2015 Arizona State Sun Devils football team

2015 Arizona State Sun Devils football
Cactus Bowl, L 42–43 vs. West Virginia
Conference Pac-12 Conference
Division South Division
2015 record 6–7 (4–5 Pac-12)
Head coach Todd Graham (4th season)
Offensive coordinator Mike Norvell (4th season)
Offensive scheme Spread
Defensive coordinator Keith Patterson (2nd season)
Co-defensive coordinator Chris Ball (3rd season)
Base defense Hybrid Attacking
Captain Mike Bercovici
D.J. Foster
Jordan Simone
Home stadium Sun Devil Stadium
(Capacity: 64,248)
2015 Pac-12 football standings
Conf  Overall
Team W L    W L 
North Division
No. 3 Stanford x$  8 –1     12 –2  
No. 19 Oregon  7 –2     9 –4  
Washington State  6 –3     9 –4  
California  4 –5     8 –5  
Washington  4 –5     7 –6  
Oregon State  0 –9     2 –10  
South Division
USC xy  6 –3     8 –6  
No. 17 Utah x  6 –3     10 –3  
UCLA  5 –4     8 –5  
Arizona State  4 –5     6 –7  
Arizona  3 –6     7 –6  
Colorado  1 –8     4 –9  
Championship: Stanford 41, USC 22
  • $ – Conference champion
  • x – Division champion/co-champions
  • y – Championship game participant
Rankings from AP Poll

The 2015 Sun Devils football team represented Arizona State University in the 2015 NCAA Division I FBS football season. They were led by fourth-year head coach Todd Graham and played their home games at Sun Devil Stadium. They were a member of the South Division of the Pac-12 Conference.

Personnel

Coaching staff

NamePositionSeasons at
ASU		Alma Mater
Todd GrahamHead coach4East Central (1987)
Mike NorvellOffensive coordinator, Quarterbacks4Central Arkansas (2005)
Keith PattersonDefensive coordinator2East Central (1986)
Shawn SlocumSpecial teams coordinator1Texas A&M (1987)
Chris BallCo-Defensive Coordinator, Defensive backs4Western State College (1985)
Chris ThomsenOffensive line3TCU (1993)
Jackie ShippDefensive line3Oklahoma (1983)
Chip LongTight ends4North Alabama (2005)
DelVaughn AlexanderWide receivers4USC (1995)
Josh MartinRunning backs1Tarleton State (2011)
Reference:[1]

Previous season and offseason

Arizona State finished the 2014 season 10–3 (6–3 in the Pac-12), with a 36–31 victory over Duke in the Sun Bowl. The Sun Devils began the season ranked #19 in the AP Poll and won their first three games convincingly, but suffered a major loss when third-year starting quarterback Taylor Kelly broke his foot against Colorado. Backup junior Mike Bercovici made his first career start in a 62–27 loss to UCLA, the Sun Devils' worst loss under Todd Graham. The team quickly bounced back with a 38–34 victory over USC thanks to a Hail Mary with no time remaining to Jaelen Strong, a play dubbed by the media as the "Jael Mary". This momentum carried on as the Sun Devils defeated perennial Pac-12 power Stanford on ESPN.

Kelly returned from injury against Washington, and led them to a 24–10 victory. The following week ASU won a critical Pac-12 South game against top-25 Utah on a Zane Gonzalez field-goal in overtime. The following week, the Sun Devils played their biggest game in the Todd Graham era against highly ranked Notre Dame, a game that many analysts viewed as an elimination game for a spot in the first-ever College Football Playoff. ASU stormed out of the gates leading 34–3 late in the first half, and although the Irish managed to cut the lead to 3 in the fourth quarter, the Sun Devils pulled away and secured a 55–31 victory. With the win, ASU moved into the top-10 for the first time since the 2007 season. The good feelings did not last long however as the Sun Devils were upset the following week at Oregon State. Despite the loss, ASU went into the final week of the season with a chance to clinch the Pac-12 South championship, and earn the right to play Oregon in the Pac-12 Championship Game.

