Sun Devil Football 2013

Tempe, AZ – The college football season kicks off tonight, but ASU plays the waiting game. With a week one bye, the Devils have to wait one more week to race out of Tillman Tunnel for the first time in 2013.

This time of year there is plenty of hype, adrenaline and anticipation to be contained by players and fans. It can create both heart pumping excitement, but also requires a strong sense of patience waiting for the first game day.

So does this extra week off help or hurt ASU?

Forks Up

Here’s Why It’s a Good Thing…

Throughout fall camp, there have been multiple players that haven’t been 100% healthy and been forced to wear the green “no contact” jersey in practice. From new wide receivers Cameron Smith and Joe Morris to veteran players Kyle Middlebrooks and Osahon Irabor, every day counts when trying to heal wounds.

The number two reason is more transition time for the new guys. A team injecting plenty of young, incoming players can use a few extra days to get to know each other better and gain more experience working on the practice field.

The Sun Devils are close, but the extra week of practice will get them locked and loaded for game one.

Finally, it will benefit the Devils to kick back this weekend to watch some live game action. They can study future opponents USC, UCLA, Washington, Utah, Colorado, Oregon State, Wazzu and Arizona.

Here’s Why it Hurts the Devils…

One simple fact: The players are ready to play. They have been grinding all summer and since fall practice officially opened on August 6. They have been beating each other up for over twenty days now, and they are ready to come together as a team and crush an opponent in a different color jersey.

They also need to keep their emotions in check. Mentally, the players will be amped up watching the opening weekend of college football. Patience in this scenario is no easy task for a team that has spent so much time working and preparing for the 2013 season.

The good news is that one week from today, the Sun Devils will begin their journey on what could be a very memorable season.