Northern Arizona Vs. Arizona State Football: Devils Score Seven Rushing Touchdowns In 63-6 Drubbing Of Lumberjacks

• 10 months ago
• Article
• 0 comments

1. Link
2. Facebook
3. Twitter

Todd Graham Comes Out Of Gate Looking Better Than Rich Rodriguez

• 10 months ago
• Update
• 0 comments

1. Link
2. Facebook
3. Twitter

Arizona State Vs. Northern Arizona: Todd Graham's Postgame Locker Room Speech

Arizona State opened the season with an emphatic 63-6 win over Northern Arizona on Thursday night at Sun Devil Stadium. In his first game as head coach, Graham's Sun Devils racked up 554 yards while holding their opponent to 237. ASU's defense forced three turnovers, including an interception that linebacker and team captain Brandon Magee returned 45 yards for a touchdown.

Following the game, Graham spoke to his team about what they had just done and what there was to do going forward.

"Obviously, we dominated a team we should dominate," Graham told the team. "But we totally dominated a team we should dominate."

Watch the video below to see Graham's whole speech as well as Magee presenting the game ball and the sledgehammer for one player to start the new tradition of breaking the rock.

Get more Sun Devils coverage at House of Sparky. You can also check out everything we have to offer at SB Nation's college football hub.

• 10 months ago
• Article
• 0 comments

1. Link
2. Facebook
3. Twitter

Arizona State Vs. Northern Arizona: 5 Keys For A Sun Devil Victory

• 10 months ago
• Update
• 0 comments

1. Link
2. Facebook
3. Twitter

Northern Arizona Vs. Arizona State 2012: Game Time, TV Schedule And More

The Arizona State football program is ushering in a new era as Todd Graham coaches his first game for the Sun Devils against the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks Thursday night at Sun Devil Stadium.

ASU went 6-7 last season under the former Dennis Erickson regime, and even though Graham went 6-7 with Pitt last year, the change brought by him is palpable with the players and fans, hoping to get back to their previous winning ways.

As for NAU, it went 4-7 last season in FCS play, and will be the second straight season it starts against a Pac-12 team. It was blown out by Arizona 41-10 last season.

Where: Sun Devil Stadium, Tempe, Ariz.

When: 7:30 p.m. PT Thursday

TV Coverage: Pac-12 Network

Radio Coverage: KMVP 860 AM

You can check out ASU's complete football schedule here.

For more in-depth discussion and top notch analysis of the Arizona State Sun Devils, please make sure to check out House of Sparky. For more on college football in general, head over to SB Nation's dedicated college football hub.

• 10 months ago
• Update
• 0 comments

1. Link
2. Facebook
3. Twitter

ASU Football Injury Update: Middlebrooks, Adams Out Against NAU

Arizona State Sun Devils receiver Kyle Middlebrooks and defensive tackle Corey Adams are expected to be the only players out of Thursday's game against the NAU Lumberjacks, head coach Todd Graham said at a press conference on Monday.

Adams has a problematic back, but isn't expected to be out more than a few weeks. Middlebrooks, a 5'9 junior, is recovering from a shoulder injury.

"I don't think that either one of those guys will play. Corey, which I'm pretty fired up about, is feeling a lot better today. I think it's going to be soon that he will get back. I think that we could probably play Kyle if we wanted to this weekend, but we probably will not."

Senior running back James Morrison and defensive end Toa Tuitea have been wearing no-contact jerseys in practice, but Graham said that both should be available in the season opener.

For more on ASU football, check out House of Sparky or hit up SB Nation's college football hub.

• 10 months ago
• Update
• 0 comments

1. Link
2. Facebook
3. Twitter

ASU Football: QB Taylor Kelly Ready For The Spotlight

As the Arizona State Sun Devils prepare for their season opener against Northern Arizona on Thursday, starting quarterback Taylor Kelly is chomping at the bit to get out on the field and start playing games that matter once again.

"I'm ready, I'm really excited for Thursday," Kelly said Tuesday. "I worked hard for it over the summer and during spring and it's finally here, so let's take advantage of it."

Kelly will be the fifth different starting quarterback for the Sun Devils in the last five season-opening games. Nevertheless, he will go through the gambit of emotions before he takes center stage down in Tempe:

"I'm going to have butterflies, I'm going to have excitement, the crowd is gonna be going, there's going to be chills," he said. "I can't wait."

Kick off at Sun Devil stadium is set for 7:30 p.m. PT.

For more in depth discussion and analysis of the Arizona State Sun Devils, make sure that you check out House of Sparky. For more on NCAA football in general, please check out SB Nation's dedicated college football hub.

