That’s What Herm Said: Edwards Previews Season-Opener Against NAU

It is officially game week for the Arizona State Sun Devils, and Herm Edwards had his weekly media availability on Monday. He had a lot to say about the NAU Lumberjacks, his new starting quarterback and managing emotions heading into the season. Let’s take a look:

The Sun Devils are looking at last year’s Arizona-NAU game as a cautionary tale. The Lumberjacks are plenty capable of taking down a Pac-12 opponent again, and the Sun Devils had a slow start in last year’s opener against Southern Utah. They are looking to not repeat that in 2022:

Edwards mentioned that many players and coaches are operating with some anxiety this week, but that may not be a bad thing….

Thursday will be the debut for transfer quarterback Emory Jones. The Sun Devil starter has impressed his teammates and coaches with his ability to adapt to his new setting and will look to be off to the races on Thursday. If there was one area Jones looks to improve from his 2021 campaign, it’s limiting turnovers. His 13 interceptions last year would have led the Pac-12. Limiting those mistakes could help him take that next step as a quarterback and for the Sun Devil offense to hit a new gear.

The Sun Devils’ best offenses under Herm Edwards had a go-to receiver. Whether it was N’Keal Harry, Brandon Aiyuk or Frank Darby, having a player that could move the chains on third and long has been crucial to the offense’s success. It felt like Ricky Pearsall was developing into that sort of target before transferring to Florida, but Edwards is confident his young but talented receiving corps can show what they can do on Thursday:

The Sun Devils and Lumberjacks kick off the 2022 season on Thursday at 7 PM at Sun Devil Stadium.