Herm Edwards Has Resurrected Defense, Attitude at Arizona State
With a 2-0 record, first-year head coach Herm Edwards has built something special at Arizona State.
The Arizona State Sun Devils played No. 15 Michigan State on Saturday evening in front of a blacked-out crowd of ASU supporters. And while there weren’t a ton of points from either side, the game was definitely entertaining and a legitimate benchmark for the Arizona State football program. The Sun Devils beat Michigan State 16-13 on a field goal as time expired.
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Herm Edwards, the first-year head coach of the Sun Devils, proved that he still knows how to coach and build a culture. He did it once as the head coach of the New York Jets — taking them to three playoff appearances in his first four seasons after just one in their previous nine — and now, it appears he has something special brewing in Tempe.
Arizona State’s offense wasn’t much of a concern coming into the season. When you have an All-American wide receiver (N’Keal Harry) and an experienced senior quarterback (Manny Wilkins), it’s sort of par for the course. Their defense, on the other hand, was a question mark to the nth degree. In 2017, the unit was a laughingstock, ranking No. 109 in yards allowed per game and No. 88 in points allowed per game. This year, they returned less than a handful of starters.
Herm Edwards, through two games, has hushed the naysayers. His defense has allowed just 20 points in eight quarters, forced countless turnovers, and put endless pressure on the quarterback. Merlin Robertson, a freshman linebacker that Herm personally signed off on in the offseason, has been a menace so far in the middle of their defense. Additionally, the group gang tackles like well-coached teams are supposed to and their motors never stop.
Edwards: "This was an old-time pro football game, this wasn't a college game. This was a rock em sock em game. It was comfortable for me."
— DevilsDigest.com (@DevilsDigest) September 9, 2018
Besides the defense, the attitude in Tempe is totally different, too. If you were watching the game on Saturday night, you probably noticed that the Sun Devils never quit. They bent, sure, but they came up with defensive stops, special teams heroics, and big offensive plays whenever needed. The team believed they would win the game, and they did — one of the biggest Arizona State wins I can remember.
Herm Edwards NFL Coaching Highlights. light. Read
On top of everything, anyone who thought Herm Edwards forgot how to coach needs to look at how he managed the clock at the end. They killed three minutes inside Michigan State’s 30-yard line before Brandon Ruiz kicked the game-winning field goal. It was brilliant, and a sign that the Arizona State football program is headed in the right direction.
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