*Editor’s Note: Each week during football season, we feature an essay from the opponent’s student newspaper on why Oregon will lose. This week’s edition is from Matthew Tonis, the football beat reporter at The State Press.**
With public opinion souring on the Sun Devils, the team needs to turn their play around, and quickly, or face even more criticism from both outside the program and in. As a team that had national title aspirations, it seems as though the National University Holiday Bowl is now a long shot.
Following another anemic offensive performance in the rearview mirror after a bye week, the ASU offense is still searching for a full game in rhythm, and the Oregon defense is the perfect opponent to do that.
Despite Todd Graham’s insistence that the ASU offense is a run, play action fake team, the most success the Sun Devils have had comes from airing the ball out with redshirt senior quarterback Mike Bercovici.
The run game should receive a massive boost with sophomore running back Demario Richard returning to the lineup after not playing against Utah. The boisterous back has made it clear all week how important he is to this offense and, with the way ASU played without him, the fans more than agree.
Oregon’s pass defense ranks last in the Pac-12, which should allow space for senior D.J. Foster and redshirt senior Devin Lucien to operate down the field and Bercovici to find his form from his three-game run in 2014 when people around Tempe anointed him as one of the most dynamic quarterbacks in the conference.
While those bold predictions have not come true, the offense has looked very good at times and has the playmakers to exploit a weak Duck secondary and advance the ball down the field at a rate ASU hasn’t seen since Taylor Kelly hung up his pads for the final time after the Sun Bowl.
Defensively, ASU has been, quite frankly, dominant at times, shutting down dynamic running backs like Paul Perkins and Devontae Booker. The Sun Devils, aside from two games against triple-option offenses, have nearly shut down the line of scrimmage, forcing opposing quarterback to air the ball out, with varied success.
While Vernon Adams, Jr. said earlier this week that he likes going against blitz-heavy defenses, he hasn’t faced one that blitzes quite as often as the Sun Devils do. ASU consistently brings pressure on the quarterback, and inexperienced or unprepared passers are in for a rude awakening with Laiu Moeakiola or Christian Sam charging from the edge.
The Duck offense has not seen an animal like the Sun Devil blitz attack and, if ASU can finally force turnovers like it wants to, it could be a long day for Adams and the rest of the offensive unit.
Once again, this is a game the Sun Devils need. Graham has preached all season this is the most talented team in his time in Tempe and a fourth loss in eight games would be near disaster for both the current state of the program and for future prospects.
On a night where ASU will honor its favorite son, Pat Tillman, it’s hard to imagine the Sun Devils being anything less than fired up to grab a win on national television and keep their slim Pac-12 South hopes alive, at least for this week.

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Aaron Marineau

Arizona State wide reciever Mike Willie is congratulated by punter Josh Hubner after pulling down an impressive touchdown catch over Oregon defensive back Cliff Harris.