SB Nation Arizona - Arizona State Vs. Missouri: Sun Devils Look To Tame Tigers

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

2012-09-15T14:00:29Z

The Arizona State Sun Devils are in for a difficult test on the road as they look to remain undefeated against the Missouri Tigers at Faurot Field.

The Devils are 2-0 after a pair of blowouts against Northern Arizona and Illinois to start the season, though the Tigers are coming off a big loss to Georgia by the score of 41-20 and will be looking to make a statement on Saturday with a big win. ASU won their meeting with Missouri last year in Tempe by the score of 37-30 in overtime.

Here is what you need to know:

Time: Saturday, Sept. 15, 7 p.m. ET

Location: Faurot Field, Columbia, MO

TV Coverage: ESPN2

Online Streaming: WatchESPN

Radio Coverage: KTAR 620 AM

Betting Line: Missouri is favored by 7 points

For more on the Arizona State Sun Devils, make sure that you check out House of Sparky. For the Missouri Tigers side of the story, head on over to Rock M Nation. For more on college football in general, make sure that you head over to SB Nation's dedicated college football hub.

ASU Vs. Missouri: James Franklin A Game-Time Decision, According To Report

2012-09-14T22:16:59Z

It's looking like Arizona State might get a reprieve at quarterback for the second straight week. After Illinois quarterback Nathan Scheelhaase was not able to go in the decisive Sun Devils victory last week, Missouri Tigers signal-caller James Franklin might be out this week as well.

Here were the current reports.

In response to rumors, Mizzou source tells me Missouri plans on starting Corbin Berkstresser at QB tomorrow vs. ASU, Franklin questionable.
— Ashley Zavala (@ZavalaA) September 14, 2012

Can confirm @zavalaa's report that #Mizzou QB James Franklin is a game-time decision because he's dealing with a sore shoulder.
— Eric Blumberg (@BlumbergOTB) September 14, 2012

Dave Matter of the Columbia Daily Tribune filed this report as well.

Missouri has declined comment on speculation that backup quarterback Corbin Berkstresser will replace injured starter James Franklin tomorrow against Arizona State. In an email to the Tribune, MU team spokesman Chad Moller said the team will not confirm any speculation unless there's substantive news to report.

If Franklin is unable to go, Corbin Berkstresser will start at quarterback on Saturday against the Sun Devils. Berkstresser completed all five passes in relief of Franklin in a rout of Southeastern Louisiana, and had to spell Franklin for a few plays against Georgia when the starter's helmet popped off.

Franklin played very well against Arizona State last year, completing over 60% of his passes, throwing for over 300 yards, and piling up two touchdowns in an overtime loss in Tempe.

Talk about the ASU-Missouri game with Sun Devil fans at House of Sparky and with Tiger fans at Rock M Nation.

Speak of the Devils Podcast: ASU vs. Missouri Preview & Illinois Victory Recap

2012-09-13T01:30:07Z

Can you feel it?

ASU is now 2-0 and the new era of Arizona State football is taking a hold in Tempe. The team is Speaking Victory fluently.

Will it continue as the team heads to SEC country for their first road game of the year?

After catching you up on the latest news, we break down the Sun Devils' impressive performance in their win over Illinois. We examine the biggest moments, the key plays and how ASU was able to engineer such a dominant performance.

We then have a chat with Bill Connelly, editor of RockMNation.com and a Missouri Tigers insider. He provdes terrific insight to the SEC's newest member and ASU's stiffest challenge to date.

Armed with that knowledge, we then go in-depth to break down Saturday's huge game in Columbia. We identify the keys to the game, the critical match-ups, and what ASU must do to win..or what they can do to lose.

Click here to stream, or listen via iTunes or on Stitcher Radio

ASU Football: Freshman Linebacker Carlos Mendoza Out For Season

2012-09-12T12:00:32Z

Arizona State freshman linebacker Carlos Mendoza will miss the rest of the 2012 season due to a shoulder injury he suffered in the second quarter of ASU's win against Illinois.

The shoulder injury wasn't initially thought to be season-ending, but further tests revealed a bone chip that will force Mendoza to have surgery.

