I must admit, ASU's loss against the San Diego State Aztecs did sting as the performance as a whole for the Sun Devil's was anything short of satisfactory. The defense was unable to stop any sort of run-game against SDSU and the pass coverage was virtually nonexistent. The offense encountered some great problems as well, as their rushing yards were completely obliterated in the second half and their passing yards were sub-par compared to previous games played.

I'll get you why it was impressive later, but first, we need to talk about the stats...

If we take a look at the statistics given by ESPN, we can see the differences. The main factor I'd like to point out is the discrepancy between the total rushing yards versus the total passing yards between each team. Manny Wilkins threw for 341 yards and two touchdowns that night for ASU, while Ryan Agnew threw for 129 yards and 1 touchdown for SDSU. The Sun Devils also topped SDSU in receiving yards as well, with Frank Darby receiving for 127 yards for ASU while Ethan Dedeux received for only 30 yards that night for SDSU. The only thing the Aztecs countered ASU in was in rushing yards, as Eno Benjamin carried for only 21 yards versus a whopping 138 yards and 1 touchdown for Juwan Washington for SDSU. At the end of the night, the Aztecs not only won, but lead in the most key elements of the game being 1st downs, possession, and total yards.

ASU's defense clearly needs improvement in stopping the run game, especially when taking on heavy rushing teams later in the season like Stanford, Washington, and Utah.

This game was impressive though, in my opinion, because after all the frustration and problems ASU had throughout the game, they still managed to make it a close game. I mean if you gave me those stats and didn't show me the score (or touchdowns stats of course), then I would've assumed SDSU would've won by such a greater margin. Despite playing as poorly as ASU did, it is noteworthy that they kept a game a nail-biter until the very last play. Other Pac-12 teams should definitely take notes that even if the Sun Devils look down and out they still keep playing and never give up, and I think that the hiring of Coach Herm Edwards had a lot to do with that and the culture that he and his coaching staff have implemented.

The next game the Sun Devils will take on the Washington Huskies who are currently ranked 11th in the AP Top 25. It's unsure what ASU will be able to do against Washington since they are a very heavy rushing team and can also implement a dangerous pass-game. This will be the first conference game for ASU, so from here on out the games start mattering more and all we can do as fans is offer our support strong for the team through win, loss, or draw.