Washington State Football Poor Man’s Scouting Report: Arizona State Sun Devils
By Josh Davis
Sept. 24, 2011; Tempe, AZ, USA; Arizona State Sun Devils defensive tackle Will Sutton (90) during the game against the Southern California Trojans at Sun Devil Stadium. The Sun Devils beat the Trojans 43-22. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-US PRESSWIRE
After a weekend plus of Marquess talk and a couple of extensive investigations going on right now, it’s officially time to move on to ASU. The Cougs still have a game this week and then it’s on to the Apple Cup, which is for all intensive purposes, our bowl game yet again. But we’re not there yet, so let’s talk Sun Devils. No stats, just some quick eye test stuff.
Rundown: Arizona State in my estimation is a poor man’s UCLA. In fact, the two had quite the tussle just a few weeks ago, as UCLA scored a field goal as time expired in Tempe to take a 45-43 victory, if memory serves. The game was back and forth, with State jumping out to a very early 14-0 lead, only to give it up midway through the second quarter. The back and forth continued throughout the rest of the contest, until ASU’s defense could no longer hold a lead that was gained under the 1 minute mark by their offense.
Key Negative: So basically, the Sun Devils are a team that is explosive but very unpredictable and doesn’t have the greatest defense. However, a man named Will Sutton (#90) roams the middle of their line at a DT and is a serious force to be acknowledged. After watching our filthily soft offensive line on film this week, I know he’s just licking those mean chops of his. The RS Jr is listed at 6’1, 267 but he plays like he’s 6’5, 310 with speed and he makes the rest of the D-line very good because of the attention he attracts. If you haven’t seen him play this year, he’s a beast-man-child (perhaps the first DT taken in the upcoming draft) and after seeing our O-line against Utah and UCLA with similar players on their front lines, it’s going to be a pancake battle royal for Tuel and Halliday, should either/or hopefully both make it out alive.
Key Positive: ASU is one of the first teams this season not playing their best football the week before greeting Washington State. The Devils are coming off of a brutal beatdown at the hands of USC and that can only bode well for the Cougs. Granted, the Cougs never travel well to the Desert (42-0 last time we were there in 2010), but after the confidence gained from last season against these guys and last week being polar opposites for these teams, it’s not actually a bad time to meet. Not to mention ASU has the reputation of swooning in the final 3 weeks of the regular season in recent history, which of course we hopes is an ongoing trend.
Go Cougs!