"We thought it would be a deal where we could just strengthen it. But they went and did an MRI and he had a bone chip, so he's going to have surgery," Arizona State coach Todd Graham said, according to AZCentral.com. "He'll be able to get a medical redshirt. He was really down about it and we were, too, but I told him we'd be real happy five years from now."

Mendoza, who was ranked as a 3-star prospect by both Scout.com and Rivals.com, was already proving to be an impact player for the Sun Devils. He intercepted two passes against Illinois, despite going out with the injury during the second quarter.

For more information on Sun Devils football and to join the fan conversation, head on over to House of Sparky.

Brandon Magee Injury: Linebacker Returns To Practice

2012-09-12T11:30:04Z

Arizona State senior linebacker Brandon Magee returned to practice Tuesday after missing the Sun Devils' game against Illinois with concussion symptoms.

Magee reportedly suffered the concussion during practice and wasn't cleared by team doctors after he failed a concussion test. Magee, who missed all of last season with an Achilles injury, is expected to play a key role for the Sun Devil defense this season. After missing ASU's 45-14 win against Illinois, he is ready to return to the field as the Sun Devils prepare to face Missouri on Saturday.

"Put it like this: I am more fired up than I've ever been in my life,'' Magee said Tuesday, according to AZCentral.com. "Sitting out last week, that hurt, man. I'm tired of sitting out; I just need to handle my business. I'm ready to go."

He has already proven to be an impact player for the Sun Devils this season, scoring a touchdown on a 45-yard interception return in ASU's season opener against Northern Arizona.

For more information on Sun Devils football and to join the fan conversation, head on over toHouse of Sparky.

Arizona State's Deantre Lewis On Defense: 'I Guess It's A New Era For Me'

2012-09-12T02:40:36Z

Arizona State football player Deantre Lewis came in as a highly recruited running back, but due to a crowded backfield he'll get a chance to hit the field on defense.

Lewis ran for 539 yards and four touchdowns as a freshman in 2010 but redshirted last season after being involved in a shooting. Now that the Sun Devils have a full stable of running backs and the defense is a bit thin in the ranks, Lewis is getting to fufill a dream of playing defense.

Coach Todd Graham was impressed with Lewis' practice as he worked on nickel and dime packages. Lewis jumped at the opportunity to just get on the field.

"I want to play defense," he said Tuesday after practice, his first as a defensive back. "I've been wanting to play defense for awhile now. I guess it's a new era for me."

Unfortunately for the Missouri Tigers, the Sun Devils' Week 3 opponents, Lewis is using his shooting as an outlet to go buck wild on defense.

"Especially after my shooting, I have a lot of anger built in me. I feel like I can use it on my opponents and hitting them and stuff. I feel like that's a good move for me."

Lewis has not played defense since high school. He did not play in Week 2's 45-14 victory over Illinois. On the year he has tallied 12 yards on four rushing attempts.

Get more Sun Devils coverage at House of Sparky.

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Arizona State RB Deantre Lewis Will Get A Look On Defense

2012-09-10T22:40:47Z

The 2-0 Arizona State Sun Devils are solid in the offensive backfield with Cameron Marshall and freshman D.J. Foster plus multi-purpose player Jamal Miles, so touches are limited for Deantre Lewis.

With that in mind, plus the need for depth in the secondary, Sun Devils coach Todd Graham is exploring the possibility of moving Lewis to the other side of the ball.

The safety and cornerback starters are set for now, as is the nickel corner position. Lewis could be the third offensive player on the team to move to defense in light of injuries to other defensive backs on the depth chart.

Here's what Graham had to say in SB Nation Arizona's Sun Devils blog, House of Sparky:

"I think Deantre can still do the things he is doing on the offense. We have a whole arsenal of guys there. Deantre is a team guy and came to me and said if you need me to help you, I'll help you, so we are going to look and try and see if he can help us there, if not in-depth than in a certain package or a way like that."

Stay tuned to see how this experiment goes.

For more information on Sun Devils football and to join the fan conversation, head on over to House of Sparky.

