ASU in the Big D

At the beginning of the season this Saturday’s matchup with Arizona State looked to be a solid test or even referred to as a “trap game” to a good but lesser team.  However, after five weeks of college football, the Irish are just one win above .500 and are sitting outside the polls looking in while the Sun Devils are sitting at 3-1 and # 22 and #24 in the AP and Coaches Polls, respectively.  In addition to all of that, since this game is being played in Texas, it is a huge recruiting opportunity for Brian Kelly and the Notre Dame program.  For the ASU program, this is still an important game but now the question is, is it more important for the Sun Devils to beat the Irish or is it more important for them not to lose to the Irish?

When it comes down to it, it is really quite simple for the Irish on Saturday - win and keep your BCS hopes alive; or lose and slip to .500 and start…well, you can fill in the rest.  And as simple as that sounds, winning on Saturday may even be simpler - stop Arizona State’s quarterback Taylor Kelly.  Kelly is a true dual threat quarterback who had four carries for 79 yards last week against USC, and who has also passed for at least 300 yards in their first four contests.

The Sun Devils may not be the Oregon Ducks, but you had better believe they have a lot of firepower on the offensive side of the ball, ranking 11^th in scoring (44.3 points per game), 15^th in total offense (505 yards per game) and 7^th in passing offense (358.8 yards per game).  ASU’s hurry up offense can score fast and early, which does not play well for the Irish who have shown they have trouble playing from behind.  Arizona State can score; 55 pts., 42 pts., 62 pts., even 32 pts. against #20 Wisconsin who is only giving up 14.6 per game this year.   Coach Todd Graham’s offense will challenge the Irish defense on the perimeter where they have shown to be vulnerable. 

Defensively, the Sun Devils are not has potent at their offense; they’re not terrible but solid.  The bread and butter of their defense had been the defensive tackle Will Sutton and outside linebacker Carl Bradford who combined 24½ sacks last season but only have three so far this year.  This year, outside linebacker Chris Young leads the Sun Devils with 29 tackles.

If the Irish are to win Saturday night, their rushing game will most likely be a big reason.  ASU’s rush defense is ranked 92^nd, giving up 192.3 yards per game.  The run game is also very important because it will eat up clock and most importantly keep Taylor Kelly and the Sun Devils’ offense off the field.  For the run game to be successful for the Irish it would will be important for George Atkinson to continue his good play from last week by making improved decision making on his cuts and not going down on first contact.  We know he’s a speedster and can be long gone if he gets to the outside or to the second level, he just needs to get there.

So this weekend, it’s either back to winning or back to basics.