Arizona State Sun Devils
Pac-12
The Sun Devils had one heck of a season. They won the Pac-12 South outright and nearly ran away with it. This is a multi-faceted team with a defense that can stifle the best offenses in country. Their offense can also hang with whoever wants to put points on the board. Since 2011 (when they finished 6-7) Coach Todd Graham has improved this team steadily each year. He went from six wins to eight in his first year. This year he reached the 10-win milestone. The future is bright in Scottsdale and the Sun Devils hope to win one of several Pac-12 titles this season.
2013 Record: 10-3, 8-1
Coach: Todd Graham
Coach Bowl Record: 4-1
Big Wins: 9/14 Wisconsin (32-30), 11/23 at UCLA (38-33)
Bad Losses: 9/21 at Stanford (28-42), 10/5 Notre Dame (34-37)
Strengths:
Everyone talks about Oregon’s ability to score, but Arizona State is no slouch in that department. Eighth in the nation in scoring, the Sun Devils put up just over 43 points per game this season. They held opponents to about 25. They routinely posted a margin of victory of at least two touchdowns. They were automatic once they entered the red zone. Ninety-three percent of the time they scored a touchdown. Taylor Kelly has been smart and efficient with the football. He has four receivers that have over 400 yards on the season. Defensively, Arizona State was a nightmare for offenses. The defense picked off 21 passes while sacking the quarterback three times per game. They were top 10 in the country in turnover margin and sixth in takeaways. Thirty takeaways in a season is spectacular. Perhaps even most impressive is that the Sun Devils are one of the least penalized teams in the country. They were third in the nation in fewest penalty yards per game. They are a crisp operation.
Weaknesses:
The offensive line did not always do a great job protecting Kelly over the course of the year. They were sacked about as much as they were able to sack. In one of their two losses, against Notre Dame, Kelly was sacked six times and the Sun Devils could not keep the pressure off of him. Kelly has thrown his fair share of interceptions this year as well. He has tossed 11. Part of that is due to the pressure he is under. Like any other quarterback, he is not the same guy when he is getting attacked in the backfield. A bad matchup for Arizona State is any team that has a big, physical defense that can get after the ball. In their crazy win against Wisconsin, running back Marion Grace was held to 84 yards. The game came down to literally the final play. The Sun Devils have proven that they can find a way to win, but a tough defense like Wisconsin’s will also prove to be a roadblock. The special teams unit is not spectacular either. Their punt coverage is terrible and they have also allowed two punt blocks this season. In a game of field position, that is a killer.
Statistical Leaders:
Rushing: Marion Grice, RB, 996 yards
Passing: Taylor Kelly, QB, 3,510 yards
Receiving: Jaelen Strong, WR, 1,094 yards
Tackles: Chris Young, LB, 103
Sacks: Davon Coleman, DE, 8.5; Carl Bradford, DE, 8.5
Interceptions: Robert Nelson, CB, 6
2013 Team Stats:
Rushing Offense: 187.8 (44th in nation, 6th in conference)
Passing Offense: 285.4 (25, 5)
Total Offense: 473.3 (21, 3)
Scoring Offense: 43.3 (8, 2)
Rushing Defense: 133.8 (27, 4)
Pass Defense: 217.2 (40, 3)
Total Defense: 351.0 (24, 3)
Scoring Defense: 24.8 (49, 7)
Turnover Margin: 1.1 (9, 1)
Sacks: 3.00 (8, 2)
Sacks Allowed: 2.75 (103, 10)
Recent Bowl Appearances:
2011 Las Vegas Bowl Boise State (24-56)
2007 Holiday Bowl Texas (34-52)
2006 Hawaii Bowl Hawaii (24-41)
2005 Insight Bowl Rutgers (45-40)
2004 Sun Bowl Purdue (27-23)
*all team stats through 11/30
