TEMPE, Ariz. -- Arizona State checked its first box of the season last week, easily beating a lower-division opponent at home with a rebuilt defense. Things get tougher this week.
While New Mexico presents another opponent ASU should handle with ease, the matchup comes with a couple challenges. The first: taking a young team with 14 new starters on the road.
"The hardest thing to do in college football is win on the road," Sun Devils coach Todd Graham said. "It's just because your routine's changed and all that. We do a lot of things to keep that routine the same, but it's just all about mental maturity."
Making the No. 17 ASU's first road test of the season even tougher: the triple option. New Mexico's triple option offense -- employed by just a handful of Division I teams -- made preparation this week more challenging than usual. Graham was noticeably harder on his defense, stressing the need to be disciplined and assignment sound.
ASU at NEW MEXICO
When: 4 p.m. Saturday
Where: University Stadium, Albuquerque, N.M.
TV: CBS Sports Networks
"I'm going berserk over any error at all because it just takes one," Graham said. "The triple option is the great equalizer of athletic ability, and it can really, really make you look bad. All you do is leave one guy uncovered. You've got to play assignment football. You can't just freelance. I've been on them pretty hard this week."
The Lobos (0-1) tied for 13th nationally last season with 37 plays of 30 yards or more (ASU tied for 38th with 32). That's the danger of the triple option. One defensive mistake can lead to six points.
"All 11 guys have got something to do, so we've all just got to do our assignment," senior defensive Marcus Hardison said. "We'll be ready."
Even if ASU's defense gives up a big play or two, its offense should be able to make up for it with a big week against a defense that last week gave up 446 yards of offense, including 330 on the ground. While ASU's offense did rack up 570 total yards against Weber State, it wasn't as sharp as it could have been. This week should offer the chance to clean a few things up.
"On some of those plays I wasn't trusting my eyes," senior quarterback Taylor Kelly said. "I've just got to go through my progressions and trust my 1-2-3 and get it to the right guy and get the ball out on the right decisions."
As for taking a young team on the road and all that comes with it -- traveling, preparing in unfamiliar surroundings, playing in front of an away crowd -- Graham is confident. He believes his team is mature enough to handle it.
"You just can't beat yourself," Graham said. "That's what most people do on the road is beat themselves, but I've got confidence in these guys that they'll play well."
The triple option. ASU had little trouble against Navy's triple option offense in the 2012 Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl, but they'd had a month to prepare, and Graham believes New Mexico has more offensive speed. The Lobos also run the triple option in pistol formation, creating another wrinkle. Graham has told players that as long as they take care of their assignments on every play, New Mexico shouldn't be able to score. That kind of soundness should be a test for ASU's young, inexperienced defense.
Spreading the ball around. Last week, ASU's offense leaned heavily on running back D.J. Foster and receiver Jaelen Strong. Coaches said Taylor Kelly missed two sure touchdowns because he didn't find an open receiver. This week, coaches have stressed Kelly must simply take what the defense gives him. ASU's first-team offense will likely play more this game, so the key players should still get plenty of touches, but look for Kelly to spread the ball around a little more.
Special teams. Graham was watching special teams intently last week, and he didn't particularly like what he saw. Specifically, punting and kickoff were subpar against Weber State. ASU does catch a break this week with New Mexico kickoff returner Carlos Wiggins, who ranked sixth in the nation last year with 29.6 yards per return, expected to miss the game with a thigh bruise, but ASU must clean up its kick-cover units and get consistency from its kickers.
-- New Mexico currently ranks fifth in the nation in rushing after putting up 410 yards on the ground in last week's 31-24 loss to Texas-El Paso. That comes largely from the fact it runs the triple option -- the Lobos only passed for 67 yards last week. Expect plenty of running this week.
-- ASU owns a 22-5-1 record all time against New Mexico but has not faced the Lobos since 1977. New Mexico's last win over a Pac-12 opponent came in a 36-28 defeat of Arizona in 2008. It has been more than a decade, though, since New Mexico's last win over a ranked opponent (vs. No. 23 Utah in 2003).
-- The ASU defense last week snapped its streak of 29 games with a takeaway -- the first such instance in Graham's tenure. Though the defense is young, it's hard to imagine it goes another week without a turnover in Graham's aggressive defense.
Taylor Kelly, QB, ASU -- Kelly wasn't at his best last week, overthrowing a few passes and missing a few easy opportunities to score. This should be a good week to get a few more playmakers involved.
D.J. Calhoun, LB, ASU -- Calhoun had a strong debut last week, and ASU needs him to be sharp again against a challenging offense.
Clayton Mitchem, QB, New Mexico -- Mitchem started six games last season, but starting quarterback Cole Gautsche, who's out this week with a hamstring injury, is more efficient at running the triple option. Mitchem is considered the better passer.
Jhurell Pressley, RB, New Mexico -- Pressley led running backs last week with 84 yards on nine carries and a long of 37 yards.
This is a game ASU should win, and any other result would be a huge disappointment. And in the new reality of the College Football Playoff, this is a game ASU cannot afford to lose.
This game should provide a better test for ASU than Weber State did, and the Lobos might even put up big rushing yards, but it's still a game the Sun Devils should be able to dominate. It might still be hard to gauge quite where ASU stands because of New Mexico's uncommon offense, but it should be a telling week in terms of discipline and preparation.
ASU 48, New Mexico 17
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