Saturday marks unfamiliar territory for the ASU football team, but the Sun Devils doesn’t seem to be focusing on that. In an age where ranked teams opt to face off against “cupcakes” from the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) to open their seasons, ASU will have the daunting task of playing a fellow perennial power in Texas A&M at NRG Stadium.
The Sun Devils open the year against a Power Five conference team for the first time since losing 48-10 at Nebraska to start the 2002 season. That was also the last time ASU’s first game of the season was not at Sun Devil Stadium.
Coach Todd Graham has led his Sun Devils into some big games in his three season in Tempe, but he said this one will be special.
“This is going to be the best atmosphere I think on the road that we've probably played against,” Graham said. “It's going to be a big-time atmosphere.”
With the game being played just 90 minutes away from the campus of Texas A&M, the game will be pretty much a home game for the Aggies despite the billing as a neutral site. That could be problematic for ASU, as Texas A&M has one of the most vaunted fan bases in the “12th Man.”
Redshirt senior quarterback Mike Bercovici said he’s not concerned with the crowd since he knows there will be ASU fans there rooting his squad on.
“There is no greater environment than walking out of the tunnel and getting booed or whatever the case may be,” Bercovici said. “That's what you love. That's what you signed up for. Obviously it's going to be an incredible environment being at (NRG) Stadium, and we know Sun Devil Nation will show up. All you have to see is a little maroon and gold, and that will get you fired up more than anything on game day.”
In preparation for the game and crowd, ASU has pumped in crowd noise into its practice facilities for the past couple weeks in an attempt to acclimate the squad to the possible crowd conditions of the game.
As for on the field, Bercovici will have to deal with a lot more, as new defensive coordinator John Chavis brings his ball-hawking defensive schemes to an Aggies defense that was among the worst in the country last season.
In preparation, ASU’s offense has been watching film on LSU, Chavis’s old team, in addition to the normal game film on Texas A&M.
Senior center Nick Kelly said that he and the rest of the line has focused on the schemes from Chavis last season, but also the preferred moves of the defensive linemen they will go up against for four quarters.
One of the biggest challenges will be communication across the offensive line, as the Sun Devils replace both of last season’s starting tackles with redshirt junior Evan Goodman and redshirt senior Billy McGehee.
The new tackles go against one of the most talented defensive linemen in the country in sophomore Myles Garrett, who had 11.5 sacks last season, a player Graham has been very impressed with while watching tape.
"He's arguably the best pass rusher in their conference, and would have to be the best in the country that I've seen on film," Graham said. "I haven't seen everybody, but he's as good as it gets."
Despite the major challenge and transition, Bercovici is confident in the play of his protectors.
“What Evan Goodman and Billy McGehee have been able to do starting from spring and moving on to fall camp has been amazing,” Bercovici said. “They're the two most athletic tackles I've ever seen since I've been here. And I have the utmost confidence in both of those guys, especially going against the opponent we have in game one.”
That confidence has shown as Bercovici has been more vocal as a fifth-year senior and he's excited to step on the field for ASU and have this truly be his team and show the world what ASU can do.
"In Coach Graham's fourth year of leading this football team, we know what it means to be smart, disciplined, tough, and go in," Bercovici said. "And our advantage is that at Arizona State we play with discipline. We're a hard-nosed team. We've been through adversity every single day at practice, so we're excited to go out there and show these fans what we've been working for since January."
Reach the reporter at mtonis@asu.edu or follow @Tonis_The_Tiger on Twitter.
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