THE GAME - The Arizona State University Sun Devil football program returns from its open weekend for a mid-week contest against the Oregon Ducks on Thursday at Sun Devil Stadium. The game is scheduled for a 7:30 p.m. PT kickoff and will be broadcast live on ESPN. The game will represent the Sun Devils' annual Salute To Service contest as Sun Devil Athletics will join Arizona State University in honoring veterans and active military with an annual series of Salute to Service events.
THE DUCKS - Oregon will also come into the weekend coming off of its bye week and find themselves at 4-3 on the season and 2-2 in conference play. This is the first time the two teams have met since 2012 with the Sun Devils missing the Ducks the past two seasons on the most recent two-year revolving Pac-12 schedule.
Oregon has won eight straight against ASU, currently thefifth-longest active winning streak by one conference opponent over another. The Ducks hold a 17-16 overall record in the series and have not seen defeat to the Devils since 2004. The series is all squared up at eight games a piece in contests played at Sun Devil Stadium.
Injuries have hampered Oregon’s season, though it still has numerous explosive playmakers with the capability to change the momentum of a game quickly. Royce Freeman leads the Pac-12 in just about every major rushing category (TDs, yards, YPG) and the Ducks possess the conference’s top rushing game (6th nationally) at 297.4 yards per game.
THE PAC-12 - Seven games into the season, both the Sun Devils and Ducks find themselves in similar yet unchracteristic territory given the success of recent years. Both teams enter 4-3 overall and 2-2 in the Pac-12. A loss for Oregon would result in its worst overall record through eight games since 1997 (4-4) and its worst conference record through five games since 2003 (2-3). For the Devils, it would be the first .500 or worse record through eight games since going 4-4 in 2010 and also its first losing conference record through five games since a 2-3 start to the 2010 Pac-12 slate.
In the past two-plus seasons, ASU has responded in an exemplary fashion following its first conference loss of the season - in the conference opener against Stanford in 2013, the second game of conference play against UCLA in 2014 and the first Pac-12 game this season against USC - compiling a 15-3 conference record following those losses.
AN ASU VICTORY WOULD...
- Even the all-time series against the Ducks to 17-17.
- End the Ducks’ eight-game winning streak against ASU, currently the fifth-longest active streak among all Pac-12 teams.
- Improve ASU to 16-3 in the past three seasons in Pac-12 games following its first conference loss of the year.
- Continue ASU’s streak of avoiding back-to-back regular season losses that dates back the a four-game losing streak during the 2012 season.
- Improve the Sun Devils to 8-0 in regular season games following a loss since a 38-21 loss at USC late in the 2012 regular season.
- Cause ASU to avoid having a .500 or worse overall record through eight games since going 4-4 through eight games in 2010.
- Cause ASU to avoid a losing Pac-12 record through five conference games since going 2-3 through the first five conference games in 2010.
- Give Oregon its first losing conference record through five games since it was 2-3 in 2003 and its first .500 overall record through eight games since going 4-4 to start out 1997.
ON THE AIR
Hear the hometown call with broadcaster Tim Healey and color analyst Jeff Van Raaphorst as well as sideline reporter Doug Franz providing all the action for Sun Devil Football this season. The hometown broadcasts are boosted by Bonneville’s powerful sports/talk lineup of Arizona Sports 98.7 FM, 620 AM KTAR and 92.3 KTAR News FM. This week’s game will broadcast on Arizona Sports 98.7 FM. The hometown call will be on Sirius Channel 84/XM Channel 84.
LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION
Thursday’s contest will mark the fourth game of the season that will be broadcast on ESPN and the 26th game since 2010 that is being broadcast on the ESPN family. Joe Tessitore will be on the call alongside analysts Jesse Palmer and David Pollack while Kaylee Hartung will provide insight from the sidelines.
The Pac-12 will again provide access to Armed Forces Network for carriage of Pac-12 football games in 2015 for the benefit of the men and women in the military.
#10THINGS (Twitter-Friendly Notes)
1. D.J. Foster has at least one reception in 47 consecutive games, the longest active streak in FBS and one shy of the @Pac12 Record.
