All black was a fitting uniform combo for the Sun Devils to wear to the white out at BYU, because they were actually dressed for their own funeral. From the moment of kickoff until the clock hit zero, it was a painful game to watch. From penalties to turnovers, there’s so much to leave fans with a sour taste in their mouth, and it’s not because of the Cougars performance. 

In what is now Herm Edwards’ fourth year as the head coach, now is Arizona State’s proverbial put up or shut up moment. There’s no more room for excuses, especially with the roster of stud athletes this year’s squad has. Expectations for Edwards and his Sun Devils were set long before the investigation into the program began, but the need for ASU to succeed has only been intensified as rumors swirl surrounding the what the NCAA might do to the program. . 

However, there’s something mentioned above which seems to counter statements made by Athletic Director Ray Anderson about his vision for ASU shortly after his arrival in 2014. 

The first surrounds ASU’s pro-model and the success it would generate.

At a press conference, Anderson said, “We want a blend of pro and collegiate (business) models to bring urgency, pace and tempo… Others will be seeking to emulate us.”

While this would be true if ASU were successful at it, it’s also two-fold. As much as the country watches Arizona State continue to struggle, they’re going to see what the Sun Devils are doing and shy away from it rather than look at it as the model of the future. This is only exemplified by the fact the Pac-12 is at the bottom of the Power 5 conferences. 

ASU is realistically in no better shape than when Anderson arrived. That’s not to say he hasn’t made some outstanding hires in his tenure, but there also can’t turn a blind eye turned towards some of his less than stellar additions and questionable hiring methods. 

One of the most controversial hires in his time was the process of bringing on Edwards. As the entire saga was unfolding involving Todd Graham, it was clear the decision to part ways and look for another coach at the conclusion of the season was already made long before the Sun Devils had reached that point. 

It caused a riff between the fan base, as some were sad to see Graham go and others couldn’t wait to send him packing. The controversy came, though, when it was announced who would be replacing him. In a matter of hours, there was already a strong buzz circulating through the fan base on who the next coach would be, but it didn’t take long for Edwards to clearly emerge as the only true candidate for the job, making it apparent that Anderson already had this in the works. 

Edwards was hired with the intention of bringing ASU football to “unprecedented heights,” according to Anderson.  As a former NFL coach and an ESPN analyst, the idea was that his knowledge of the game and the allure of being on TV would help draw in big name recruits and compete nationally. The mindset carried over into hiring the rest of the coaching staff. 

While in theory it was a great idea, in practice it’s failed to produced results on the field. Since Edwards has taken over, Arizona State is realistically finding itself right back in the same place it always is; struggling to compete against subpar competition and being their own worst enemy a lot of times. 

Since Edwards took over the football program, the team is 21-18 overall, with a conference record of 11-11. It’s the epitome of average. They’ve also had a huge number of close games, 19 to be exact, decided by seven points or less. In those games, ASU’s record is 9-10. These stats do not represent those of a football team with an upward trajectory, especially when you see the team continuously make the same mistakes game after game, year after year. 

This is one of the main reasons ASU fans start sounding the alarm anytime the Devils are playing from behind, because history shows that it’s a crapshoot at best. 

This isn’t to mention the outside noise surrounding the program and the sense of impending doom due to allegations of NCAA recruiting violations. 

Since Ray Anderson got hired in January 2014 and began preaching the gospel of the “pro-model” to the fan base, expectations for success were raised. Higher caliber coaches were brought in, touted for their outstanding ability to recruit. A $300,000,000 stadium renovation has taken place to help upgrade the facilities. The bigger name players started taking notice. 

It was all part of what they had originally envisioned for ASU’s path under Anderson. 

“At ASU we have three priorities for our athletic director: help our student athletes maximize their academic achievement and ensure they graduate on time; win; and win within the rules,” University President Michael Crow said. 

However, recently things, including the Herm Train, have gone off the rails, especially with the football program. Not only is the team struggling to win with some of the top recruits on campus, they’re also struggling to win within the rules in two different ways. 

First, there’s the massive amounts of evidence provided to NCAA investigators surrounding alleged recruiting violations within the program, and extensive details into how they all supposedly were orchestrated and carried out for multiple different players. 

Then, there’s the repeated numbers of penalties in the games, thereby indicating the Sun Devils really aren’t playing by the rules to win (if they can even pull of a win, that is). This was a major focus, especially due to the number of penalties the team had accrued with past head coaches and the lack of discipline ASU was really associated with the team following the Vontaze Burfict era under Dennis Erickson. 

Watching the last few Sun Devil football games, it was almost like getting in a time machine and traveling back in time to when Erickson was still the coach, or even beyond that to the Dirk Koetter years. In the game against BYU,  the Sun Devils’ 16 penalties were the most in a game since Koetter’s crew back in 2006. 

Quite frankly, ASU needs to win, and needs to win big this year, or else all of the news surrounding the investigation is going to become even worse. Right now, a major narrative brewing is ASU still lacks the ability to win despite cheating to get top recruits and playing with some of the most talented and experienced returning starters in the conference. 

If there weren’t already questions surrounding what the future holds for the entire coaching staff at the end of the season, there may be soon if the Sun Devils can’t get their act together on the field. From their inability to truly develop the talent on a consistent week by week basis to whatever outcome falls as a result of the investigation, there’s no saying who will be back next year at this point. 

No more excuses. Arizona State should not be struggling to win games due to irresponsible and repeated mistakes, such as turnovers and penalties. It’s time to buckle down and show the true grit of this team, playing like you’re mentally prepared to steamroll through the competition; If not, the nightmare is going to continue.