Quarterback
EDGE: Even
Redshirt junior Taylor Kelly had his struggles against Utah, completing just 19 passes for 144 yards and a touchdown. Kelly is thought to be a significantly better quarterback at home, throwing 12 touchdowns to just three interceptions. Kelly has also thrown 12 touchdown passes on the road, including five in the game against WSU. The running ability of Kelly continues to hurt teams, and Kelly ran for two more touchdowns against the Utes, giving him seven rushing touchdowns on the season.
Junior Sean Mannion is having a breakout season but has struggled the past two games, especially against USC. Mannion doubled his season total for interceptions against the Trojans, throwing three. It’s entirely possible Mannion’s struggles continue on the road against a hot ASU defense, but Mannion is very capable nonetheless and has thrown 31 touchdowns this season.
Running back
EDGE: ASU
Senior Marion Grice continues to blossom, running for 136 yards against Utah, most of those coming in the fourth quarter. Grice went scoreless for the second straight game but still leads the nation in scoring with 12 points per game. Redshirt junior Deantre Lewis had a nice 26-yard run against the Utes but fumbled on the very next play, his second fumble in as many games.
Sophomore Storm Woods hasn’t been the same since his early season injury, but the Beavers have struggled all season running the ball, averaging just 2.7 yards per carry. Woods is averaging just 3.1 yards per carry and junior Terron Ward is averaging 3.7 yards per carry. The two don’t get many touches though, since the Beavers run the ball just 34.4 percent of the time.
Wide receiver/tight end
EDGE: OSU
The Utes did a very good job of shutting down the Sun Devils receiving corps, especially redshirt sophomore Jaelen Strong, who had only three catches for 8 yards. It’s safe to say sophomore Richard Smith is back in the mix now after catching the game-winning touchdown pass from Kelly with less than three minutes remaining in the game.
The Beavers boast the best receiver in the Pac-12 in junior Brandin Cooks. Cooks has 1,344 yards and 14 touchdowns through nine games. No matter who the Sun Devils put on him, Cooks will be a handful. Sophomore Richard Mullaney is a very capable No. 2 receiver and has caught 43 passes for 659 yards and three touchdowns this season.
Offensive line
EDGE: Even
The roller coaster season continued for the Sun Devils offensive line against Utah. This time it was bad, yielding six sacks and allowing pressure on Kelly all afternoon. Graham admitted his line was getting beat off the ball in a tough road environment. That should improve with the Sun Devils back in the friendly confines of Sun Devil Stadium.
The Beavers line has done very well to allow only 19 sacks so far this season, especially with Mannion, a pure pocket passer, behind center. Unfortunately, like was the case for WSU, the line has been unable to open holes for running backs in limited opportunities.
Defensive line
EDGE: ASU
Senior Will Sutton made the play of the game against Utah with his interception. The defensive line is getting deeper each week and fellow seniors Davon Coleman and Gannon Conway have been playing at an all-conference level recently. The entire defense is in its best form of the season, and it all starts up front.
Junior Scott Crichton is having another spectacular season, compiling 12 tackles for loss, including 4.5 sacks. However, including Crichton’s 4.5 sacks the Beavers have just 18 all season. Senior Devon Kell is second on the team behind Crichton with two sacks.
Linebacker
EDGE: ASU
Senior Chris Young made a season-high 14 tackles against the Utes and continues to remain the rock in the middle of the Sun Devils defense. Senior Anthony Jones did a nice job to force a fumble and redshirt freshman Salamo Fiso collected six tackles and a sack. The unit is continuing to play better as they it gets more reps.
Junior Jabral Johnson leads the Beavers in tackles with 67 and has 1.5 tackles for loss. After Johnson, there’s not another Beavers linebacker within the top eight on the team in total tackles. Redshirt freshman Rommel Mageo is tied for second on the team with four tackles for loss, and junior D.J. Alexander has 2.5 tackles for loss in six games.
Secondary
EDGE: Even
Senior cornerback Robert Nelson was beaten on a couple of throws against Utah, including a touchdown, but collected his team-leading fourth interception of the season late in the fourth quarter. Even reliable senior cornerback Osahon Irabor was beaten deep once. Still, the Utes completed just six of their 21 pass attempts for 121 yards.
The Beavers secondary has 15 interceptions, led by junior cornerback Steven Nelson’s five. Junior safety Ryan Murphy has three interceptions and six tackles for loss, ranking second on the team. Fellow junior safety Tyrequek Zimmerman is second on the team with 65 tackles and senior cornerback Rashaad Reynolds has added four interceptions.
Special teams
EDGE: Even
Freshman placekicker Zane Gonzalez didn’t get a field goal opportunity against the Utes, so his consecutive field goals made streak stayed at 13. Senior Alex Garoutte punted 10 times against the Utes, averaging 37.5 yards. Meanwhile, Grice had his longest kick return of the season against the Utes for 44 yards.
Junior placekicker Trevor Romaine is just nine for 14 on field goals and missed two against USC, including one from 26 yards. The Beavers haven’t been dangerous in the return game all season, but junior punter Keith Kostol is averaging 42.1 yards per punt.
Overall EDGE: ASU
This game seemed a lot more daunting before USC handled OSU with ease on the road. The combination of Mannion and Cooks will be a challenge, but facing ASU at home (5-0 this season) will be a bigger challenge for the Beavers. The Sun Devils have too much on the line and have proven this year they can win tight games. Graham said Mike Riley and the Beavers were the only staff to out-coach the Sun Devils last season, so expect Graham to make that a focal point this week. All signs, though, lead to a fifth straight victory for the Sun Devils and a continued hold on the Pac-12 South.
Reach the reporter at dsshapi1@asu.edu or follow him on Twitter @DsShapi
