The Highs and Lows of ASU Sun Devils Win Over UNLV

Arizona State is 2-0 to start the season after defeating UNLV on Saturday night 37-10. While it wasn’t the performance many were hoping or expecting to see from the Sun Devils, it’s still a win, and now it’s on to prepping for BYU up in Provo.

Saturday’s contest provided more context to where extra attention and focus needs to be spent before the intensity of competition really is kicked up to the next level. BYU will be ASU’s first actual test, and there’s still a lot to work on cleaning up for the Devils this week in practice.

Here are some key takeaways from the 37-10 victory over UNLV.

Defense needs a quicker start

Arizona State’s defensive unit allowed UNLV to score first after an interception by Jayden Daniels in the corner of the end zone on the opening drive. While it may have only been a field goal, it still was a critical piece to the story, as Sun Devil defense has been known in the past for struggling to get the job done early on.

While the Sun Devils were able to score on a short pass from Jayden Daniels to Johnny Wilson and take the 7-3 lead, UNLV wasn’t going away easily. The Rebels came back out there and seemingly knocked the defense on its heels, making it look easy to move the ball 75 yards down the field to take a 10-7 lead.

Defense didn’t allow UNLV to put up any points the rest of the way despite the slow start.

Going up to Provo, ASU’s defense will not be able to come out flat. The Cougars are no easy feat, and defensive performance early on is going to be key.

Jayden Daniels passing game was still lacking

Daniels struggled to be patient inside the pocket at times, which is nothing out of the ordinary for him, but it was something that would have likely helped with his overall performance. Despite finishing 20 of 29 for 175 yards, two touchdowns and one interception, his decision making left fans concerned.

After throwing an interception on the first drive of the game, it was almost as if Daniels was hesitant to make certain thows, if any at all, and his accuracy continued to be marginal at best. On a crucial 3rd and 3 play, Daniels’ was looking to get the ball into Johnny Wilson’s hands with a wide open passing lane.

Uncharacteristically, Daniels’ pass was way off, leading to an incompletion and bringing up a fourth down with ASU clinging on to a four-point lead with only 30 seconds left in the half.

While is passing left something to be desired, Daniels’ legs were as advertised as he tore it up to the tune of 125 rushing yards on 13 carries. He mentioned in the postgame presser how he was looking to just help the team move the ball down the field in any way possible.

While it’s understandable for Daniels to move the ball down the field in whatever way he can, fans have been hearing for nearly two years about the growth and development of Jayden Daniels, without any true glimpse of seeing it come to fruition.

Penalties & ball security were much improved from the opener against SUU

In the opening game of the season, the Sun Devils looked sloppy and undisciplined, but this game showed some promise of improvement. Arizona State was able to cut the number of penalties nearly in half, from 13 down to only seven, which was crucial in this game, especially given the close, low-scoring game at half.

ASU also had no fumbles against UNLV, which should make fans breathe a sigh of relief.

The Sun Devils hope things are trending in the right direction, but it’s going to take another good showing against BYU for fans to chalk it up as an “uncharacteristic” performance in week one.

Special teams will see a boost in production with Zendejas

Christian Zendejas’ Status was unknown prior to the game, as the kicker didn’t decide to return to the program after entering the transfer portal until last week. He returned to the team and was out at practice for the first time this week, but his status for the game was kept under wraps the entire week leading up to the game.

When Zendejas jogged onto the field Saturday night to kick ASU’s extra point, it was a positive sign for the Special Teams unit. Zendejas will surely play a crucial role for the team, as ASU has played in numerous closely-decided games under Herm Edwards, and will be responsible for executing key plays.

Looking ahead…

The Sun Devils will hit the road for the first time in 2021, heading to Provo, UT to take on the BYU Cougars. BYU, who opened the season with a messy win over Arizona, managed to stun Utah in a 26-17 victory. This is going to be the first true evaluation of where the Sun Devils really stand.

While Edwards brings his NFL mentality over to the NCAA, treating the smaller games like pre-season games, they’ll have to be firing on all cylinders from here on out. Following the BYU game, ASU returns home to host Colorado before hitting the road to take on UCLA.