Redshirt senior quarterback Taylor Kelly hands the ball off to junior running back D.J. Foster during an offensive drill at Kajikawa practice field on Dec. 20. ASU plays Duke in the Sun Bowl on Dec. 27. (Photo by: Fabian Ardaya).QB: ASU
It's been made abundantly clear that redshirt senior Taylor Kelly hasn't been himself since coming back from his right-foot injury. Things hit a boiling point when coach Todd Graham pulled Kelly in the second half of ASU's Territorial Cup loss in favor of redshirt junior Mike Bercovici. The Sun Devils' backup put up nearly identical numbers to Kelly, and even if it was an audition for the bowl game job, Bercovici didn't win it. After the game, the message was clear: Taylor Kelly will start the bowl game. Luckily for the Sun Devils, Kelly seems to be setting himself up to be sent off in the right way. He doesn't quite bring the wheels Duke redshirt senior Anthony Boone does, but his arm sets the two apart. In his final season, Boone has shown significant improvements, but he still can be turnover prone. The Blue Devils are 0-2 when Boone throws more than one interception.RB: Even
Junior Shaquille Powell is the only Duke running back that comes within 100 carries of ASU's leading rusher, junior D.J. Foster. Both teams like to spread the ball around in the backfield, including allowing their quarterbacks to run free. Foster has 183 carries for 1,002 yards (5.5 average), while Powell has 105 for 501 yards (4.8 average). Although Powell leads the Blue Devils in carries, he's not their most explosive back or their leading rusher. Those titles belong to freshman Shaun Wilson. Sound familiar? Behind Foster are two freshmen for the Sun Devils. Deantre Lewis won't play for ASU in the Sun Bowl, so that leaves Demario Richard and Kalen Ballage. Richard has been a freshman sensation this season — he averages 5.7 yards on 77 carries — and Ballage hasn't been a slouch himself. It wouldn't be a shock if neither team has a player carry the ball 20 times but still relies on the ground game heavily.WR/TE: Even
Despite missing some practices leading up to the game, redshirt Jaelen Strong is still expected to suit up and play for the Sun Devils. That only brings bad news for the Blue Devils. But Duke has its own weapon in its receiving corps: Jamison Crowder. The senior receiver is actually having his worst season, statistically, since his freshman year. He should eclipse 1,000 yards receiving in the Sun Bowl, but he enters the game with just 78 receptions. "Just" being used relative to his last two seasons, in which he's either had 1,000 yards or 100 catches, or both. Strong gets the head-to-head advantage between the No. 1 receivers, but Duke has superior depth to the Sun Devils. Redshirt senior Issac Blakeney presents a huge target on the outside, standing 6-foot-6, and it's showed this season. He's hauled in 43 passes, including six for touchdowns, which is tied with Crowder for the team lead. Beyond sophomore Cam Smith, ASU hasn't had many other options step up behind Strong.OL: Duke
Both teams have highly experienced and talented offensive lines, though neither gets a lot of recognition. It's going to be a challenge for the Sun Devils' front seven to get after Boone. In addition to having breakaway speed for a quarterback, Boone has an offensive line that has only one underclassman on it and two NFL draft prospects (both fifth-year seniors). Right guard Laken Tomlinson should be off the board by day two and left tackle Takoby Cofield could be a late-round selection. The Blue Devils have also given up the fewest tackles for loss in the country and allow 1.08 sacks per game, tied for 11th in the country. ASU gives up 3.08 sacks per game (tied for 112th) and 7.5 TFLs (tied for 117th). The Sun Devils' offensive line has outplayed those numbers, but Duke still has the EDGE here.DL: ASU
Oh, how the tables have turned. To start the season, ASU's defensive line was the weak spot of its defense and a significant liability. But since the ascension of senior defensive end Marcus Hardison, the rest of the line has stepped up as well, and it's shown on the field. Now, the Sun Devils face off against a defensive line that's a liability of its own. The Duke defense as a whole isn't particularly strong, but its front-seven — and the line, specifically — should be overmatched by ASU's offensive line. The Blue Devils don't get to the quarterback often, and their run defense is porous. And it all starts in the trenches. Despite a senior-laden front-seven, Duke has 40 fewer tackles for loss and 12 fewer sacks than ASU. If ASU really wants to dominate the trenches, however, it would be an opportune time for an underclassman to have a big game and preview what life will be like without Hardison next season.LB: ASU
Can Duke be at a natural disadvantage here because its base defense only includes two linebackers? The Blue Devils run a 4-2-5 defense, something ASU hasn't seen this season. It shouldn't present a problem, though, as the Sun Devils will have had a month to prepare for it. Either way, ASU has another clear advantage here. Its linebackers anchor the defense, especially spur Laui Moeakiola. The redshirt sophomore has played exceptionally this season, and Graham puts some of the early-season defensive struggles on his injury he sustained at Colorado. However, the defensive turnaround could also have something to do with putting redshirt junior Antonio Longino in the right position. He struggled at Devil-backer but has thrived since moving to the weak-inside linebacker position. He and redshirt sophomoe Salamo Fiso complement Moeakiola to create one of the better linebacking corps in the Pac-12 (and one that returns everyone for next season).Secondary: Even
Neither of these secondaries really stands out. Each has its fair share of talent, but each has its weaknesses, too. While veteran safeties Jordan Simone and Damarious Randall have generally been a stable part of the Sun Devil defense, even they have been plagued by inconsistencies the rest of the defense has seen. Those inconsistencies are most pronounced from ASU's cornerbacks. Lloyd Carrington has won Pac-12 defensive player of the week, and Kweishi Brown has played like he should have. But each have also been among the worst players on the defense in other weeks, too. Duke's secondary is constructed similarly to ASU's, despite its base defense having five in the secondary rather than four. It has one second-team All-ACC safety — Jeremy Cash — and another talented safety flanking him — DeVon Edwards. ASU's Randall was first-team All-Pac-12, while Simone was an honorable mention. Cash and Edwards each accumulated more than 100 tackles and combined for nearly 20 for loss.Special Teams: Duke
Duke's special teams are among the best in the nation. It's not just one facet of them, either. The Blue Devils are incredibly well-rounded, ranking near the top of country in net punting (39.91 average yards/18th), punt returns (11.17 average yards/20th) and kickoff returns (25.13 average yards/fifth). In addition to that, Duke kicker Ross Martin has made 18 of his 20 field goal attempts. The Sun Devils didn't return a kick or punt for a touchdown this season, while Edwards has one kickoff return touchdown and Jamison Crowder has one punt return touchdown. ASU has allowed one of each this season, though its special teams have been much improved as of late.Overall: ASU
Prediction: ASU 38, Duke 23
Reach the reporter at ewebeck@asu.edu or follow him on Twitter @EvanWebeck
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