2. Front 4 comparison (including Devils/all D-linemen) for ASU: ‘14 1st 7 gms- 75 tackles, 16 TFL, 5 sack | ‘15 - 111 tackles, 28.5 TFL, 9 sack
3. @WinTheDay has won eight straight over @FootballASU, currently tied for the 5th-longest active winning streak among all @Pac12 opponents.
4. ASU has gone 7-0 after a regular season loss since its defeat at USC in the 10th game of ‘12, capping a four-game losing streak.
5. ASU is 19-5 at Sun Devil Stadium under Todd Graham and averging 42.0 points per game in 24 home games in his era.
6. @ZaneG_5 was 3-for-7 on field goals after his first miss of the UCLA game. Has since gone 7-for-7 and added a season-long 44-yarder at Utah.
7. ASU is one of just 11 schools nationally with at least four players with 20+ receptions this season. Only three players did so in 2014.
8. This season, ASU has forced 190 negative or no-yardage plays out of 506 run by the opposition (37.5 percent). #DontCrossThatLine
9. @Tim_White6 comes into the weekend as the @Pac12’s top-ranked kick returner, averaging 31.9 yards per return (third nationally).
10. @FootballASU has held four straight conference opponents under 100 rushing yards for the first time in Pac-10/12 history. #NoRush
FOOD FOR THOUGHT
· Wide reciever D.J. Foster extended his streak of at least one reception to 47 games against Utah and has his sights sets on the Pac-12 record of 48 held by USC’s Kareem Kelly (1999-2002).
· In 2014, the ASU front four (all defensive linemen and Devilbackers) combined for 75 tackles, 16 tackles for loss and five sacks through the first seven games of the season. This year, that group has 111 tackles, 28.5 tackles foe loss and nine sacks through seven games.
· The Sun Devil roster has combined for 14 occurrences of a player eclipsing 100 all-purpose yards in a game this season. That happened just 16 times in the entirety of 2012.
· ASU has held four straight opponents under 100 rushing yards and is now 31st nationally (2nd in Pac-12) in allowing 129.3 rushing yards per game, despite playing the FCS’s No. 1 rushing attack (Cal Poly) and the FBS’s 12th-ranked attack (New Mexico). It’s the first time in Pac-10/12 history ASU has held four straight conference opponents under 100 rushing yards.
· The Devils have gone 7-0 in regular season games following a loss since losing the USC in the 10th game of the 2012 season in a contest that marked the last of four straight losses for the Sun Devils.
STRIKE FIRST
· Arizona State has scored first in 33 of the 46 games with Todd Graham at the helm and is 27-6 in the Graham era when getting on the scoreboard first.
· The Sun Devils are currently 4-0 when scoring first this season, doing so vs. Cal Poly, UNM, UCLA and Colorado. ASU was 7-1 when scoring first last season.
STRIKE FAST
· 192 of ASU’s 262 offensive scoring drives under offensive coordinator Mike Norvell have come in three minutes or less (73.2 percent).
· Of ASU’s 33 scoring drives this season, 24 have come in under three minutes following six sub three-minute drives out of eight against Colorado.
GETTING STARTED ON THE RIGHT FOOT
· The Sun Devils have outscored their opposition 433-224 in the first quarter under Todd Graham.
· The Sun Devils are 21-1 under Graham when holding their opposition scoreless in the first quarter and are 3-0 this season when doing so.
· ASU had scored just 16 first quarter points all season before dropping 27 in the last two games.
· The Sun Devils were 36th nationally against FBS teams in 2014 in giving up just 5.1 points per first quarter while being 31st with 8.0 points scored per first. ASU’s 12.0 points per first quarter in the last three games is the 11th-best totally nationally in that time.
· ASU has posted an impressive 28-1 overall record under Graham when leading at halftime.
FOSTER THE PEOPLE
· D.J. Foster has the ninth-most career receptions of all active FBS players with 195 and his 11 receiving TDs as a running back were most among all active FBS running backs prior to his position switch.
· Foster now has 4,433 career all-purpose yards (2,265 rushing, 2,152 receiving, 16 return) and finds himself ranked five among all active players in the category. That comes despite having just 16 career return yards - a category that is the bread and butter among many leaders in the all-purpose category (three players ranked ahead of him have over 1,000 yards in returns).
