Check out photos from ASU's last two games in this slideshow.
The transition from one week to another over the course of a season is usually big.But rarely this big.
Last week the ASU football team was home to its biggest crowd in years for its blackout win against then-No. 21 Missouri.
This week, the No. 22 Sun Devils (2-0) will pack up and debut their all-white uniforms Saturday on the road against Illinois (2-0).
“It’ll be two completely different situations,” ASU junior quarterback Brock Osweiler said. “There won’t be 70,000 people there in black shirts screaming their heads off for us. We’re going to go into an environment where they have great tradition and have high expectations this year.”
The Illini are expecting at least 50,000 fans in attendance for the game.
Memorial Stadium holds just over 60,000.
“We have to be very focused,” ASU coach Dennis Erickson said. “We have to do silent counts now in a loud setting. But you travel better when you have veteran leadership and we have that.”
Saturday will be the second straight year the Sun Devils visit Big Ten territory.
Last season, they fell in Madison to Rose Bowl-bound Wisconsin by a single point.
“That experience will help a lot,” ASU sophomore running back Kyle Middlebrooks said. “Wisconsin was a crazy environment and Illinois is going to be crazy too. I love it and wouldn’t have it any other way.”
Although the Sun Devils won last week, there were aspects in the game that weren’t up to par.
The defense allowed 504 yards of total offense to the Tigers, including 109 on the ground from Missouri sophomore quarterback James Franklin.
That will have to change against Illinois sophomore quarterback Nathan Scheelhaase, also a dual-threat passer.
In the first two weeks of the season, albeit against low quality opponents, Sheelhaase has rushed for 139 yards and two touchdowns to go along with his 71 percent completion percentage.
“We game-planned hard for Franklin last week,” ASU senior linebacker Shelly Lyons said. “And now we know how to attack a mobile quarterback better.”
On the other side of the football, the Sun Devils had plenty of success against Missouri through the air, totaling 388 yards, but struggled for much of the game on the ground.
ASU junior running back Cameron Marshall rushed for 65 yards on 22 attempts, a 2.8 average.
Against an Illinois defensive front that’s not as big as Missouri, the Sun Devils could see more success between the tackles Saturday.
“We’re looking forward to a much better run performance,” Marshall said. “Whenever you can control the line of scrimmage, you can control the game. You can quiet the crowd and slow the game down at some points.”
Illinois hasn’t played anybody of significance so far in 2011.
The Illini have wins over Arkansas State and South Dakota State.
So for the home team, Saturday will be a lot like what ASU went through last week — welcoming a top-25 ranked team with the chance to make a statement on a national scene.
“They are kind of in the same situation we are in,” Erickson said. “They were 6-6 last season but they think they have a team which can compete for a championship there. If you watch them on tape, they are very talented and our players know that.”
The Sun Devils committed 12 penalties last week and committed one turnover.
They know they’ll have to be more disciplined in order to escape Champaign still undefeated.
“If we play with a letdown, we’re not going to win,” Erickson said. “But that’s where leadership comes into play. You have to understand why you’re going there and that’s to win.”
Reach the reporter at tyler.emerick@asu.edu
Click here to subscribe to the daily State Press newsletter.
