For the first time since coach Todd Graham's first season in Tempe, the ASU football team has lost back-to-back regular season games.
In a vacuum, this fact would not be as troubling to Sun Devil football fans, if not for the high expectations set before the 2015 season.
Saturday the Sun Devils travel to Pullman to face the high-powered offense of Washington State, who are on the outside looking in at a possible berth in the Pac-12 Championship Game and might still be in the thick of things if not for a last-second loss to No. 11 Stanford a week ago.
Led by redshirt sophomore quarterback Luke Falk in his first full season behind center, the Cougar offense in third in the nation in passing offense, making it efficient as well as dynamic. So far this season, 10 different receivers have caught passes from Falk, showing just how varied the offense can be.
"If somebody throws the ball every down it's tough," Graham said. "And I think they're really good at it... I think this is the best they've been offensively."
The numbers speak to that, as Washington State sits at 16th in overall offense, racking up an astounding 498.1 yards per game, making the Cougars third in the conference.
Those gaudy numbers should have them licking their chops going against an ASU defense that was porous at key moments last week against Oregon.
Redshirt senior cornerback Lloyd Carrington said, however, the secondary is ready for a bounce-back against the pass-happy Cougars.
"For the most part, we're excited," Carrington said. "As a DB, you always want to have opportunities to go and get the ball and we know we'll definitely have plenty of those during the game."
Freshman safety Kareem Orr said the gameplan is simple for the defensive back unit.
"Lots of chances for interceptions," Orr said. "We've got to come out here, lockdown, do what we've got to do, get picks."
But, Graham said he's more concerned about the running game that has developed and having to actually have to defend both, a rarity for a Mike Leach-coached offense.
"That's the thing that concerns me the most, how well they can run the football," Graham said. "So it's a handful for us."
While not a juggernaut on the ground, redshirt sophomore Gerald Wicks has been effective, running for 400 yards and two touchdowns as a change of pace from passing the ball. Wicks averages 5.5 yards per carry, mainly due to the rarity of his touches, and defenses are primed to defend the pass instead of him.
Two-thirds of the way through the season, Graham's group has disappointed and he said there's only one way to make this season even slightly successful.
"We need to win out and go win a bowl championship," Graham said. "That's what needs to happen to salvage this year."
Reach the reporter at mtonis@asu.edu or follow @Tonis_The_Tiger on Twitter.
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