Fifteen members of the Arizona State Sun Devil football team were recognized with all-conference awards on Monday.The headliner, junior defensive tackle Will Sutton who was named the Pat Tillman Defensive Player of the Year by the Pac-12 conference after leading the conference and ranking fifth in FBS with 1.82 tackles for loss per game, finishing with 20 total.
Sutton was a leader for an ASU defense that second in the nation in both tackles for loss and sacks. Sutton goes into the bowl game with 10.5 sacks on the season.
What does go unnoticed from the numbers was Sutton’s ability to take over a game merely by his presence which was seen in multiple games this season. That could be shown by the fact that ASU lead the conference in both pass defense and pass efficiency defense.
He becomes the 5th Sun Devil to be given the award. Dale Robinson in 2005, Terrell Suggs in 2002, Adam Archuleta in 2000 and of course Pat Tillman in 1997.
Three of Sutton’s teammates were named to the All-Pac-12 second team. Senior linebacker Brandon Magee, senior safety Alden Darby and senior punter Josh Hubner were recognized.
ASU also had eleven players named All-Pac-12 honorable mention. Among them are quarterback Taylor Kelly, linebacker Carl Bradford, defensive backs Deveron Carr, Keelan Johnson and Osahon Irabor, tight end Chris Coyle, wide receiver Rashad Ross, offensive lineman Evan Finkenberg, running back Marion Grice and two freshman, running back DJ Foster and defensive tackle Jaxon Hood. The eleven total only trail Stanford and USC on this list.
The Sun Devils find out what bowl game they will be participating in to finish year one under Todd Graham on December 2nd.
