ASU was anything but in its 56-35 loss to Arizona last November. The Wildcats rushed for a school-record 511 yards. They did not attempt a pass in the second half because they didn’t need to.
“That’s probably the most embarrassing game I ever played in,” junior defensive lineman JoJo Wicker said. “They ran the ball on us every play. They just beat us up.”
The result ended Arizona’s eight-game losing streak and prevented ASU from qualifying for a bowl game. It was the Sun Devils’ second straight losing season after back-to-back 10-win campaigns under Graham.
While conceding that “we obviously got knocked on our can” in the Territorial Cup, Graham said he and the team quickly put that game behind them. By January, an extensive period of self-assessment had begun in earnest.
“You can sit around and make every excuse for it. Nobody cares you had injuries. Nobody cares about any of that,” Graham said.
“What you can do something about is the next rep, the next day, the next practice, the next game. So that's been our approach.”
The Sun Devils, who open their season Aug. 31 vs. New Mexico State, began practicing Tuesday. Graham said he had to tell the team, which practiced without pads, to ease up at times.
“They've got a little edge on them,” Graham said.
He wants ASU to get back to playing “disciplined, hard-core football.” That means running the ball more proficiently, playing better defense and winning the turnover battle. Last season the Sun Devils ranked 10th in the Pac-12 in rushing, last in total defense and 11th in turnover margin.
Wicker has noticed a difference in the way ASU practices. Attention to detail is a mandate.
“We’ve changed a lot,” Wicker said. “I’m talking about everything. How we align. There’s no gray area with what we do now. Everything has to be perfect. From where your eyes are to where your foot is to where your hand is. It’s like that every single play.
“We definitely embrace that. It’s a new era for us. With our new facilities, every day coming back home to that, everything’s new.”
