the 17th-best total among QBs with at least 300 dropbacks in the FBS.
- The Sun Devil offense has scored a successful play (as graded by Pro Football Focus) on 39.5 percent of Wilkins' passing attempts this season - the 15th-best total among all quarterbacks in the FBS with 300+ snaps.
- Wilkins has a 134.1 NFL passer rating when facing blitzing plays this season - the second-best total in the country and over 40 points higher than the national average of 90.7.
- Wilkins has just an 8.9 sack percentage that sits as the 14th-lowest total in the nation. His 66.2 NFL QB rating under pressure is 19th nationally.
- Wilkins is 22nd nationally in adjusted completion percentage (70.5 percent), which excludes QB spikes, throwaways, dropped passes and passes thrown while being hit.
DIRTY HARRY
- N'Keal Harry has a reception in all 30 games of his career at Arizona State, tied for the seventh-longest active streak among all current FBS players.
- N'Keal Harry is now in 4th place in program history with 171 receptions, and just 17 shy of moving into the Top 3 in program hustory.
- Harry is currently 10th in school history with 2,220 career receiving yards, 22 yards shy of ninth in program history and 67 yards shy of 8th.
- At 5.70 receptions for game in his career, Harry is second among the NCAA's active career leader in the category. His 74.0 career receiving yards per game are third among all active players.
- With 18 career receiving touchdowns, Harry is tied for 9th in ASU school history in that category as well and needs just two more to move into eighth.
- Harry has at least one touchdown reception in 8 of last 10 games. He has 10 touchdown receptions in those 10 games after he had just 8 in the first 20 games of his career.
- Harry has a 127.0 NFL QB rating when targetted this season, good for 7th nationally among receivers that have logged at least 50 percent of their team's targets.
- Harry has forced 12 missed tackles this season, which is good for 8th-most among all FBS receivers.
ALL ABOUT THE BENJAMINS
- Eno Benjamin has forced 42 missed tackles this season (33 rushing, 9 receiving) - leading all FBS players in the category.
- He has posted a for a 126.1 elusive rating from Pro Football Focus, good for 4th nationally.
- Benjamin has forced a missed tackle 34.7 percent of the time - good for second nationally.
- 37 percent of Benjamin's rushes this season have resulted in a "win" for the Sun Devil offense, the 11th-highest total among FBS running backs. 34 percent of his rushes have resulted in a first down or touchdown, the sixth-highest percentage in the FBS.
- Benjamin's 14 explosive runs this season (runs for over 15 yards) are first nationally and three more than any other FBS running back.
- Benjamin has been equally impressive in the passing game, currently second among the nation's running backs with 21 catches this season, as are his 28 total targets.
- He has an offensive success score of 46.4 percent as a receiver, according to PFF (which measures plays that are considered a "win" by the offense), a total good for 3rd nationally among running backs with at least 10 targets..
- 47.6 percent of his receptions have resulted in a first down or touchdown, good for 4th nationally among running backs with at least 10 targets.
NEVER ENO-OUGH
- Eno Benjamin set a single-game school rushing record with 312 yards against Oregon State, placing him eighth all-time on the Pac-12 conference single-game rushing list.
- With his 47-yard rushing touchdown in the second quarter, Eno Benjamin set the school record for rushing yards in one half (185).
- Benjamin's 312 yard performance was the most in the NCAA Division I FBS this season. Coming into the contest, Benjamin had only recorded 283 rushing yards this season and 425 rushing yards in his career.
- His 339 all-purpose yards (312 RUSH, 27 REC), are the second-most in school history, falling just short of J.R. Redmond's 350 all-purpose yards in 1998 vs. USC (214 RUSH, 34 REC, 17 PR, 85, KOR).
- Benjmain forced or avoided 20 missed tackles on carries last against Oregon State, tying the Pro Football Focus single-game record for most missed tackles forced on runs by a running back. He had 177 yards after contact in the contest, averaging 5.9 yards after contact per play.
