**Complete and total game notes (including extended notes, stats and other superlatives) can be found in the PDF link above.
THE GAME - Sun Devil Football lifts the lid on the 2019 season and the program's second season under head coach Herm Edwards this Thursday, August 29 at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Ariz. The tilt is scheduled for a 7 p.m. kickoff and will be broadcast live on the Pac-12 Network.
THE OPPONENT - This will mark the first ever meeting between the Sun Devils and the Golden Flashes. ASU is 0-2 against programs from the Mid-Atlantic Conference in history, dropping a 1950 contest against Miami (OH) before subsequently forfeiting a 49-0 victory over Toledo in 1979.
ON THE AIR - The Sun Devils will highlight the Pac-12 Network this week as the first broadcast by the network of 2019. Roxy Bernstein will be on the call alongside analyst Anthony Herron while Jill Savage will provide insight from the sidelines.
Arizona Sports 98.7FM continues to serve as the flagship station for Sun Devil football and men's basketball game broadcasts and the Sun Devil Radio Network, presented by MidFirst Bank. This week's contest can be heard over the airwaves on KTAR News 92.3 FM.
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AN ASU VICTORY WOULD...
- Improve ASU to 78-27-2 on Opening Day in history and 60-15-1 on Opening Day at home.
- Be the 21st-straight victory in a home opener for the Sun Devils, dating back to 1999. ASU's current 20-game active home opener win streak is tied for the fifth-longest in the country.
- Be ASU's 18th consecutive Opening Day win when the game is at Sun Devil Stadium.
- Officially give ASU it's first win against a team from the Mid-American Conference, though the sample size is small with this marking just the third tilt between the Sun Devils and the league. ASU fell to Miami (OH) in 1950. ASU defeated Toledo, 49-0, in 1979 but was forced to later forfeit the victory due to NCAA rule violations.
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MILESTONE COUNTDOWNS
216 rushing yards needed for Eno Benjamin to eclipse 2,000 career rushing yards (currently at 1,784)
3 rushing touchdowns needed for Benjamin to reach 20 rushing touchdowns in his career (currently at 17)
3 consecutive starts needed for both Cohl Cabral and Kobe Williams to reach 30 consecutive starts for the Sun Devils (currently at 27)
8 consecutive extra points needed for Brandon Ruiz to reach 100 consecutive PAT conversions (his 92 consecutive completions have ASU 11th nationally in active consecutive PAT conversions)
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#10THINGS (Twitter-Friendly Notes)
1. Eno Benjamin was the highest-graded running back in the Pac-12 last season (90.1 rushing score), according the Pro Football Focus - a grade that was also good for 6th nationally among halfbacks with at least 400 snaps.
2. Jayden Daniels is slotted to take the first snap at quarterback in 2019 and, in doing so, will become the first TRUE freshman quarterback to start for the Sun Devils on Opening Day in ASU's modern era (freshmen became eligible to play in 1972).
3. The tough scoring defense kept ASU in every game last season, with nine games being decide by one possession - second in the nation behind Texas and the second-highest total by a Pac-12 team since 1980 (Stanford with 10 in 2012).
4. The Sun Devils went 4-1 in games that were decided by a field goal or less last season, tied for the most wins in that scenario of any school in the country.
5. Arizona State holds the FBS active streak for consecutive games scoring more than 7 points, currently doing so in 134 straight games.
6. No ASU running back has lost a fumble on a rushing play in 902 consecutive carries, dating back to the 2016 season - a streak of 31 consecutive games.
7. Opponents averaged just 3.8 points per fourth quarter last season - the 6th lowest total nationally and lowest in the Pac-12 - allowing ASU to outscore opponents 119-49 in the frame on the season.
8. Since 2012, ASU has scored 67.3 percent of the time following an opponent turnover (111 of 165) while finding the end zone 83 times in that span (50.3 percent). Conversely, opponents have scored just 51.7 percent of the time (60 of 116) with 46 touchdowns (39.7 percent).
9. Merlin Robertson became the first freshman to lead the team in tackles since Jason Shivers in 2001 and the first freshman to lead the team in tackles for loss and sacks since Junior Onyeali in 2010.
10. Only three Pac-12 TRUE freshmen played at least 700 defensive snaps last season and all of them played for Arizona State (Merlin Robertson/749, Aashari Crosswell/786, Darien Butler/754).
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BY THE NUMBERS
902 - No ASU running back has LOST a fumble on a rushing play in 902 consecutive carries, dating back to the 2016 season - a streak of 32 consecutive games. That included 327 running back carries last season (NOTE: this stat includes only running backs on rushing plays and does not include running backs on receptions). The fumble that ended the streak occurred on a failed play-action exchange on a direct snap play to a running back (Kalen Ballage against UCLA in 2016). If only conventional running plays are included, the streak of carries without losing a fumble is 1,241 carries over 45 games, dating back to Utah in 2015.
134 - ASU holds the longest active FBS streak for consecutive games scoring more than 7 points, currently doing so in 134 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 75 of those games (56.0 percent). The Sun Devil offense has been especially prolific in home openers over its 20-game home-opening win streak, averaging 42.4 points per game in that span. ASU has scored 35 or more points in 10 consecutive home openers.
30 - The Sun Devil defense held opponents to less than 30 points in nine games last season. That total is notable as ASU had allowed more than 30 points or more in 32 of its previous 43 games dating back to 2013 prior to the marked improvement in limiting opponent scoring in 2018. The Sun Devils allowed just 25.5 points per game last season, good for 53rd nationally. While not where the team wants to be, the total is 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.
20 - The Sun Devil football program has been victorious in 20 consecutive home openers, tied with Michigan State for the fifth-longest active streak in the nation. Only Florida (29), Wisconsin (23), Oklahoma State (23) and Illinois (21) have longer streaks. ASU's last loss in a home opener was 1998 against Washington. ASU is 77-27-2 on Opening Day in program history and 59-15-1 when the Opening Day occurs at home. The Sun Devils have won 18 of the last 20 Opening Day contests dating back to the 1998 campaign, with the lone blemish coming in a neutral site loss against Texas A&M to open up the 2015 football season.
9 - ASU's tough scoring defense kept the Devils in every game last season, with nine games being decide by one possession - second in the nation behind Texas and the second-highest total by a Pac-12 team since 1980 (Stanford with 10 in 2012). ASU was 4-1 in games decided by three points or less, with the five such games second nationally behind Eastern Michigan. The four wins in games decided by a field goal or less were tied for most wins by any team in the nation in the category (Northern Illinois). ASU was 6-14 in tilts of 3 points or less in the previous 10 seasons. It marked the most field goal or less wins by a Pac-12 team since Oregon State did the same in 2006, and just the second time a Pac-12 team won four field goal games in the past 18 seasons.
1 - Jayden Daniels will take the first snap at quarterback in 2019 and, become the first TRUE freshman quarterback to start for the Sun Devils on Opening Day in ASU's modern era (freshmen became eligible to play in 1972). Daniels will become to just the sixth true freshman to start any game at quarterback in ASU history, joining Dillon Sterling-Cole (2016), Brock Osweiler (2009), Jake Plummer (1993), John Walker (1984) and Dennis Sproul (1974). Also for the first time in program history, a freshman has been named a team captain after Herm Edwards dubbed true freshman quarterback/athlete Ethan Long as special teams captain before the season.