In the final week of the regular season, ASU was fighting for the Pac-12 South with UCLA, and in-state rival Arizona. UCLA was considered the favorite since they were playing unranked Stanford. But with a loss, the Arizona-Arizona State game would decide the division champ. Both games kicked off simultaneously, and word had reached Tucson that Stanford upset UCLA with minutes to play. Arizona pulled away and defeated the Sun Devils 42–35, clinching the Pac-12 South. The following week, the Wildcats were defeated by Oregon who was selected to play in the inaugural College Football Playoff. ASU was invited to the Sun Bowl where they were matched with Duke. The game was expected to be a shootout as both teams had dynamic offenses. A late interception by ASU's Kweishi Brown sealed a 36–31 victory for the Sun Devils. Freshman running back Demario Richard scored all four Sun Devil touchdowns, and Zane Gonzalez added three field goals. A critical play was freshman Kalen Ballage's 96-yard kickoff return after Duke had taken a 31–30 lead to set up the go-ahead score. The 2014 season was a successful one in Todd Graham's third year as head coach. It marked the first time since 1973 Arizona State won ten or more games in back-to-back seasons.

Players drafted

RoundPickPlayerPositionNFL Team
130 Damarious RandallSafetyGreen Bay Packers
370 Jaelen StrongWide ReceiverHouston Texans
4114 Jamil DouglasOffensive GuardMiami Dolphins
4135 Marcus HardisonDefensive EndCincinnati Bengals
Reference:[2]

Class of 2015 signees

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Jalen Bates
DE		 Kaplan, LA Kaplan High School 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 240 lb (110 kg) Oct 7, 2014 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:3/5 stars   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPN:3/5 stars
Cade Cote
OG		 Gilbert, AZ Williams Field High School 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 257 lb (117 kg) Jun 23, 2014 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:3/5 stars   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPN:3/5 stars
Davon Durant
OLB		 Greenwood, SC Butler Community College 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 240 lb (110 kg) Oct 21, 2014 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:5/5 stars   Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports:4/5 stars    ESPN:4/5 stars
Raymond Epps
TE		 Yuma, AZ Arizona Western College 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 235 lb (107 kg) Apr 5, 2014 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:3/5 stars   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPN:3/5 stars
Morie Evans
ATH		 Buford, GA Buford High School 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Jan 16, 2014 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:3/5 stars   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPN:4/5 stars
Dillon Faamatau
DT		 Norwalk, CA Norwalk High School 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 268 lb (122 kg) Jan 26, 2015 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:3/5 stars   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPN:3/5 stars
Tommy Hudson
TE		 San Jose, CA Archbishop Mitty High School 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 250 lb (110 kg) Jul 1, 2014 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:3/5 stars   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPN:3/5 stars
Malik Lawal
OLB		 Murrieta, CA Chaparral High School 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 202 lb (92 kg) Jun 18, 2014 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:3/5 stars   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports:4/5 stars    ESPN:3/5 stars
George Lea
DT		 New Orleans, LA Landry-Walker High School 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 258 lb (117 kg) Nov 12, 2014 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:3/5 stars   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPN:3/5 stars
Jaason Lewis
ATH		 Virginia Beach, VA Ocean Lakes High School 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 241 lb (109 kg) Sep 25, 2014 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:4/5 stars   Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports:4/5 stars    ESPN:3/5 stars
Steve Miller
OT		 Gilbert, AZ Gilbert High School 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 280 lb (130 kg) Jun 23, 2014 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:3/5 stars   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPN:3/5 stars
Stanley Norman
CB		 Gardena, CA Junipero Serra High School 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) 165 lb (75 kg) Jan 3, 2015 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:4/5 stars   Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports:4/5 stars    ESPN:4/5 stars
Kareem Orr
DB		 Chattanooga, TN Notre Dame School 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Feb 2, 2015 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:3/5 stars   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPN:3/5 stars
Bryce Perkins
QB		 Chandler, AZ Chandler High School 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 201 lb (91 kg) Apr 3, 2014 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:3/5 stars   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPN:4/5 stars
Nick Ralston
RB		 Argyle, TX Argyle High School 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 225 lb (102 kg) Feb 1, 2014 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:3/5 stars   Rivals:2/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPN:3/5 stars
DeOnte Reynolds
DT		 Pinole, CA Contra Costa College 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 325 lb (147 kg) Feb 4, 2015 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:3/5 stars   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPN:3/5 stars
Zach Robertson
OG		 Bellflower, CA St. John Bosco High School 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 313 lb (142 kg) Dec 26, 2014 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:4/5 stars   Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports:4/5 stars    ESPN:4/5 stars
Khaylan Thomas
OLB		 Etiwanda, CA Etiwanda High School 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Apr 3, 2014 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:4/5 stars   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports:4/5 stars    ESPN:3/5 stars
Mason Walter
OT		 Temecula, CA Chaparral High School 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 275 lb (125 kg) Jun 23, 2014 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:3/5 stars   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPN:3/5 stars
Brady White
QB		 Newhall, CA William S. Hart High School 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 186 lb (84 kg) May 2, 2014 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:4/5 stars   Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports:4/5 stars    ESPN:4/5 stars
Joseph Wicker
DT		 Long Beach, CA Long Beach Polytechnic High School 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 260 lb (120 kg) Feb 4, 2015 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:4/5 stars   Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports:4/5 stars    ESPN:4/5 stars
Jay Jay Wilson
ATH		 Valencia, CA Valencia High School 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 225 lb (102 kg) Feb 2, 2015 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:4/5 stars   Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports:4/5 stars    ESPN:3/5 stars
Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: 19   Rivals: 20  247Sports: 20  ESPN: 26
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "2015 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved February 5, 2015.

