Arizona State Football: 5 reasons why Sun Devils will struggle in 2017
By Zach Bigalke
5. Arizona State fielded the worst secondary in the FBS in 2016
Over and over again, Arizona State gave up big plays through the air in 2016. Their secondary ranked dead last in the FBS, 128th out of 128 teams, in terms of passing yards allowed. The 357.4 passing yards per game they gave up last season was nearly 25 yards more than the 127th-placed team, Pittsburgh, allowed opponents.
Only rival Arizona allowed more touchdown passes than the 33 conceded by the Sun Devils defense last year. And it wasn’t like this was merely compiling stats, either. In terms of opponents’ passing efficiency, the defense ranked 124th nationally. They also ranked 124th in terms of opponents’ yards per attempt through the air.
Things are unlikely to get much better in 2017. Todd Graham turned over both coordinator positions in the offseason in hopes of turning around the situation. But new defensive coordinator Phil Bennett, the former SMU head coach and Pittsburgh and Baylor coordinator, is no miracle worker.
With much of the same personnel that posted such abysmal numbers in 2016, there will be much of the same gift-giving by the secondary in the upcoming year. Opponents will feat on the Sun Devils through the air, and that certainly stinks for fans hoping for a chance at returning to Pac-12 South contention.