Arizona State Football: 3 takeaways from victory vs. New Mexico State

3. San Diego State will be a tough out next week

The San Diego State Aztecs are one of the best Group of Five conference teams in the country. Even with the loss of star running back Donnel Pumphrey, the Aztecs will be good. If Arizona State had difficulties against New Mexico State, San Diego State should be a real challenge.

One of the biggest disappoinments for the Sun Devils was Kalen Ballage’s performance. He should have easily rushed for more than 100 yards. He averaged less than 5.0 yards per carry. However, Ballage did rack up two touchdowns.

The schedule is difficult starting in Week 2. After the Sun Devils face the Aztecs at home, they travel to Lubbock to face Texas Tech. The same inconsistent performance against San Diego State might not leave Arizona State as fortunate as they were against New Mexico State.

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The Arizona State defense needs to continue to generate turnovers like they did in this game. They picked off Aggie quarterback Tyler Rogers twice. ASU’s defense could get away with having a bend but not break mentality this year with the amount of skill on the offense.