THE GAME - Sun Devil Football will take to the road this weekend to wrap up the non-conference schedule against #18/19 Michigan State in East Lansing on Saturday, September 14. The tilt is scheduled for a 1 p.m. kickoff AZT (4 p.m. East Lansing time) and will be broadcast nationally on FOX. The game will also be covered over the airwaves on ESPN Phoenix 620 AM.
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THE OPPONENT - This weekend's contest concludes the scheduled home-and-home series with the Spartans. Last season, ASU knocked off a #15 Michigan State team at the bell on Brandon Ruiz's 28-yard field goal as time retired. Michigan State is off to a 2-0 start this season while leading the nation in rushing defense through two games. The game in East Lansing ranks as seventh-longest trip by air miles (1,625) that the Sun Devils have made during the Pac-12 era of football, trailing only road contests at Hawai'i, Miami (Fl.), North Carolina, Ohio State, Georgia and Florida State since 1978.
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KICKING OFF
- Arizona State improved to 7-1 at home and 4-1 in non-conference regular season matchups under Herm Edwards with the victory over Sacramento State this past weekend
- Cristian Zendejas became the first Sun Devil since Zane Gonzalez to make four field goals in a game (at UTSA on Sept. 16, 2016)
- The Sun Devils allowed only 42 rushing yards, their fewest since UTSA totaled two rushing yards in the 2018 season opener
- ASU is now 37-10 in games played at Sun Devil Stadium since the 2012 season
- By posting more than seven points, the Sun Devils extend the longest active FBS streak for consecutive games scoring more than 7 points, currently doing so in 136 straight games
- The Sun Devil defense has held their opponents to single-digit scoring outputs in back-to-back games. It is the first time ASU has accomplished this feat since shutting out Washington State (11/15) and allowing nine points to UCLA (11/28) in a pair of wins during the 2008 season
- The 14 points allowed through the first two games of the season are the fewest allowed by ASU to start a season since 1985, when the Sun Devils allowed just 12 points through their first two games (12 points at Michigan State, 0 points vs. Pacific)
- Jayden Daniels threw for 304 yards against Sacramento State, the third most passing yards for a Sun Devil freshman quarterback in program history (Rudy Carpenter-467 in 2005, Jeff Krohn-432 in 2000.)
AN ASU VICTORY WOULD...
- Give ASU consecutive wins over a ranked Michigan State team in back-to-back seasons (ASU defeated #15 MSU in Tempe last season)
- Mark ASU's first 3-0 start since going 4-0 in 2016 and just the third 3-0 start since the 2008 season.
- Give ASU its first road victory against a Big Ten team since defeating Northwestern in Chicago in 2004.
- Be just the fifth road victory against a team in the Big Ten in program history (Northwestern-1978/2004, Illinois-1987, Wisconsin 1967). ASU is currently 4-5 in such games with the exception Nebraska, who is currently in the Big Ten but ASU was 0-4 in Lincoln in games played while the Huskers were in the Big 12.
- Be ASU's first win in a regular season game it has traveled at least 1,500 miles - East Lansing is 1,625 miles away by air - since defeating North Carolina in 2003 after traveling 1,870 miles.
- Improve ASU to 6-10 in the Pac-12 era in road games where it travels at least 1,200 miles.
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MILESTONE COUNTDOWNS
- 45 rushing yards needed for Eno Benjamin to eclipse 2,000 career rushing yards (currently at 1,955)
- 3 rushing touchdowns needed for Benjamin to reach 20 rushing touchdowns in his career (currently at 17)
- 1 start needed for both Cohl Cabral and Kobe Williams to reach 30 consecutive starts for the Sun Devils (currently at 29)
- 8 consecutive extra points needed for Brandon Ruiz to reach 100 consecutive PAT conversions (His 92 consecutive completions combined with four straight from Cristian Zendejas have ASU 11th nationally in active consecutive PAT conversions)
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#10THINGS (Twitter-Friendly Notes)
1. Darien Butler is currently the seventh-highest graded defensive player in the Pac-12 and holds the third-highest linebacker score in the league from Pro Football Focus at 77.8 - good for the 31st-highest score among linebackers in the FBS.
2. This week's Mandrake, @TheFaceOfAZ has the highest run-stop % among the Pac-12's defensive tackles with a 15.2 stop %. His 6 defensive stops this season are tied for 2nd among Pac-12 interior linemen. He was the 4th-highest graded interior lineman in the Pac-12 this week.
3. .@eno_benjamin5 has played 47 snaps in passing routes this season, the 9th-highest total among FBS running backs. His 126 receiving yards are second among FBS running backs and he is tied for the national lead among backs with two touchdown receptions.
