Arizona State Football: 3 takeaways from thrashing of Arizona in Week 15

Arizona State football was looking to end the season on a high note and it did just that against Arizona with an emphatic rivalry win.

If a team is winless until the season finale, you would think that they’ve had an incredibly disappointing year but 2020 is different. Arizona State was 0-2 heading into Friday night’s game against 0-4 Arizona and COVID-19 has changed expectations and this feels more like a zero year for Herm Edwards and Co.

On the other hand, Kevin Sumlin probably felt the need to win this one with his seat warming up.

Arizona State got the job done against its biggest rival in impressive fashion and improved to 1-2 on the season. The Sun Devils now head into the 2021 season with momentum while the Wildcats are looking for answers to a plethora of questions, including the head coaching job.

What’d we learn from Arizona State’s first, and only, win of 2020.

3. Jayden Daniels was incredibly efficient

Through two games, Jayden Daniels didn’t quite look like his freshman year self. The sophomore was looking far more pedestrian but he bounced back in the season finale against Arizona with 203 yards passing, 23 rushing yards and three total touchdowns. That may not seem all that impressive, but he was as efficient as can be, completing 9-of-11 passes.

Yes, Daniels attempted just 11 passes and was accurate and efficient, throwing a touchdown on almost 25 percent of his completions. He also averaged 18.5 yards per attempt.

Daniels looked like the player we all expected before the season and this is quite the building block heading into the offseason. He was looking to end the season on a high note with some momentum and confidence and he did just that.