Quarterback
ASU redshirt junior quarterback Steven Threet suffered a concussion after his second first-half interception against California. The offense is likely to be simplified to help Threet cut down on his turnovers.
Perhaps the stat of the season for the Sun Devils: the transfer has thrown ten interceptions in 14 quarters of Pac-10 play, the worst ratio of any of the top 100 FBS passers in the country in conference play.
The Sun Devils will have no chance at sniffing .500, let alone a bowl game, if Threet can’t significantly cut down on his bad decisions.
Washington State sophomore Jeff Tuel has been more effective than Threet this season, allowing WSU to play more competitively than last season. Tuel threw for four touchdowns and nearly 300 yards against Stanford last week.
EDGE: WSU
Running backs
ASU struggled in all facets offensively last week, though it’s hard to come down on its running backs.
The Sun Devils’ trio — freshman Kyle Middlebrooks, freshman Deantre Lewis and sophomore Cameron Marshall — had few running lanes. When they do get chances, they are quite formidable.
Cougar redshirt senior running back James Montgomery is a first-year starter and has been serviceable, averaging 3.7 yards per carry with four touchdowns.
EDGE: ASU
Wide receivers/ tight ends
Sun Devil redshirt junior T.J. Simpson made a couple of nice plays early in the game, but the Sun Devil passing game as a whole was ineffective.
Camera angles unavailable to the public are the only way to determine how much blame rests on the unit.
The Cougars present a solid duo of receivers in junior Jared Karstetter and freshman Marquess Wilson, who have combined for 85 receptions and ten touchdowns.
The Cougars, like the Sun Devils, play in three- and four-receiver sets much of the game. ASU has the better depth of players at the position.
EDGE: ASU
Offensive line
Last Saturday was likely the worst performance of the season for the Sun Devils offensive front.
An inability to open running lanes put the offense into must-pass situations where the offensive line could not hold a pocket for more than a tick or two.
The Cougars start four upperclassmen on the offensive line but have had difficulties opening up running lanes and protecting Tuel, yielding 31 sacks while only averaging a meager 2.6 yards per carry on the season.
EDGE: ASU
Defensive line
ASU used to have one of the better defensive lines in the conference.
What happened? Was the loss of Dexter Davis that critical?
The Sun Devils seemed, at times, to have Cal runners bottled up but could not make the tackle. ASU did record three sacks and coach Dennis Erickson spoke highly of the play of junior tackle/end Jamaar Jarrett in his Monday press conference.
The Cougars have gotten bigger on the defensive front since last season and have had solid contributions from its starting defensive ends, redshirt senior Kevin Kooyman and sophomore Travis Long, who have combined for six sacks on the season.
EDGE: ASU
Linebackers
The loss of junior linebacker Shelly Lyons to a season-ending broken foot is a blow to the Sun Devils depth at the position.
ASU linebackers once again missed numerous tackles on Saturday and helped Cal break large gains that should have been limited.
The Cougars are led at linebacker by redshirt junior Alex Hoffman-Ellis, who is second in tackles and has two interceptions and two sacks on the season.
The Cougars have allowed close to 500 yards per game on the season and they’ve been deficient in all facets defensively.
EDGE: ASU
Secondary
Cal senior quarterback Kevin Riley had one of his best games of the season against ASU, and the Sun Devils once again yielded big, backbreaking plays downfield.
The secondary was, however, just one of many underperforming units.
All four starters in the secondary for WSU are underclassmen and it has shown in the Cougars’ performance as they’ve given up over eight yards per attempt.
EDGE: ASU
Special teams
At this point for senior kicker Thomas Weber, it may be more than just a slump. The former Lou Groza Award-winner last week missed another kick he used to make routinely, a 37-yarder.
The only other notable aspect of ASU’s special team performance Saturday was that senior punter Trevor Hankins punted eight times.
The Cougars have had poor specials teams play all season, making just four of seven fields goals and contributing little in field position, either on the return or against the return.
Edge: ASU
Overall edge: ASU
