USC @ Arizona State

[82CardsGrad]

I just can't see how the Devils win this game. Unless Graham and Norvell have been intentionally trying to stink it up thus far, this team is who it is... a middle of the pack at best team.



I can easily see USC putting up over 50 points in this game. They want revenge from last years' debacle. They are 100x more talented and Kessler is en fuego, completing 78% of his passes so far this season.

We can't run the ball, which means Berc will be pounded in this game.



My heart is all for the Devils, but realistically, I see the final score looking something like:



USC - 52

ASU - 24



And in all honesty, I don't believe the game will nearly as close as that score suggests...

Really was hoping I'd be proven wrong. But honestly, this team and the coaching is actually worse than I feared.
Graham's "system" on both offense and defense is atrocious. Graham doesn't even pay attention on offense. I have no clue what Norvell wants to do on offense... Berc isn't good. We don't have any noteworthy WR's, Foster might as well not even suit up and the line is a mess.
On defense, I'm tired of watching Graham and his frantic antics on the sidelines, jumping up and down calling last second plays while the defense is shifting all over the place and never seems set and in place! It's laughable and so juvenile!!
UCLA and Utah are going to rip this team the shreds... Graham is going to have a TON to answer to when this debacle of a season is over. I would seriously call out Norvell too... I really believe he is a huge part of the problem...

 

[Broseph]

I cant believe Graham said this is the best team he's had here at ASU. I havent seen a ASU team this bad. They might get shut out tonight.

I have no idea what Graham saw in this team. They are very pedestrian on both sides of the ball. I think the biggest disappointment has been this pathetic offense. This is just not a very good ASU team.

 

[FArting]

I'm not giving up on this season or this team.

Last year this team got destroyed by UCLA at home. They were still in contention to win the Pac 12 South.

Lets take our frustrations and anger on UCLA.

 

[Bert]

Really was hoping I'd be proven wrong. But honestly, this team and the coaching is actually worse than I feared.
Graham's "system" on both offense and defense is atrocious. Graham doesn't even pay attention on offense. I have no clue what Norvell wants to do on offense... Berc isn't good. We don't have any noteworthy WR's, Foster might as well not even suit up and the line is a mess.
On defense, I'm tired of watching Graham and his frantic antics on the sidelines, jumping up and down calling last second plays while the defense is shifting all over the place and never seems set and in place! It's laughable and so juvenile!!
UCLA and Utah are going to rip this team the shreds... Graham is going to have a TON to answer to when this debacle of a season is over. I would seriously call out Norvell too... I really believe he is a huge part of the problem...

No he's not, well said on all points. I didn't think he was good last year but hype and endearment is what you get when you win a couple of games on lucky last minute miracles.

Honestly, no exagurration, I cant recall a defense that was worse about wrapping up and tackling. This might be the most undisciplined team as far as fundamentals go that I have ever seen. Have their been worse teams? Ofcourse! But just the total lack of effort all over the field is mind boggling.

It's like they totally bought into their own hype (remember when this was a playoff team? lol Preseason polls FTW) and as soon as things went bad it's like they pout and want a do-over. That is exactly how they were in the 4th quarter of the A&M game.

The sloppy fumbles the sloppy snaps, the sloppy interceptions, the sloppy special teams, missed field goals. Seriously, they are terrible. It's sad. ASU fans deserve better.

UofA didn't surprise me at all either, I said in the other thread before the game... UCLA is way better, as was evidenced tonight.

 

[Zobaczcie suki]

Really was hoping I'd be proven wrong. But honestly, this team and the coaching is actually worse than I feared.
Graham's "system" on both offense and defense is atrocious. Graham doesn't even pay attention on offense. I have no clue what Norvell wants to do on offense... Berc isn't good. We don't have any noteworthy WR's, Foster might as well not even suit up and the line is a mess.
On defense, I'm tired of watching Graham and his frantic antics on the sidelines, jumping up and down calling last second plays while the defense is shifting all over the place and never seems set and in place! It's laughable and so juvenile!!
UCLA and Utah are going to rip this team the shreds... Graham is going to have a TON to answer to when this debacle of a season is over. I would seriously call out Norvell too... I really believe he is a huge part of the problem...