· With 62 receptions in 2014, Foster became just the third player in program history to log 60 or more receptions. He leads the team with 32 receptions this season and has 195 in his career, good for second all-time among Sun Devil receivers behind Derek Hagan (258).
GO D.J., THAT’s MY D.J.
· Foster is the only active FBS players who has accounted for over 2,000 career rushing yards (2,190) AND over 1,500 career receiving yards (2,120).
· Foster became just the fifth player in NCAA history to reach 2,000+ rushing AND receiving yards against USC, joining Stanford’s Darrin Nelson, Tulane’s Mewelde Moore, Texas Tech’s Taurean Henderson and Houston/West Virginia’s Charles Sims. Should he reach 2,400 yards in both, he would be the first Division I player to accomplish the feat.
· Foster has the nation’s longest active streak of games with a reception at 47 and broke John Jefferson’s (1974-77) long-standing school record against UCLA. The Pac-12 record is 48 by USC’s Kareem Kelly (99-02).
DON’T CROSS THAT LINE
· Against Utah, ASU forced 10 incomplete passes, 13 tackles for loss and three plays for no gain. As a result, 26 of Utah’s 67 plays from scrimmage (38.8 percent) did not result in positive yardage.
· This season, ASU has forced 190 negative or no-yardage plays out of 506 run by the opposition (37.5 percent).
· Under Graham, ASU has forced 1,208 plays that have not resulted in positive yardage out of 3,366 total plays (36.0 percent).
SERIOUSLY, DON’T CROSS IT
· With 69 tackles for loss this season, ASU’s 9.9 tackles per loss per game are ranked first nationally.
· ASU’s is also averaging 3.43 sacks per game this season, a total that ranks fourth nationally and first in the conference.
· Entering the game against Oregon, ASU was first in the Pac-12 and second in the nation (Clemson) with an average of 8.21 TFL per game under Graham and one of two teams in the nation with more than 385 total tackles for loss (Clemson). They rank first in that time with 3.28 sacks per game.
LIGHT ‘EM UP
· ASU has scored 50 or more points 12 times since Todd Graham and Mike Norvell arrived in Tempe.
· To put that in perspective, ASU eclipsed 50 points 10 times total in the previous 10 years before the current coaching regime (2001-11).
· ASU went 86 games without scoring 60 from 2005-2011. Under Coach Graham it has scored 60 or more three times (63 NAU, 62 Navy, 62 USC).
· The Sun Devils finished 10th nationally in 2013 at 39.7 points per game and scored 556 total points, just six points behind the 1972 school record.
· ASU finished 2014 ranked 16th nationally in scoring offense, averaging 36.9 points per game.
SUPER DEMARIO
· Demario Richard has eclipsed 100 all purpose yards in all but one game this season.
· Richard now has 10 touchdowns in his past seven games dating back to the Sun Bowl last season (he did not play at Utah).
· With 151 receiving yards and 104 rushing yards against UNM, Richard became just the fourth FBS player since 1996 to eclipse 150 receiving and 100 rushing yards in a game and is just the second player in Pac-12 history to do so.
· Richard is currently 38th nationally and fifth in the Pac-12 in averaging 128.17 all-purpose yards per game.
· Of Demario Richard’s 769 yards from scrimmage this season, 343 have come after first contact (44.6 percent/2.9 yards per play).
BERC-ING FOR THE WEEKEND
· With 13 touchdown passes in his first five career starts, Bercovici topped Rudy Carpenter’s previous school record of 12 touchdowns in his first five starts.
· Mike Bercovici’s is responsible for 102 of ASU’s 204 points this season (50.0 percent). He has 14 passing touchdowns and three rushing touchdowns, making up 17 of ASU’s 23 total offensive touchdowns this season.
· With his five-touchdown outing against Colorado, Bercovici became just the third ASU quarterback with 5+ touchdowns in a single game on multiple occassions (Andrew Walter 4, Taylor Kelly 3)
· Oddly enough, Bercovici has ASU’s two long-est touchdown rushes this season. His career-long 34-yard scamper against UCLA topped his previous team leading 19-yard rush in the season opener against Texas A&M.