THE CHASE IS ON
- Chase Lucas has made his presence felt all over the field and has been especially efficient in run defense, where he has made 13 solo tackles this season - tied for second among all FBS corners. Six of his tackles in run defense have constituted a "stop" for the defense and his 4.9 run-stop percentage in also second nationally.
- Lucas has allowed just a 47.1 NFL QB rating when targetted this season - good for fourth in the Pac-12 (36th nationally) among corners that have played at least 50 percent of their snaps in coverage. In coverage, opposing quarterbacks are just 10-of-20 for 116 yards and no touchdowns while Lucas has one interception and a pass breakup.
- Lucas was named a freshman first-team all-American last season by the FWAA and second-team by USA Today.
- Lucas earned Pac-12 Second Team honors at defensive back and was the only freshman to be named to either the Pac-12 First or Second teams last season and became the first freshman to earn First or Second team honors on offense or defense since Oregon running back Royce Freeman earned Second Team offense honors in 2014 .He was the first Pac-12 freshman defensive back to make the First or Second teams since Brandon Browner did so for Oregon State back in 2003.
- Despite being targeted more than any of the 23 Pac-12 corners that played at least 60 percent of snaps in the regular season (once every 4.6 passing plays), Lucas allowed the fifth-lowest completion percentage of any corner in the conference – regardless of year.
MAKE 'EM PAY
- ASU has outscored opponents 608-328 in points off takeaways since 2012.
- Since 2012, ASU has scored 67.5 percent of the time following an opponent turnover (102 of 151) while finding the end zone 78 times in that span (51.7 percent).
- Conversely, opponents have scored just 51.4 percent of the time following an ASU turnover since 2012 (55 of 107) with 43 touchdowns (40.2 percent).
A HAND IN THE COOKIE JAR
- ASU has 17 interception returns for touchdowns in the last seven seasons, good for third in the nation behind only Alabama (19) and Ohio State (17) in that time.
- The Sun Devils have 94 interceptions in the last six seasons, ranked in the Top 10 nationally.
- ASU has added four fumble return touchdowns as well for 21 defensive touchdowns since the 2012 season, good for fourth in the country in that time span behind Ohio State (27), Alabama (25) and Boise State (24).
NO FLY ZONE
- Kobe Williams has allowed just six yards after the catch this season - leading Pac-12 corners and good for the 3rd-lowest total national.
- Williams has been targeted just once every 10.2 coverage snaps this season (12 targets on 122 snaps), tied for 13th most snaps between targets among all FBS corners. He has allowed just 75 yards total when targeted this season, the 27th-lowest total nationally.
- Terin Adams has been targeted just 9 times this season, leading Pac-12 corners that have played at least 50 percent of their team's pass coverage snaps.
- Among Pac-12 safeties, Jalen Harvey has the sixth-lowest opposing team NFL QBR allowed when he has been targeted this season at 72.6.
KEEP THEM IN FRONT OF YOU
- Jalen Bates is tied for fourth among 3-4 defensive ends with 8 QB pressures this season.
- Renell Wren has scored a positive grade on 21.0 percent of his plays on running snaps, the fifth-highest percentage among any Pac-12 front-seven player (defensive line, edge defenders or linebackers). Wren has the fifth-highest run defense score among Pac-12 interior defenders with a 77.3 grade from PFF.
- Shannon Forman is currently 10th nationally among 3-4 defensive ends in Pro Football Focus' run-stop percentage, logging seven solo tackles in rush defense - all of which constituting as a "stop" - and a 8.2 run stop percentage.
- Forman is the fourth-highest graded defensive interior player in the Pac-12 this season, receiving a 69.4 overall grade from Pro Football Focus.
- ASU are tied for 13th nationally in allowing just two plays over 40 yards this season. an area the Devils have struggled in in recent seasons (allowing 20, 16, 30, 21 in the previous four seasons and finishing 103rd, 79th, 128th, 110th, respectively). ASU remains one of just 16 team's nationally to not give up a 50-yard play this season.
