A look ahead at Arizona State's season opener Saturday at Sun Devil Stadium against the Idaho State Bengals.
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Idaho State at Arizona State
When: 7 p.m. Saturday
Where: Sun Devil Stadium
TV/Radio: FSN Arizona/Sun Devil Radio Network
Records: Idaho State 0-0; Arizona State 0-0
The skinny
Arizona State will be without six or seven players due to suspension. Included in that list is starting defensive end James Brooks (who will miss the first three games) and wide receiver Kerry Taylor. It is unknown which other players will not play. Touted freshman linebacker Vontaze Burfict is also expected to miss the game as he waits for an NCAA ruling on his academic eligibility. The Sun Devils have a lot of youthful talent, and this game could should give a glimpse of their ability. Coach Dennis Erickson has said the offense will feature more passing this year. The Sun Devils might choose to air it out, but don’t look for many tricks in this one. Arizona State won’t want to give anything away for games later in the season. While injuries and suspensions are leaving the Sun Devils depleted, Idaho State shouldn’t pose much of a threat. The Bengals went 1-11 last year and are picked to finish last in the Big Sky Conference. Arizona State has won nine of its past 10 season openers and is 2-0 under Erickson in such games.
Three things to watch
• ASU quarterback Danny Sullivan: After three years of patiently biding his time, it is the senior’s first career start. Sullivan beat out Samson Szakacsy and Brock Osweiler in the spring and fall for the gig, and he’s desperate to show he can be a capable Pac-10 quarterback. Osweiler, a true freshman, will be the backup and could get some time late if the lead is big enough.
• The defense: It’s supposed to be bigger, stronger, faster and deeper than last year’s unit, which was pretty good. Injuries and suspensions to a few key players (Shelly Lyons, Lawrence Guy, James Brooks) might not allow the defense to run at full speed just yet, but it should still dominate Idaho State. The secondary is the biggest concern. Idaho State doesn’t have the speed and athleticism to beat ASU through the air all night, but the defensive backs must limit blown assignments, because those things can come back to bite you big time, especially in important Pac-10 contests.
• Chris McGaha and Gerell Robinson: Both wide receivers struggled last year, McGaha because of a lingering toe injury and Robinson because he was adapting as a true freshman to the college game. McGaha has looked healthy in camp and many have pointed to Robinson as the most improved player on the team. The running game will probably be average this season, and the offensive line has been hit hard by injuries, so the passing game must keep defenses honest. These are two players who can make big contributions, and they’d like to show that in the opener.
Projected starting lineups
Arizona State offense
WR — Gerell Robinson
LT — Shawn Lauvao
LG — Jon Hargis
C — Garth Gerhart
RG — Mike Marcisz
RT — Matt Hustad
TE — Dan Knapp
WR — Kyle Williams
QB — Danny Sullivan
RB — Dimitri Nance
WR — Chris McGaha
Arizona State defense
DE — Dean DeLeone
DT — Lawrence Guy
DT — Saia Falahola
DE — Dexter Davis
OLB — Travis Goethel
MLB — Gerald Munns
OLB — Mike Nixon
CB — Omar Bolden
FS — Jarrell Holman
SS — Keelan Johnson
CB — Pierre Singfield
Idaho State offense
WR — Jaron Taylor
LT — Braeden Clayson
LG — Lance Cartwright
C — Ryan Henry
RG — Mitch Rudder
RT — Brad Shedd
TE — Josh Hill
WR — Isaiah Burel
QB — Kyle Blum
RB — Clint Knickrehm
WR — J.D. Ponciano
Idaho State defense
DE — Jeff Tuua
NT — Demetrius Amos
DT — Jason Jones
DE — Sean Rutten
OLB — Daniel Urias
MLB — J.T. Albers
OLB — A.J. Storms
CB — Keith McGowan
FS — Chris Holmesly
SS — Dustin Tew
CB — Michael Wright
Arizona State schedule
9/5 Idaho State Sun Devil Stadium 7 p.m.
9/19 Louisiana-Monroe Sun Devil Stadium 7 p.m.
9/26 Georgia Sanford Stadium (Athens, Ga.) TBA
10/3 Oregon State Sun Devil Stadium TBA
10/10 Washington State Martin Stadium (Pullman, Wash.) TBA
10/17 Washington Sun Devil Stadium 7:15 p.m.
10/24 Stanford Stanford Stadium (Palo Alto, Calif.) 7:15 p.m.
10/31 California Sun Devil Stadium TBA
11/07 USC Sun Devil Stadium 6 p.m.
11/14 Oregon Autzen Stadium (Eugene, Ore.) TBA
11/21 UCLA Rose Bowl (Pasadena, Calif.) TBA
11/28 Arizona Sun Devil Stadium TBA