LIKE MIKE
· Mike Bercovici enters the weekend in the national top-30 in completions per game (17th/22.86), passing touchdowns (27th/14), passing yards (28th/1,846), passing yards per game (23rd/263.7), points responsible for (25th/102) and points responsible for per game (26th/14.6).
· Bercovici has shown his chops as far as being able to spread the ball around this season. In each of ASU’s first six games this season, a different player led the team in total receiving yards (Jefferson/Lucien/Richard/Chambers/Foster/White). Last year, just three players led the team in the category throughout the season
· ASU is one of just 14 schools nationally with at least four players with at least 20 receptions this season, also a testament of Bercovici’s ability to spread the ball. Only three players eclipsed the tally in 2014.
· ASU has six players with 200+ receiving yards this season, compared to having four in the entirety of last season.
· Out of all the players on last year’s team with a reception that weren’t named Jaelen Strong or D.J. Foster, there were 137 total receptions made on the season. Bercovici, in his limited action, was responsible for 61 of those passes (44.5 percent).
TAKING OFFENSE
· Entering the game against Oregon, ASU finds itself ranked second in the Pac-12 and 11th in the nation at 37 points per game in the Graham era.
· ASU ranks third in the Pac-12 and 13th in the nation with 1,739 total points in that time.
· That said, ASU already has three games this season scoring under 20 points in a game, compared to just one in the entirely of 2014
MAKE ‘EM PAY
· Under Todd Graham, ASU has outscored opponents 441-208 in points off takeaways, though it uncharacteristically trails 51-24 this season.
· The Sun Devils outscored the opposition 142-62 in points off turnovers in 2014, ranked fourth nationally behind only Louisiana Tech’s 172, Nevada’s 170 and Oregon’s 164.
· ASU scored 22 times following 27 total takeaways (81.5 percent) and scored touchdowns on 19 of those occasions (70.4).
· In 2013, ASU outscored its opponents 146-42 on points off turnovers while posting a +15 takeaway number, putting points on the board following 75.8 percent of opponent turnovers (25-of-33) compared to just the 33.3 (6-of-18) percent clip ASU opponents scored off of Sun Devil turnovers.
A HAND IN THE COOKIE JAR
· ASU finished with 27 takeaways in 2014 (2.1 per game) after having a streak of 29 consecutive games forcing a turnover come to an end in the season opener. The total was good for 24th nationally and third among Pac-12 schools.
· ASU led the Pac-12 with 33 takeaways in 2013, finishing fifth nationally. The team was seventh nationally with a 1.1 turnover margin that season.
· The Sun Devils have forced 99 turnovers under Todd Graham in the past four seasons, which is the seventh-highest total in the country in that span.
· ASU has 11 interception returns for touchdowns under Graham, compared to posting just four total in the previous three seasons prior to 2012. The total currently leads the nation in for the most interception returns for touchdown in that span and ASU has added three fumble returns in the span as well for a NCAA-leading total of 14 defensive touchdowns in the last four seasons.
TURNOVER FACTORY
· Entering the game against Oregon, ASU ranked second in the Pac-12 and eighth in the nation with a .66 average turnover margin per game (Oregon, Houston, Michigan State, Baylor, Boise State, Northern Illinois, Bowling Green) since Graham took over the helm and was second in the Pac-12 and tied for eighth in the nation with a plus-31 total turnover margin.
· ASU is first in the Pac-12 and sixth in the nation with an average of 1.32 interceptions per game (Houston, TCU, Boise State, Louisville, Louisiana Tech) since 2012 and is tied for first in the Pac-12 and tied for fifth in the nation with 62 total interceptions (Houston, Boise State, TCU, Ohio State, tied with Louisville, Louisiana Tech, and Oregon).
GOLD ZONE
· The Sun Devils have scored on 26 of their 31 trips to the red zone this season (83.3 percent).
· In 2014, ASU scored on 58 of its 64 trips inside the red zone (90.6 percent), ranked 12th in the nation in conversion percentage. In 2013, ASU points on the board 91.3 percent of the time in the red zone against FBS opponents in 2013, finishing sixth nationally in the category. In 2012, ASU scored on just 76.1 percent of their drives inside the 20 and ranked a lowly 93rd in the nation against FBS opponents.