- The Devils have given up just 6 plays over 30 yards, tied for 18th-fewest nationally. In the past four years ASU had given up 38, 44, 40, 40 such plays, ranked 116th, 124th, 117th and 119th.
RUIZ'S PIECES
- Brandon Ruiz connected on all three of his field goal attempts (49, 24, 28), including the game-winning kick from 28 yards as time expired in ASU's 16-13 upset of then-No. 15 Michigan State to earn Pac-12 Special Teams Player of the Week Honors for the third time in his career.
- Ruiz is 7th nationally with a 86.21 percent touchback percentage this season (25 of 29) while his 25 total touchbacks are ninth in the nation.
- Ruiz is one of just 12 placekickers in the country to have no missed a field goal this season and is currently 6-for-6 on the campaign.
DON'T SLEEP ON HIM
- Michael Sleep-Dalton is tied for 11th in the nation this season with 11 punts downed inside the 20 yard line.
- He is currently 25th nationally (fourth in Pac-12) in averaging 43.7 yards per punt, though his is 8th nationally with his 42.8 net yards per punt as well.
- Sleep-Dalton is 8th nationally among punters that have allowed 5 or more returns this season, allowing just 20 yards on punt returns this season on just 6 total punt returns.
FRESHMEN SENSATIONS
- Only 8 Pac-12 TRUE freshmen have played at least 200 defensive snaps this season. ASU has 3 of them (Merlin Robertson, Darien Butler, Aashari Crosswell).
- Robertson's 308 snaps are 59 more than any other true freshman in the league.
- Robertson has 12 quarterback pressures this season, seventh overall among all Pac-12 linebackers and edge defenders.
- Darien Butler leads Pac-12 inside linebackers with 9 quarterback pressures this season.
IN THE TRENCHES
- ASU has gone consecutive games without allowing a sack for the first time since 2005 (LSU and Northwestern).
- The Devils now have 3 such games this year (UTSA,UW,OSU). Since AT LEAST 2000, ASU had never had more than 2 games in a SEASON where it didn't allow a sack.
- The 3 QB hurries allowed by Cohl Cabral this season are the third-fewest among Power Five centers this season. He is one of just 20 Power Five centers to not allow a sack on the year.
- Cabral has scored a positive run-blocking grade on 13.7 percent of his rushing snaps this season - the eighth-best percentage among FBS centers in the country.
- Steve Miller has allowed just 5 QB pressures this season - the 10th-lowest total among Pac-12 guards in 2018.
- Eno Benjamin is second nationally in averaging 2.1 yards before contact per rushing play this season, a testament to the offensive line in front of him.
GOLD RUSH
- ASU has 27 rushing TDs last year as it reached 25 rushing touchdowns for the fourth time in the last six seasons. Those four times are notable as the Devils had just three previous seasons with at least 25 rushing touchdowns from 1980-2011 (1985, 1986 and 1996).
- The Sun Devils have rushed for over 2,000 yards five times in the last six seasons at ASU after doing so just one single time from 2000-2011 and only eight times total over 30 years from 1981-2011.
- According to Pro Football Focus, the Sun Devils had the 27th-highest graded rushing attack last season after having the 41st worst-graded attack in 2016.
- ASU currently has the 27th-highest graded rushing attack of 2018, according to Pro Football Focus.
KEEPING MOMENTUM
- Arizona State and Louisiana Tech are tied for the active FBS record of 126 consecutive games scoring more than 7 points. The Sun Devils last scored a touchdown or less when they were shutout, 28-0, against eighth-ranked USC in the 2008 season. They have scored 30 or more points in 71 of those games (56.3 percent).
- The Sun Devils have won as least seven games in four of the last six seasons, marking the first time ASU has done so in a six-year gap since doing it four straight times from 2004-07.
- Prior to that, the last time ASU accomplished the feat was 1978-82, winning at least seven games four times in that five-year spread.