I hear you, but Graham and Norvell didn't turn the ball over 4 times. They should get a share of the blame on that fumble from the shotgun, but we just made a lot of stupid bone headed plays. that 21 point swing before the half was huge and all turnover and bad decision based.

Berco's int was inexusable. He also hits Kohl for what looked like a wide open 40 yarder, Kohl drops it. He has Ballage wide open running behind the secondary, and underthrows him. Just a lot of stupid stupid stuff that made the game more lopsided than it should of been. Then you throw in the sheer athleticism of USC's playmakers when they had the ball, and it got a bit ridiculous.

And even the missed field goals, what's going on there?

We did a great job against USC's run game, and our own running game looked very strong. But it didn't matter due to the things I mentioned.

All the mistakes, I can only think our team isn't where it needs to be mentally. Perhaps that is a coaching problem. And certainly Graham does seem to be gambling too much on third down because we were constantly burned.

 

[CardsFan88]

Bercovici can't run Norvell's offense, so if they try to, he'll fail. They then have to try something else, and while Norvell is not a good OC, he is even worse when he can't run his system.

We are missing Jalen Strong big time, we have no other top flight WR. Foster a nice quick guy, but he can't do what Strong did on the outside to open up everything else. We lack receivers.

...and remember folks, Kirk wanted to be a Sun Devil, but Graham and the Sun Devils barely showed any interest. From what I understand at the Saguaro pro-days, the big schools sent their guys continuously, and Kirk saw Kevin Sumlin there many times, showing interest, but Graham couldn't drive to Scottsdale literally a few miles up Scottsdale/Rural road and one over to Hayden? You guys don't understand. The other schools (big top schools) showed up, showed up regularly, and were vast in numbers, including head coaches. At times if their HC didn't come, their OC/DC would come. ASU barely came, and would come with the weakest contingent, many times a low level assistant. That's why people aren't coming here. Other schools, big schools, top schools, want AZ's talent players more then Graham does. Consequently many of their guys are playing D1 football not at ASU. In fact the entire line of Saguaro has D1 offers.

I'd also like to add then when I used ESPN's ranking I have to say, those are very much incomplete. The picture is actually far worse, as many great college and later NFL players are never rated in any publication, or in many other cases, only in someone's you're not looking at. In other words, the guys on those lists aren't the only ones playing meaningful D1 ball. Think of it this way, it's like saying you read the pre-NFL draft board grades but then never look at the actual draft. So lots of guys slip through the cracks. D1 teams are pulling alot of talent out of Arizona that isn't making the prep sites. ASU simply isn't with it on this front.

Will it get better? I don't know. Why are we really starting Bercovici? We hear all the time that it's because he's earned it. Ok... I get that, but it doesn't answer the question as to WHY three years into a program, we are having to start a stop-gap QB who is coming back after graduating? Does anyone really think Bercovici would be starting if we had a worthy successor ready to step in? He earned it, because we didn't have anyone else.

The reason I bring it up is because at the time ASU chose Manny Wilkins to supposedly run Norvell's offense yet where is he? I haven't heard anything about him or his progress.

Now I'm not saying fire Graham or anything, but we need to start doing a much better job showing interest in our top guys, as we're letting them go, and they're burning us. Who is behind Bercovici? Who is the future? This is year three, and now we're starting to see how well or not Graham recruits, and right now I don't see evidence of a starting QB about to emerge. I see us still trying to hold onto Erickson's recruits for one last ride, and that should concern us as fans, especially since how much Bercovici doesn't fit Norvell's offense.

 

[MaoTosiFanClub]

There's nothing particularly wrong with ASU. They'll probably go 7-5 which is about what their talent level is. The problem was the Kool Aid served by the coach and AD before the season and how drunk the fanbase got on it. This was never a championship team, not sure I see a 2016 NFL Draft pick out there.

 

[Zobaczcie suki]

I appreciate your comments 88, but when you say on Kirk that "Graham and the Sun Devils barely showed any interest", isn't that overstated? I am pretty sure I have read the opposite on other websites and that Graham and the staff would have loved to have Kirk at ASU.

What is your connection to the Saguaro program?