· In 2013 ASU allowed its FBS opponents to score 88.9 percent of the time when entering the red zone (ranked 106th nationally). In 2014, however, ASU held its opponents to 35 scores in 46 red zone appearances (76.1 percent) - good for 23rd nationally.
· Opponents are 19-for-23 (80.0 percent) inside of the red zone against ASU this season, rankings ASU 54th nationally and fourth in the Pac-12.
WINNING THE BATTLE FOR FIELD POSITION
· Under Todd Graham, ASU has had an average starting yard line of its own 35.1 in 32 victories compared to a starting yard line of the 25.6 for their opponents in such contests.
· Conversely, opponents have an average starting field position of their own 32.8 yard line compared to ASU starting at its own 27.9 in ASU’s 15 losses under Graham.
· in 2012, ASU posted an average starting spot of its own 33-yard line that ranked 10th in the nation, according to the folks at Football Outsiders (www.footballoutsiders.com) and in 2013, the team ranked 13th nationally (average starting yard line: 33.3). With a 32.6 average starting spot in 2014, ASU was 13th nationally.
· The Sun Devils also held their opponents to an average starting line of their own 28-yard-line, a total that ranked 24th nationally in 2012 and was 32nd in 2013 (average opp. starting yardline: 28.2). ASU jumped to 11th nationally in 2014, forcing their opponents to an average field position of their own 26.9 yard line.
SEAL THE DEAL
· ASU has outscored other teams 431-320 in the fourth quarter and overtime under Todd Graham.
· The Sun Devils finished sixth nationally against FBS teams with 10.6 points per fourth quarter in 2014.
· ASU finished 10th in the nation in points per fourth quarter in 2013 against FBS opposition (9.9) after finishing the 2012 season with 9.3 points per fourth quarter, which was good for eighth nationally. ASU’s 16.8 second-half points per game against FBS squads in 2013 was 24th nationally.
· The Sun Devils are averaging 17.2 second half points per game this season against FBS opponents, good for 24th nationally while they have given up 14.5 points per second half to their opponents (48th nationally)
ROAD WARRIORS
· The Sun Devils are winners of eight of the last 11 true road contests.
· ASU has 12 wins in the past 20 road games, including 10 Pac-12 Conference road wins in the past 16.
· Todd Graham has 10 Pac-12 road victories under his belt already, the second-most among all ASU coaches since 1980 behind only Bruce Snyder’s 18 from 1992-2000.
· Graham is 10-6 in Pac-12 road games at ASU, notable as the Devils were 5-13 in four seasons prior.
· The Sun Devils have won their Los Angeles games in each of the last three seasons (UCLA in ‘13, USC in ‘14, UCLA in ‘15). Only once before in the Pac-12 era (‘91-’93/USC/UCLA/UCLA) has ASU accomplished that.
T.N.T., WE’RE DYNAMITE
· The Sun Devils have a classification of “explosive plays” that equal a run of 12 or more yards or a passing play of 16 or more yards. ASU had 10 such plays against UCLA and 55 this season (7.8 per game).
· ASU is currently 55th nationally in plays over 10 yards this season with 106 and 52nd in 30+ yard plays at 16.
· ASU finished 24th nationally with 20 plays over 40 yards in 2014 after having just 16 total in 2013 and eight the year before. ASU was 26th nationally in plays of 20 or more yards with 71.
· The Sun Devils finished 2013 tied for seventh in the nation in plays longer than 20 yards with 86 after having 72 in 2012, which was good for 19th in the country in the category.
BETTER SUITED FOR HANDKERCHIEFS
· Despite some atypical penalties this season, the Sun Devils are still ranked in the top-five in all the fewest penalty/fewest penalty yards per game categories: third in fewest penalties (27), second in fewest penalties per game (3.86), third in fewest penalty yards (244) and third in fewest penalty yards per game (34.86)
· The Sun Devils averaged just 4.5 penalities for 32.4 yards per game, ranked 16th in fewest penalties per game and fourth in fewest penalty yards per game in D-I in 2014. In 2013, the Sun Devils finished eighth in fewest penalties per game (4.00) and seventh in fewest penalty yards per game (31.4).
