Arizona State Football: 3 takeaways from ugly win over Sacramento State

Arizona State football had trouble putting Sacramento State away on Friday night but the Sun Devils need to correct things quickly.

It wasn’t pretty, but wins are wins and Herm Edwards has to be relieved that his Arizona State team escaped a potential upset alert at home against Sacramento State on Friday night, winning 19-7.

You would think an offense with the talent of Arizona State’s would put up more than 19 points, but the defense stole the show. Jayden Daniels had himself a decent second game as starting quarterback but the run game was nowhere to be found.

What else did we learn from Arizona State’s win over Sacramento State?

3. Defense is not the issue

Would you have believed me if I told you that Arizona State would be struggling to reach the end zone this season with an uber-talented freshman quarterback and one of the top running backs in the Pac-12 returning? Probably not, but that’s what’s taking place in Tempe.

After two weeks, the Sun Devils have accounted for 49 total points which is very unlike a Pac-12 team, especially one with so much talent, but luckily the defense has been rock-solid so far.

With the offense struggling to convert on third downs, the defense was on the field quite a bit as the Sun Devils and Hornets just about split time of possession — which is somewhat rare for an FCS foe.

Sacramento State didn’t move the ball consistently all game long as the defense made sure to keep the offense in the game when it was only kicking field goals through the first three quarters. The defense is not the issue with this team early on, and that’s a good place for Herm Edwards to start.