 

[Zobaczcie suki]

There's nothing particularly wrong with ASU. They'll probably go 7-5 which is about what their talent level is. The problem was the Kool Aid served by the coach and AD before the season and how drunk the fanbase got on it. This was never a championship team, not sure I see a 2016 NFL Draft pick out there.

So, how did U of A do Saturday?

 

[MaoTosiFanClub]

So, how did U of A do Saturday?

A little less poorly than you did and we also weren't talking Heismans and playoffs before the season so that's why you're not seeing a meltdown. If UA wins big anytime soon it will be 2016 and not sure I even buy that. You are who you are.

 

[overseascardfan]

So I just read a tweet from Kalen Ballage over on ASU Rivals site, that was very Markieff Morris like. But unlike Markieff, I actually agree with Ballage. These college kids aren't getting paid so they aren't overpaid superstars who can justify poor performance because fans are paying their salaries in a sense. Ballage's tweet came as a reaction of fan's mass exodus of the stadium well before the end of the game. As an ASU alum, if I paid for a ticket (I know that they aren't cheap these days) I would be staying until the end of the game no matter what to get my money's worth but Ballage was disappointed in his perception of a lack of fan support when the game got out of hand. I can see his point as he mentions that the players aren't purposely trying to get their asses handed to them so fans showing support really means a lot as the player's are already disappointed in themselves. Fans leaving the stadium like that also leaves a bad perception to top recruits in attendance as they feel the fans won't support them if they have a bad game if they come here.

Like FArting, I am not giving up on ASU. Graham may feel this year's team is the best he had at ASU because they may potentially be as talented if not more than his past teams but its on the coaching staff to get that potential out of them. From what I've read about practices, the players are giving their all so it doesn't seem like ASU is resting on the hype that has been placed on them by the media. The players repeatedly referred to themselves as a brotherhood and a family on and off the field so its not like egos are a problem.

ASU needs to regroup and overcome that poor performance last night because they have to take on a UCLA team that destroyed UA last night and did the same thing in Tempe last year but this time they will be on the road.

 

[Zobaczcie suki]

A little less poorly than you did and we also weren't talking Heismans and playoffs before the season so that's why you're not seeing a meltdown. If UA wins big anytime soon it will be 2016 and not sure I even buy that. You are who you are.

A little less poorly, that's a joke. And you still have the audacity to come in here and mouth off. Wow.

 

[MaoTosiFanClub]

A little less poorly, that's a joke. And you still have the audacity to come in here and mouth off. Wow.

We'll it's true. We were only down 28 at half to a better team vs 35. But I addressed UA's pathetic performance on that board, both were an embarrassment.

If you guys weren't completely delusional about your program there wouldn't be much anything to mouth off about since Arizona as last night and decades of performance have proved is a similar program. But it's your completely inflated perception of your program that leaves you so open to ridicule. You can't really make fun of us for being barely above average since we know that's who we are.

 

[Zobaczcie suki]

We'll it's true. We were only down 28 at half to a better team vs 35. But I addressed UA's pathetic performance on that board, both were an embarrassment.

If you guys weren't completely delusional about your program there wouldn't be much anything to mouth off about since Arizona as last night and decades of performance have proved is a similar program. But it's your completely inflated perception of your program that leaves you so open to ridicule. You can't really make fun of us for being barely above average since we know that's who we are.

I don't buy it. We were a few stupid mistakes away from a much closer game.

And I just love how you come in here and take a few comments and attribute them to the whole ASU fanbase and start mouthing off. I don't know what they included in your erducation in Tucson, but apparently you skipped the logic class.

 

[Mainstreet]

Bercovici can't run Norvell's offense, so if they try to, he'll fail. They then have to try something else, and while Norvell is not a good OC, he is even worse when he can't run his system.

We are missing Jalen Strong big time, we have no other top flight WR. Foster a nice quick guy, but he can't do what Strong did on the outside to open up everything else. We lack receivers.

Your first two points about the Sun Devils offense is spot on.