· Entering the game against Oregon, ASU ranks first in the Pac-12 and second in the nation with an average of 33.26 penalty yards per game (Navy) under Graham and ranks first in the Pac-12 and fifth in the nation with an average of 4.19 penalties per game.
ON THEIR BEST BEHAVIOR
· Twenty-five of ASU’s 29 least penalized games since 2006 have come under Todd Graham.
· Since Todd Graham arrived at Arizona State, the Sun Devils have had just 196 penalties in 47 games (4.17 penalties per game).
PROTECT THIS HOUSE
· ASU is 19-5 at Sun Devil Stadium under Todd Graham.
· In 24 regular season home games under Todd Graham, the Sun Devils have averaged 42.0 points per game.
· ASU has posted under 20 points in a regular home game just twice in Todd Graham’s tenure - a 19-16 overtime victory over Utah in 2014 and a 42-14 loss to #19 USC in 2015.
· The Sun Devils are 276-100-3 (.731) all-time at Sun Devil Stadium since 1958, the 25th-highest active winning percentage in a stadium among all FBS schools.
ON THE RISE
· ASU is 21-10 in Pac-12 games since 2012, a game ahead of UCLA’s 20-11 mark in that same time span for the best Pac-12 South tally.
· ASU is 16-6 in Pac-12 games in the past two-plus seasons, ahead of UCLA (14-8) and USC (14-9) for tops in the Pac-12 South.
· ASU has finished first or second in each of the last three seasons in the final Pac-12 South standings.
USE THEM WISELY
· Since the start of the 2012 season, ASU has used 53 timeouts on defense in third down situations, and have forced a turnover or not allowed a first down on the ensuing play on 36 of those occasions (67.9 percent).
IN-ZANE IN THE MEMBRANE
· Zane Gonzalez is currently fifth among active FBS players in averaging 9.4 points per game in his career. Navy’s Keenan Reynolds leads all active players at 10.5 points per game.
· Additionally, he is fourth among all active kickers with an average of 1.73 field goals made in his career.
· After starting the season 3-for-7 on field goals, Gonzalez has since gone 7-for-7
· Zane Gonzalez averaged 9.8 points per game in 2014, ranked 12th nationally and four among kickers while sitting first overall in the Pac-12.
· His 81.5 percent field goal percentage on 22-of-27 kicking was 22nd nationally.
· As a freshman, Gonzalez led the Pac-12 with 25 field goals and was a semifinalist for the Lou Groza Award. He was a semifinalist last season as well and named to the preseason watch list for 2015.
FG-ONZAL-EZ
· Gonzalez has 57 field goals to his credit in his career, one of just four Sun Devil kickers to surpass 50 and currently third all-time at ASU.
· With 310 career points and he is currently fifth in the ASU record books in the category with his sights set on Jesse Ainsworth’s 313 total in fourth.
· Gonzalez finished with 138 points in 2013, breaking the long-standing school record in the category that was previous held by Wilford White’s 136 in 1950.
· Gonzalez’s 138 points demolished the previous scoring record by an ASU kicker that was 118, set by Thomas Weber (2007) and Mike Barth (2002).
· With 25 field goals in 2013, Gonzalez tied the NCAA freshman record of 25 that was set by UCLA’s Kai Forbath in 2007 (25-30) that was four more field goals than any other player in the FBS in the process.
· Gonzalez finished with 118 points in 2014, good for a tie for fourth all-time on ASU’s single season scoring list.
TODD-BITS OF INFO
· Over his four seasons prior to coming to ASU -- one at Pittsburgh and three at Tulsa -- Todd Graham’s teams rushed the ball on at least 53.4 percent of their total plays. The 2012 Sun Devils rushed the ball on 59.1 percent of their total plays followed by a 55.2 percent tally in 2013 and a 52.1 percent in 2014. In 2011, ASU rushed just 44.5 percent of the time.