4. Additionally, @eno_benjamin5 has graded out from PFF with an 82.4 score as a pass-blocker - the 14th best score among FBS running backs. That's a notable area of improvement early on after he finished outside the Top-100 in the category last season.
5. Arizona State holds the FBS active streak for consecutive games scoring more than 7 points, currently doing so in 136 straight games.
6. .@yaboiijuicee has been targeted seven times this season and allowed two catches...for -10 yards and -5 yards after the catch - marking him the only corner in the country with negative yards against while targeted and one of just two corners with negative yards after catch allowed.
7. Among teams that have played two games, the Sun Devils are one of just six teams in the country to not allow a first-half point this season (Wisconsin, Kansas State, Texas, Tech, Memphis, Baylor).
8. .@RoeWilkins and @JermayneLole are ranked 16th/20th among all Pac-12 defenders with PFF grades of 74.3 and 73.6 - the 2nd and 3rd highest score in the league among edge defenders. Both have five quarterback pressures - tied for the 12th highest total among all Pac-12 players.
9. ASU has held consecutive opponents to single digits for the first time since shutting out Washington State (11/15) and allowing nine points to UCLA (11/28) in a pair of wins during the 2008 season.
10. .@JayD__5 is the first ASU quarterback EVER to have touchdown passes over 70 yards in consecutive games.
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BY THE NUMBERS
136 - ASU holds the longest active FBS streak for consecutive games scoring more than 7 points, currently doing so in 136 straight games. 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 76 of those games (55.9 percent). ASU has done it's part on offense to keep the tally in tact with little drama, scoring under 10 points just one time (a nine-point effort against USC back in 2009).
55 - Michael Turk's 55.3 yards per punt average on 10 punts this season in nearly yards further than any player in the FBS over the first two weeks of action (Kentucky's Max Duffy averaged 50.4 yards per punt on nine punts). Turk has pinned six punts inside the 20, tied for the fourth-highest total nationally. Turk's 75-yarder to in the opener was tied for the seventh-longest punt in school history and is the longest punt in the FBS through the opening weeks. Turk set the NCAA single game record with his 63.0 yard average on five punts in the season opener, crushing every ASU school record in the process.
47 - Eno Benjamin has played 47 snaps in passing routes this season, the ninth-highest total among FBS running backs. His 126 receiving yards are second among all FBS running backs and he is tied for the national lead among backs with two touchdown receptions. Benjamin has recorded at least 100 yards of total offense in 8 consecutive games dating back to last season. He has a score of 82.4 as a pass blocker by Pro Football Focus - the 14th-highest score among FBS running backs. It's a notable area of improvement for the junior, who sat outside the Top-100 in the category last season.
12 - The Sun Devil secondary has a forced incompletion rate (breakups, batted balls, interceptions) of 12 percent on passes thrown by opponents this season, good for third in the Pac-12 while the nine total forced incompletions are tied for the league lead. ASU secondary players (corners and safeties) have allowed just 112 yards after the catch this season, the fourth-lowest total in the Pac-12. The Sun Devils have the 16th highest pass coverage score in the FBS according to Pro Football Focus through the first two weeks of the season, while rankings 21st in the national in pass efficiency defense at 104.61. At 171.5 yards passing yards allowed per game, ASU is third in the Pac-12 and 35th in the FBS
7 - ASU leads the Pac-12 and is 5th nationally in allowing just 7.0 points per game this season. ASU has held opponents to 30 or less points in 11 of 15 games in Danny Gonzales' defensive scheme, notable as it DID allow 30+ in 32 of its 43 previous games dating back to 2013. The Devils are one of just 6 teams nationally to not allow a first-half point this year. ASU allowed just 25.5 points per game last season, good for 53rd nationally. The total was notable as ASU was 103rd nationally at 32.8 points per game allowed in 2017 and had finished 99th or worse in three consecutive seasons prior.
4 - While under pressure, Jayden Daniels has posted the fourth-highest NFL QB rating of any quarterback in the FBS (first in the Pac-12) at 147.0. On 20 snaps under pressure, Daniels is the only quarterback in the country with a 100 percent accuracy rate according to Pro Football Focus, completing 5-of-7 passes for 77 yards and a touchdown while properly throwing the ball away on those two incompletions. With his 72-yard touchdown pass to Eno Benjamin in the fourth quarter against Sac State, Daniels became the first ASU quarterback ever to throw a touchdown pass over 70 yards in consecutive games (had a 77-yard pass to Brandon Aiyuk in Week One).