The next time Herm Edwards addresses the media, it will be following his team’s first game. That contest, now just three days away, is shaping up to be nothing short of a party in Tempe.
With Sun Devil fans back in the stands for the first time since November of 2019, there will be no shortage of energy for the matchup with Southern Utah (0-1). Edwards discussed the excitement, some personnel news and more ahead of the big day.
“We’re excited to play football, you’re excited to watch football, it was great to watch some college football this past week. I cant wait to have fans in the stands, it’s fun to see them.”
As you’d expect, Edwards and the entire program won’t come out and say they expect to beat the brakes off a far inferior Southern Utah squad. He offered some insight into the Thunderbirds, and how ASU is preparing for them.
“They played a lot of close games last year that they just couldn’t finish. They play a style of defense where they bring some pressure, they have some good coverage corners and a great linebacker (La’akea Kaho’ohanohano-Davis). We better be able to block. Their QB does a nice job getting the ball out of his hands, not a guy that turns the ball over at all really. They’ll come in here with a chip on their shoulder after not playing up to their potential in the first game.”
While the starters are solid at nearly every position for the Sun Devils, questions about the team’s depth have come to the forefront. Edwards delivered news on two rotational offensive linemen who may miss significant time.
“He might retire,” Edwards said of redshirt freshman OL Triston Miller. “Thats something we’ve been talking about, so we’ll see where that’s at.”
In addition to Miller, redshirt junior Ralph Frías is also away from the team at this time. He’s dealing with a “personal medical issue.”
Stay Low and Wrap Up
“You’re always concerned with tackling on opening day, because of the way we practice now. We don’t have enough players where we can practice tackling live all the time. There will be some missed tackles no doubt, I think it gets better as we go on.”
In typical Herm Edwards fashion, the fourth-year head coach took a question and tan with it, answering a simple redshirt inquiry with a minutes long tangent regarding sideline etiquette, attire, and those who dress and don’t.
“We have to get used to our sideline procedure. We don’t want the guys who are sitting on the bench drinking all the gatorade when the starters come off the field! It sounds silly, but it’s really not. You don’t need to sit on top of the bench, try to coach your buddy, drink all the gatorade. I can’t look at the bench, I gotta look on the field!”
If ASU fans can count on one thing out of their program, it’s that Herm Edwards will rarely conduct a dull press conference.