· Over the past nine seasons at Pitt, Tulsa, Rice and now ASU, only one Graham-coached team has ranked outside the top 50 nationally in sacks. The Sun Devils averaged 4.0 sacks per game in 2012, the second-best mark in the nation, and then finished with 2.9 per game in 2013 and 3.0 per game in 2014 to finish 17th and 13th, respectively, in the country.
· In nine seasons, Graham is 29-24 in true road games. ASU was 3-3 in such games in 2012, 3-2 in 2013 and 4-2 in 2014 (10-7 overall). In the previous four seasons prior to Graham’s arrival, ASU was 5-16 in true road contests.
· In eight of the past nine years, Graham’s teams have ranked 39th or better nationally in fewest penalty yards per game. The Sun Devils averaged 34.92 penalty yards per game in 2012 (eighth nationally), 31.36 per game in 2013 (seventh nationally) and 32.38 per game in 2014 (fourth nationally).
HOLD ON TO YOUR SEATS
· ASU played in four games in 2013 decided by seven points or less, going 3-1 in those contests. The total is notable as ASU was just 4-13 in the previous four seasons in games decided by less than a touchdown.
· ASU was 3-1 in 2014 in games decided by less than a touchdown following the team’s 36-31 Sun Bowl victory over Duke.
· ASU has now gone 7-2 in games decided by a touchdown or less since the 2012 Arizona comeback in Tucson. To put that in perspective, ASU had gone 6-16 in such games since the 2007 season up until that Tucson game.
HOLD ON THE THAT BALL, ALSO
· In 2014, the Sun Devils had six games where they did not turn the ball over and went 6-0 in those contests. That number is notable because in the previous two seasons, ASU had just five combined games where it did not turn the ball over.
· ASU is now 10-1 under Todd Graham in games where it does not have a turnover.
TODD’s WINNING WAYS
· Graham has won 32 games in his first four seasons at Arizona State, becoming just the third Sun Devil coach outside Frank Kush and Darryl Rogers to accomplish the 30-win feat by his fourth season.
· He has become the only ASU head coach to reach a bowl game in each of his first three seasons at the school outside of John Cooper.
· He has has led ASU to three consecutive eight win seasons for the first time since 1971-73.
· Of all the coaching hires made prior to the 2012 season, Graham has posted the fourth-best record at 32-15, ranking behind only Urban Meyer (46-3), Jim Mora (34-13) and Kevin Sumlin (33-13) in the last three seasons.
NOT WASTING TIME
· In his first three seasons, Todd Graham found himself with an average of 9.33 wins per year at ASU, which ranks him number one all-time in ASU lore.
· His 32 wins are already the sixth-most among coaches in program history while his .696 win percentage sits fourth all-time.
· Graham became the third-quickest coach to reach 30 wins, doing so in 43 games (Frank Kusk and Darryl Rogers each did so in 40).
· As far as Bowl Games go, Graham has wasted no time establishing himself in the record books as his three appearances with the Sun Devils are already tied for third among all ASU coaches and his two wins are tied for second.
ELITE COMPANY
· Head Coach Todd Graham had a school-record 28 wins in his first three seasons as head coach at ASU, one more than College Football Hall of Fame Coach Dan Devine (1955-57).
· Coach Graham has recorded 10 wins in five of his nine seasons as a head coach (Tulsa 2007, 2008, 2010; ASU 2013, 2014.) Since 2007, Coach Graham currently sits tied for No. 4 nationally in most 10-win seasons with five at FBS institutions, ranking behind only Nick Saban, Bob Stoops and Chris Peterson.
DOUBLE THE DIGITS, DOUBLE THE FUN
· In 2014, ASU secured back-to-back 10-win seasons for the first time since Frank Kush notched double-digit victories from 1970-73. That was drought of 31 years since it last happened, providing further evidence of how difficult an achievement back-to-back 10-win seasons are to come by.
· Back-to-back 10-win seasons hadn’t happened at Arizona State since 1970-73. But a quick look around the nation shows that only 12 schools have posted back-to-back 10 win-seasons the past two years. Here are the double-digit dozen.
TAKING DOWN THE TOP
· ASU is currently 1-2 against teams ranked in the AP Top-25 Poll this season and just finished a gauntlet that pitted the Sun Devils against three Top 25 teams in four weeks (a loss to USC, a win at UCLA, and a loss at No. 4 Utah).
