Outside of the 2007 season when Arizona State went 10-3, the Dennis Erickson era was unsuccessful. After that, the Sun Devils never won more than six games and never had a winning season in Erickson's last four years. Todd Graham took over in 2012 to right the ship and he did so in 2012. Arizona State went 8-5 and capped the season with a complete destruction of Navy in the Fight Hunger Bowl, 62-28. Graham looked to continue the momentum last year in 2013 and let us check out how the season went.
2013 Arizona State Sun Devils Season
Todd Graham has done a phenomenal job during his tenure at Arizona State and 2013 was no exception. Arizona State did well throughout the season with an explosive offense and finished the year with a 3-2 record against ranked opponents. The Sun Devils played in the Pac-12 title game and even though they were hammered 38-14 in that game, a playoff victory would have assuaged that loss.
However, more than three weeks later in the Holiday Bowl, they were steamrolled by Texas Tech. In both games, their defense was exposed and obliterated. The two losses ended the Devils' season on a sour note, but 2014 is a brand new year. The entire schedule is below.
Offense
The Arizona State offense will undoubtedly score a lot of points. Taylor Kelly returns for his third season as the signal caller and he should be even better than last year. In 2013, he threw for 3,635 yards and 28 touchdowns. He has continued to grow as a quarterback and should lead a dynamic attack in 2014. He has a lot of weapons at his disposal as well.
Although Marion Grice, the team's leading rusher last year, now plays for the Chargers, D.J. Foster is an admirable replacement. Foster is a very versatile athlete, one who can run between the tackles, as well as line up as a slot receiver. He was the team's second-leading receiver last year and the third-leading rusher, and hopes to be the consistent running back the Sun Devils need to execute their balanced attack.
That balanced attack was on display last season. The offense was not in the top 25 in the nation in either passing or rushing, but they still managed to average nearly 40 points per game, which ranked eleventh in the NCAA.
Jaelen Strong has been a big part of that success. A former highly-touted junior college receiver, Strong was one of the most productive pass-catchers in the country last year. At 6' 3", 215 pounds, he is a big, physical receiver who thrives in jump-ball and red zone situations. He was fourth in the Pac-12 with 1,122 receiving yards to go along with a healthy 15 yards per reception, as well as seven touchdowns. Strong is very talented, and barring any injuries or setbacks, he is likely to be a first or second-round pick in the next NFL Draft.
Kelly will be protected by a veteran offensive line that includes three returning starters. All five are upperclassmen and should be a formidable group. Expect Kelly to be able to drop back in the pocket and look for an open receiver, as the line should be able to thwart any opposing team's pass rush.
Defense
The Arizona State defense was the weak link in last year's team. In the Devils' four losses last year, the defense allowed at least 37 points in all of those contests. Losing nine starters from that 2013 squad is not going to help, but Todd Graham is going to do anything in his power to make the best of the situation.
Graham brought in defensive coordinator Keith Patterson to attempt to shore up the defense. Graham is still the leader of the defense, but Patterson's expertise cannot hurt.
In Graham's career of calling defenses, he has built a reputation as a very aggressive play caller. Lots of blitzing has made him one of the best defensive minds in the game and he should be able to find ample replacements for the nine that graduated.
The lone returning starters are linebacker Salamo Fiso and safety Damarious Randall. Still, there is plenty of talent and junior college transfers to have a decent defense in 2014.
Special Teams
The special teams unit was also a rough spot for the Devils. The unit was one of the worst in the nation in net punting and Patterson will try to help that aspect of the game as well.
Both their punter and kicker are back and they hope to improve on last year's mediocre output. Kicker Zane Gonzalez made 25-of-30 field goals last year, and his efficiency will be a weapon for the Devils this upcoming season.
2014 Season Outlook
The Pac-12 has evolved into one of the toughest conferences, meaning the Devils are faced with a ultra-tough schedule. The most daunting stretch comes in late September when Arizona State has to play UCLA, USC, Stanford, and Washington in that order with only one off week in between. They could very easily lose all of those games, equaling their number of losses all of last season. The entire 2014 schedule is below.
It is going to be a tremendous season of college football, especially in the Pac-12, and Arizona State will definitely be in the middle of it. A mediocre season may be on tap with the Sun Devils looking a finish slightly above .500. This writer thinks Arizona State will finish the regular season 7-5, losing to all four of the previously mentioned teams, as well as Notre Dame.
They have a high-octane offense with very talented skill players and an experienced offensive line, but their defense and special teams is too weak to compete with the other perennial powers on the schedule.