• 10 months ago
• Article
• 0 comments

1. Link
2. Facebook
3. Twitter

Which Uniform Combos Should ASU Football Use This Season? We Give Our Takes

• 10 months ago
• Update
• 0 comments

1. Link
2. Facebook
3. Twitter

ASU Football: QB Taylor Kelly To Start Opener, Michael Eubank Will Play Too

The Arizona State Sun Devils are going to be playing two quarterbacks in their season-opener against the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks. Taylor Kelly won the starting job a few weeks ago, but Michael Eubank should also see some time in the season-opener. Here is what Arizona State head coach Todd Graham had to say about this particular arrangement in today's press conference.

"Taylor will be the every down guy and Mike (Eubank) is going to play as he progresses. Eubank’s package is going to continue to grow. We are going to have Taylor do the things he does well and Mike do the things he does well. We are pretty comfortable using two quarterbacks but I do think that Taylor will get the majority of the reps. It wont be half and half. It will be more like two-thirds and a third. Here’s the thing, if I call a play and it works, obviously I am going to call that play again. It depends on what’s working. I’m hoping we can play 80-plus plays with Taylor playing 50 and Mike playing about 30."

Kelly is probably the most complete of the three quarterbacks. He has a good grasp of the playbook and can take command of the offense the best, which is why he'll be starting the majority of the snaps. However, Eubank does provide some tantalizing upside. Although his passing needs some work, his running skills could come in very handy for Graham's offense. ASU will be all about up-tempo offense and attacking in all phases of the game, and Eubank could provide that additional dimension with his run attack to complement Kelly's all-around ability and Cameron Marshall's feature-back status.

Talk about ASU football by heading on over to House of Sparky. Hit up the SB Nation college football hub for more coverage of NCAA football action.

• 10 months ago
• Article
• 0 comments

1. Link
2. Facebook
3. Twitter

Todd Graham Expecting Great Crowd Against NAU, And Will Get It (But It Won't Be Big)

• 10 months ago
• Update
• 0 comments

1. Link
2. Facebook
3. Twitter

ASU Football: Taylor Kelly, Michael Eubank Will Split Snaps At QB In Season-Opener

Here are the latest reports from ASU fall practice in preparation for the first game of the season against Northern Arizona. Doug Haller of the Arizona Republic has some of the quotes from ASU head coach Todd Graham's media meeting today, and he's tweeted some of the important notes.

Taylor Kelly won the starting quarterback job, but he will not be getting all the reps during the game. Michael Eubank is expected to play a bit too. Right now Graham has the break down at 50 plays for Kelly and Eubank gets 30, so the Sun Devils will split their quarterbacks about 62.5%-37.5% during the game as of this moment.

Graham still has some big concerns about defensive discipline and giving up big plays.

With regards to injuries, defensive tackle Corey Adams is not scheduled to play Thursday, although he is feeling better today and he may return soon. Wide receiver Kyle Middlebrooks likely won't play.

Talk about Kelly and Eubank with Sun Devil fans at House of Sparky. Hit up the SB Nation NCAA football hub for more comprehensive college football coverage.

• 10 months ago
• Update
• 0 comments

1. Link
2. Facebook
3. Twitter

ASU Football Team Names Cameron Marshall, Brandon Magee, 2 Others Captains

Arizona State football coach Todd Graham named four seniors as season captains of the Sun Devils' squad on Sunday. Linebacker Brandon Magee, safety Keelan Johnson, running back Cameron Marshall and guard Andrew Sampson are all the leadership figures for the team.

The Arizona Central reports Todd Graham was initially thinking on going with two captains on the year, but said there was no way he could separate the four players.

"I'm so proud of Keelan,'' Graham said. "That surprised me. I'm not lying to you. He's very well deserving. But when I first came in here I did not think that Keelan would be a captain. That surprised me and he was a great pick.

Graham will rely heavily on his captains to help pilot a squad he took over in December last year. The Sun Devils started 2011 6-2 and looked poised to win the Pac-12 South, only to lose their final four regular season games and send coach Dennis Erickson packing.

The biggest thing I'm asking them to do is be courageous. That means they need to be the hardest-working player on the field. That means they need to be the most-disciplined player on the field. That means they're going to get coached harder, strained harder, yelled at harder than anybody out here. And I expect them to lead and show everybody how you handle adversity. The ante just went up for those guys

Follow this link the Arizona Central to view some interviews with the four captains.

For more on the Arizona State Sun Devils football program, head over to House of Sparky and join the discussion.