By this point of the season, most college football teams “are who they are.” However, for Arizona State and Arizona, there is still much to prove this weekend as both schools hit the road for key conference road games which could go a long way towards deciding the Pac-12 South champion in the coming weeks.
For 17th-ranked ASU (5-1, 2-1), Herm Edwards’ team is looking to keep the momentum going in Salt Lake City against the defending Pac-12 South champion and 13th-ranked Utah Utes (5-1, 2-1).
One well-respected analyst believes Edwards deserves quite a bit of credit for his in-game strategy from week-to-week.
“I love what Herm Edwards has done at Arizona State finding ways to make every game close,” CBS college football analyst Rick Neuheisel said to Sports360AZ.com’s Brad Cesmat earlier this week. “He knows what his hand is and plays it brilliantly. Whether he needs to extend the game and be a time-of-possession-type approach or he can go up-tempo and come after you.”
The same kind of coaching accolades can be heaped on Kevin Sumlin at Arizona as the Wildcats (4-2, 2-1) prepare for a trip to Los Angeles to battle USC Saturday night at The Coliseum.
“I give Kevin and his staff a lot of credit because it was worrisome when they lost to [Hawaii],” Neuheisel said. “But they came back and played some really good defense. Marcel Yates, their defensive coordinator, has to be really excited about that…Trojans are used to being in the elite company and they’re not right now and it doesn’t sit well with their alums. This is a must-win situation [for USC].”
Both games can be seen on the Pac-12 Network.
