The Arizona St. Sun Devils take on the Missouri Tigers on Friday evening in a nationally broadcast game on ESPN. The weather forecast is a high of 102 degrees, with a 30% chance of rain and thunderstorms.
The season opener for ASU didn't go smoothly from a heat perspective, as several Devils cramped up during the second half, including quarterback Brock Osweiler. With a gametime temperature of 104 degrees last Thursday against UC Davis, it's not a surprise that the heat was a factor.
"I'm not making excuses up, but that was hot," head coach Dennis Erickson said. "You can drink as much water and gatorade and all that stuff as you want and sometimes you're just going to cramp up."
Osweiler told the media on Monday afternoon that he normally drinks plenty of water, but has increased his daily intake in an effort to stave off that unfamiliar pain.
Erickson seemed confident that his quarterback would be ready to play the full four quarters on Friday night. "Instead of drinking two gallons of that water, he's drinking three [gallons] a day," Erickson added.
"I definitely thought I was hydrated," Osweiler said.
While fans may think that the heat plays to the favor of ASU, that's hardly the case. Missouri is a very difficult place to live in the summertime. Just a month ago, Columbia reached a high of 107 degrees -- with humidity. Don't expect the warm air to play a big role in the proceedings on Friday night.