Arizona State vs Colorado: Players To Watch
By Kody Acevedo
Sep 12, 2015; Tempe, AZ, USA; Arizona State Sun Devils running back Demario Richard (4) celebrates after scoring a touchdown in the second quarter against the Cal Poly Mustangs at Sun Devil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Demario Richard has been a tremendous asset for the Sun Devils this year. Just five weeks into the season, Richard has already made an impact in the Arizona State offensive game plan. Some would argue he has been the only bright spot in the Sun Devils’ rather weak offensive game plan.
Richard in 93 carries this season has ran for 508 yards and four touchdowns. He leads all of ASU rushers in those categories. He has also contributed to the passing game. He has carried the ball for 240 yards on 18 receptions and caught two touchdowns.
He’s second-best to DJ Foster (who we’ll mention in a minute – spoiler alert) in receiving stats.
Richard didn’t score against the Bruins but tallied 79 rushing yards and 55 receiving yards for Todd Graham and Mike Bercovici.
Ironically, his best performance of the season was two weeks ago in the Sun Devils’ blowout loss to USC. Richard ran the ball 14 times and picked up 131 yards against the Trojans. He scored the only two touchdowns of the night for the Sun Devils in their 42-14 loss.
Richard has enjoyed much of his success this year at Sun Devil Stadium. 356 of his 508 total rushing yards this year have come in Tempe. He’s also scored six touchdowns overall (four rushing, two receiving) in front of the Sun Devil faithful.
Richard is coming off a tremendous freshman season in which he was named MVP of the Sun Bowl. He scored four touchdowns (two rushing, two receiving) in route to the Sun Devils’ 36-31 win over Duke. That tied a school record for the most touchdowns in ASU bowl game history.
Next: Diminished Role, High Ceiling