Throughout the summer, most of the spotlight on Arizona State’s upcoming season has centered on the Sun Devils’ quarterback competition and rebuilt offensive line. That won’t change.
But the issues on the other side should not go ignored. Entering coach Todd Graham’s fifth season, ASU is coming off a disastrous defensive effort, giving up 33.5 points per game, the most in school history and the most in Graham’s 10 years as a head coach.
A lot of the issues stemmed from big plays, a problem the program hasn’t solved for most of Graham's time in Tempe. ASU last season gave up 30 plays of 40-plus yards, most in the country and tied with 2013 Eastern Michigan for the most over the past six years.