Five questions for Arizona State in its Big 12 home opener

Andrew Hayslett

1 day ago

2 min read

Arizona State takes on Baylor after its bye week. The Sun Devils will have five questions to answer if they want to beat Baylor

Who is the real one-loss team?

When these two teams met last year, it was a crossroads game. Both teams lost to an SEC school, beat a Texas school, and beat an FCS school before playing. After Arizona State’s win, Baylor struggled while Arizona State had decent results. This year it is similar. Both teams lost to an SEC school, beat a weaker Big 12 opponent, and beat an FCS school. Baylor has also beaten Louisiana Tech. Both teams have a claim that they could be a Big 12 conference contender, but a second loss will significantly dampen their hopes for a College Football Playoff spot.

How will Arizona State attack Baylor’s great defense?

The Bears have averaged 13 points allowed per game so far this season, with the most points allowed being 19 against LA Tech. The Sun Devils scored only 17 points against Kansas in their last game.

What will the run offense share be?

Part of the poor offense was that only two running backs recorded rushes against Kansas. Seven backs ran the ball against Morgan State and four against Texas A&M. The more running backs they used has correlated with more rush yards per play this season. Senior Kyson Brown took the majority of the work against Kansas.

“We should see more and more people playing, so we can give him (Brown) a rest too,” Shaun Aguano, Arizona State running backs coach, said post-practice Wednesday.

What will the pass offense share be?

Similar to the rushing attack, the pass offense has decreased the number of pass catchers in each game this season, going eleven, six and five in each game. The more players involved yielded more passing yards. Senior wide receivers Reed Harris and Omarion Miller took the bulk of targets against Kansas.

How well will the rush defense hold?

Against Kansas, the Sun Devils allowed 179 yards, the most they have allowed all season. The Bears averaged just north of 150 yards per game on the ground this season.