To learn more about Oregon State's opponent this weekend, BeaversEdge.com chatted with ASUDevils publisher Hod Rabino, who covers the Arizona State Sun Devils.
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1. Eno Benjamin hasn’t quite been on the pace he was last season, but Oregon State fans remember him well as he ran for 312 yards and three scores in Tempe last season… Will Herm Edwards be looking to establish a ground game early and test the OSU defense?
There's no doubt in my mind that Arizona state is going to want to establish the run game especially after such a poor performance against USC last Saturday. This offense has proven time and time again that when they struggle on the ground then even a good passing game won't be enough to make up for that shortcoming. Additionally it's been a rough season for Benjamin and while not all of it has been his fault but he definitely could use a pick-me-up game so to speak and with the Beavers inability to have a stout run defense I'd like to think that Arizona state would try and exploit that element as much as they can. I also see an Oregon State team that can be fairly explosive on offense so ASU would want to win the time of possession battle and that naturally is much easier to achieve when you have a successful running game on your side.
2. With QB Jayden Daniels back in the fold and expected to start against OSU, what does that do for the Arizona State offense?
Even though Joey Yellen had a solid outing against USC with the running game issues I just mentioned, I know the Sun Devils could have used a more mobile quarterback and that's exactly what Jayden Daniels brings to the table. He's also more proven to play well on the road compared to Yellen and that's just an experience factor even though it's kind of weird to say that when you talk in about a pair of freshmen quarterbacks. I don't think the rest of the offense felt uncomfortable with Yellen at the helm, but there's no doubt in my mind that the comfort level would be higher with Daniels and I would expect the offense to run smoother. Lastly, going back to Oregon State's inability to be successful against the run, it would be nice for Arizona State to have another threat on the ground besides Benjamin himself.