 

[Iceman]

So I just read a tweet from Kalen Ballage over on ASU Rivals site, that was very Markieff Morris like. But unlike Markieff, I actually agree with Ballage. These college kids aren't getting paid so they aren't overpaid superstars who can justify poor performance because fans are paying their salaries in a sense. Ballage's tweet came as a reaction of fan's mass exodus of the stadium well before the end of the game. As an ASU alum, if I paid for a ticket (I know that they aren't cheap these days) I would be staying until the end of the game no matter what to get my money's worth but Ballage was disappointed in his perception of a lack of fan support when the game got out of hand. I can see his point as he mentions that the players aren't purposely trying to get their asses handed to them so fans showing support really means a lot as the player's are already disappointed in themselves. Fans leaving the stadium like that also leaves a bad perception to top recruits in attendance as they feel the fans won't support them if they have a bad game if they come here.

Like FArting, I am not giving up on ASU. Graham may feel this year's team is the best he had at ASU because they may potentially be as talented if not more than his past teams but its on the coaching staff to get that potential out of them. From what I've read about practices, the players are giving their all so it doesn't seem like ASU is resting on the hype that has been placed on them by the media. The players repeatedly referred to themselves as a brotherhood and a family on and off the field so its not like egos are a problem.

ASU needs to regroup and overcome that poor performance last night because they have to take on a UCLA team that destroyed UA last night and did the same thing in Tempe last year but this time they will be on the road.

Top recruits are not going come after that showing anyways. Plus it was so hot and when they got there butts kicked, I would presume they aren't signing here. I don't blame people for leaving. I left. Being a former athlete (at ASU) I did not expect fans to stay when we were getting blown out. It is a total let down of what I expected for this game. I understand it happens, but why would I want to stay for a game that was obviously over at halftime? If that game was 28-7 at halftime, I'm staying. 35-0 against a team like that, there is not much more I want to see. IMO

 

[82CardsGrad]

Top recruits are not going come after that showing anyways. Plus it was so hot and when they got there butts kicked, I would presume they aren't signing here. I don't blame people for leaving. I left. Being a former athlete (at ASU) I did not expect fans to stay when we were getting blown out. It is a total let down of what I expected for this game. I understand it happens, but why would I want to stay for a game that was obviously over at halftime? If that game was 28-7 at halftime, I'm staying. 35-0 against a team like that, there is not much more I want to see. IMO

Yup... Play better. It's that simple. Play better and we'll stick around. I don't give a damn what the players say or feel when they see the backsides of fans in the 3rd quarter. You suck that much, guess what - nobody will stick around and watch. Period.

 

[ajcardfan]

That usc team is not particularly special. They have had far better teams in the past. So, that is why it is so concerning that they just hammered ASU in the first half. ASU was so tight you could almost hear their butts squeak as they walked around.

Being that tight is all on the coaches. USC had the swagger, ASU was flatter than a tortilla and played like they did not believe in the game plan.

 

[82CardsGrad]

That usc team is not particularly special. They have had far better teams in the past. So, that is why it is so concerning that they just hammered ASU in the first half. ASU was so tight you could almost hear their butts squeak as they walked around.

Being that tight is all on the coaches. USC had the swagger, ASU was flatter than a tortilla and played like they did not believe in the game plan.

Yes, this USC is not anything special... And yet, they have a far better QB, far better RB's, far better WR's, far better o-line, far better d-line, far better LBers, far better safeties and corners, and a far better kicker and punter. Oh, and as much as I hate Sark, based on what I saw, they have far better coaching!

 

[Mainstreet]

That usc team is not particularly special. They have had far better teams in the past. So, that is why it is so concerning that they just hammered ASU in the first half. ASU was so tight you could almost hear their butts squeak as they walked around.

Being that tight is all on the coaches. USC had the swagger, ASU was flatter than a tortilla and played like they did not believe in the game plan.

There was no excuse for this. It's not like this is the first time for the Sun Devils to play USC. Actually they won their previous two meetings. Getting beat is one thing but playing tight is another.

Sooner or later I think the Sun Devils change QBs.

 

[82CardsGrad]

Being "tight" had nothing to do with this debacle... Bottom line is this team that Graham touted as his "best yet", is one of the least talented teams I've seen from the Devils in a very long time. They literally suck.
Worse, both Graham and Norvell are being exposed each game. Their respective units are being outplayed, out-schemed and out-coached. If this team wins 6 games this season, I would be surprised...