ASU football didn't get off the the start that they expected in their season-opening loss to Texas A&M, but it was not without its redeemable qualities.
Here's how each phase of the game broke for ASU.
The offense had little to nothing working for it for nearly the entire night. The play-calling was cautious at best, funneling the ball to redshirt junior De'Chavon "Gump" Hayes and senior wide receiver D.J. Foster instead of trying to move the ball in the air vertically or trying to establish an inside run game.
Pressure from Texas A&M's Myles Garrett and Daeshon Hall agitated first-time starter Evan Goodman and Billy McGee, but sophomore running back Demario Richard's flashes of success (16 carries, 73 yards) showed that ASU's stagnant offense (291 total yards) could have used a little more running help. Redshirt senior quarterback Mike Bercovici was efficient in his first start as the full-time starter (25-for-41, 199 yards and one touchdown), but never really had a time to test the Aggies downfield.
One of the few bright spots for ASU for much of the early part of the day was the defense, which bottled up the Aggies for most of the night and forced two turnovers (plus a big play by redshirt junior linebacker Salamo Fiso on fourth and short to force a turnover on downs). Texas A&M sophomore quarterback Kyle Allen faced a bunch of heavy pressure, but the defense lost contain too many times when freshman quarterback Kyler Murray was in the game and faltered down the stretch after blowing a coverage on a bubble screen that led to freshman wide receiver Christian Kirk's 66-yard touchdown.
Speaking of Kirk, the Sun Devil punt coverage team gave the true freshman a gigantic running lane in order to score a 79-yard punt return touchdown and he nearly broke free on a few other solid returns. The first game under new special teams coordinator Shawn Slocum was a struggle, as the punt team suffered through penalties and reckless play, such as when redshirt freshman safety Coltin Gerhart was called for a roughing the kicker penalty that led to a Texas A&M field goal. Junior punter Matt Haack punted a career-high 10 times and struggled mightily early on to give Texas A&M poor field position. Zane Gonzalez did, however, make both PATs and a field goal (19 yards) with little difficulty.
ASU's performance in its season opener was far from ideal, as the Sun Devils were left exposed in several key areas. The much-hyped offensive line struggled, and the team's weak play-calling led to a lack of rhythm. The defense gave up a few big plays at key moments – despite mostly bending rather than breaking, and the lack of discipline on special teams has reemerged as an urgent issue.
Reach the reporter at fardaya@asu.edu or follow @fardaya15 on Twitter.
Like State Press Sports on Facebook and follow @statepresssport on Twitter.