· ASU was 3-2 in 2013 against team’s ranked in the AP Top-25 Poll and the three victories were the most since 1997 when the team went 3-1 against teams ranked in the AP poll.
· ASU’s 2014 schedule put the team on a collision course with three consecutive AP Top-25 teams (UCLA, USC, Stanford), a streak that ASU had faced only twice in program history. The last that happened was 2001, where ASU went 0-3 against No. 13 Washington, No. 8 Oregon and No. 11 Washington State. In 1994, ASU defeated No. 20 BYU in between losses to No. 23 Washington State and No. 21 Oregon.
· ASU came out of the stretch with a 2-1 record with back-to-back victories over No. 16 USC and No. 23 Stanford. It was the first time ASU has won back-to-back games over ranked opponents since 1997, when it took down No. 25 Stanford on Oct. 18 before defeating No. 10 Washington State on Nov. 1 following a bye week.
SLAYING DRAGONS
· The Sun Devils have gone 8-6 in the last 14 games against ranked teams.
· In four seasons at the helm, Todd Graham is 8-9 against AP-ranked opponents and the team was 4-2 in such teams in 2014.
· Graham has more than doubled Dennis Erickson (3) and Dirk Koetter (2) during their tenures.
· In the previous 14 seasons, ASU was 5-40 in games against teams ranked in the AP poll. -- Other notable victories include the come-from-behind victory over Arizona in 2012, winning a game in the Coliseum last season for the first time since 1999 and defeating USC in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 1996-97. ASU also ended a four-game losing streak to Stanford.
GOLD RUSH
· Since the Coach Kush era, ASU has scored 20 or more rushing touchdowns in three or more consecutive seasons just one other time (1985-87) outside the current streak (23 in ‘11, 27 in ‘12, 36 in ‘13 and 20 in ‘14).
· The current streak of four straight years with 20+ rushing touchdowns is the second longest streak in ASU history since 1960 behind only the seven straight Kush-led teams from 1967-73.
STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE
· The Sun Devils just concluded a four-game stretch where they are played three teams currently ranked in the AP Top 25. The Sun Devil played then-No. 19 USC in Tempe and followed that with a contest at then-No. 7 UCLA. After taking on Colorado, ASU got No. 4 Utah in Salt Lake City to close out the stretch
· At the midway point of the season, ASU’s schedule is currently ranked as the 22nd-toughest schedule in the NCAA with Sun Devil opponents (past and future) currently posting a 41-26 overall record (0.612). ASU’s past opposition record is currently ranked 21st nationally with a 23-13 overall record (.629) while its future schedule is 16th nationally at 18-13 (.581).
· The Sun Devils faced two top-10 teams on the road for the first time since 2005 and just the sixth time in program history.
DYNAMIC DUO
· The defensive duo of Salamo Fiso and Jordan Simone has been a prominent 1-2 punch this season. Simone leads the team with 63 tackles with Fiso just behind him at 59.
· Fiso is currently fourth nationally and leads the conference in averaging 1.9 tackles for loss per game and already has 13.5 through seven games. Simone is third with 8.0 TFL this season for a combined 21.5 tackles for loss between them.
· An average of one out of every 4.4 Fiso tackles has gone for a loss this season and is especially noticed has he had just 16.5 career tackles for loss coming into the year.
· The two have done much of the work on their own as well, currently tied for third nationally and first in the conference in averaging 7.1 solo tackles per game on the year.
HAACK LIKE A MAN
· Matt Haack has been a game changer in the field position battle this season and his effort against UCLA was a testament to that. He pinned five balls inside the UCLA 20-yard line, none more important than his final one - a 46-yarder that skipped out of bounce at the Bruins 1-yard line that help ASU put the game away.
· Haack was named the Pac-12 Special Teams Player of the Week for the effort and named the Ray Guy Award Punter of the Week as well.
· Haack is averaging 42.6 yards per punt this season, good for fourth in the Pac-12 and 44th nationally. He has eight punts of 50 or more yards out of 32 and has pinned 14 punts inside the 20.
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