Pac-12 Power Rankings: USC Trojans Lead, Arizona Schools Surge Towards Top

2012-09-10T18:07:46Z

We are now two weeks into the college football season and there are already plenty of intriguing storylines to keep an eye on. The Pac-12 has been as impressive as any conference in the nation, especially last weekend as Arizona, Oregon State and UCLA all pulled upsets over ranked opponents from the Big 10 or Big 12. USC and Oregon look like two juggernauts offensively, while Washington and Utah remain very dangerous despite tough road losses.

Here is a look at SB Nation Arizona's Pac-12 power rankings as of Sept. 10, 2012.

1. USC Trojans (2-0)

The Trojans were a little sloppy at times against Syracuse, especially on defense. This being said, the offensive numbers speak for themselves and a win is a win. We'll see what Matt Barkley and Co. are really made of as they travel to Stanford this weekend. USC is ranked No. 2 in the AP Poll.

2. Oregon Ducks (2-0)

Another game, another blowout for the Ducks. They led Fresno State 35-6 at the half and put it into cruise control the rest of the way, winning 42-25 with their backups playing nearly all of the final two quarters. They'll likely see similar results this weekend as they welcome in Tennessee Tech to town. Oregon is ranked 4th in the AP Poll.

3. Stanford Cardinal (2-0)

After struggling a bit in their season opener against San Jose St., the Cardinal impressed against Duke and exploded for 50 points in their second game without Andrew Luck around. Stanford moved up four spots in the AP Poll and are now ranked 21st. A huge test against USC awaits the Cardinal this weekend in Palo Alto.

4. UCLA Bruins (2-0)

The Bruins went back and forth with a very talented Nebraska team and pulled out a 36-30 victory late in the fourth quarter. UCLA has a favorable schedule the next month and could make some noise in the South. They are currently ranked 22nd in the AP Poll.

5. Arizona Wildcats (2-0)

Rich Rodriguez and the Wildcats nearly stumbled in their season opener, needing overtime to beat a talented Toledo team that won nine games last year. Despite falling behind early to Oklahoma State this past weekend, Arizona hung in before their offense exploded for a 59-38 upset win over the nationally-ranked Cowboys. UA is now ranked 24th in the AP Poll.

6. Arizona St. Sun Devils (2-0)

The Todd Graham era in Tempe is off to a solid start, beating up on Northern Arizona and an Illinois team without their starting quarterback. We'll see just how good the Sun Devils are next weekend as they travel to Columbia to face a talented-yet-shorthanded Mizzou team.

7. Washington Huskies (1-1)

Washington did not look great against San Diego St. in their opener and got absolutely pounded by LSU at home over the weekend. It's tough to punish a team for challenging themselves early in the season, but the simple fact is other schools in the conference have looked better than UW to this point. Look for Keith Price and Co. to rebound nicely against Portland State next weekend.

8. Oregon St. Beavers (1-0)

It wasn't pretty, but the Beavers upset No. 13 Wisconsin by a score of 10-7 to open their season. Is it a sign of things to come, or did they catch a young Badgers team napping? We'll find out shortly as a big road test against UCLA now looms.

9. Utah Utes (1-1)

Utah fell in overtime to Utah State on Friday night in front of a pretty raucous crowd. The loss hurts, but there's still a lot to like about this team moving forward. The Utes now prepare for a big game at home with BYU.

10. California Golden Bears (1-1)

The Bears dropped their home opener against a solid Nevada team and then led Southern Utah by three points entering the fourth quarter this past weekend. They ended up winning big, but Jeff Tedford's seat can only be a little bit warmer now.

11. Washington St. Cougars (1-1)

So Mike Leach didn't come in, wave his magical wand and turn Wazzu into a powerhouse overnight. Who would've thunk it? A bad loss at BYU followed by an unimpressive 24-20 win over Eastern Washington isn't exactly the start most were looking for. They'll hit the road to take on a winless UNLV team on Friday night.

12. Colorado Buffaloes (0-2)

It's going to be another long season in Boulder. Two losses in two games with two road games looming, followed by five of their next six against ranked opponents. Yikes.