    Schedule

    Date Time Opponent# Rank# Site TV Result Attendance
    September 5 4:00 PM vs. Texas A&M* No. 15 NRG Stadium • Houston, TX (Texas Kickoff) ESPN L 17–38   66,308
    September 12 8:00 PM No. 18 (FCS) Cal Poly* Sun Devil Stadium • Tempe, AZ P12N W 35–21   46,500
    September 18 7:00 PM New Mexico* Sun Devil Stadium • Tempe, AZ P12N W 34–10   43,310
    September 26 7:30 PM No. 19 USC Sun Devil Stadium • Tempe, AZ ESPN L 14–42   61,904
    October 3 4:30 PM at No. 7 UCLA Rose Bowl • Los Angeles, CA FOX W 38–23   80,113
    October 10 7:00 PM Colorado Sun Devil Stadium • Tempe, AZ P12N W 48–23   44,157
    October 17 7:00 PM at No. 4 Utah Rice-Eccles Stadium • Salt Lake City, UT ESPN L 18–34   46,192
    October 29 7:30 PM Oregon Sun Devil Stadium • Tempe, AZ ESPN L 55–61 3OT  56,534
    November 7 1:30 PM at Washington State Martin Stadium • Pullman, WA FS1 L 24–38   32,952
    November 14 1:00 PM Washingtondagger Sun Devil Stadium • Tempe, AZ P12N W 27–17   51,695
    November 21 1:30 PM Arizona Sun Devil Stadium • Tempe, AZ (Territorial Cup) FS1 W 52–37   64,885
    November 28 8:00 PM at California California Memorial Stadium • Berkeley, CA FS1 L 46–48   45,385
    January 2 8:15 PM vs. West Virginia* Chase Field • Phoenix, AZ (Cactus Bowl) ESPN L 42–43   39,321
    *Non-conference game. daggerHomecoming. #Rankings from AP Poll. All times are in Mountain Time.
    Reference:[3]

    Game summaries

    Texas A&M

    1 2 3 4 Total
    Sun Devils 0 7 7 3 17
    Aggies 7 7 3 21 38
    Overall record Last meeting Result
    First Meeting

    Cal Poly

    1 2 3 4 Total
    Mustangs 0 14 7 0 21
    Sun Devils 7 14 0 14 35
    Overall record Last meeting Result
    3–0 1947 ASU, 33–6

    New Mexico

    1 2 3 4 Total
    Lobos 0 0 10 0 10
    Sun Devils 0 10 14 10 34
    Overall record Last meeting Result
    23–5–1 2014 ASU, 58–23

    USC

    1 2 3 4 Total
    Trojans 7 28 0 7 42
    Sun Devils 0 0 7 7 14
    Overall record Last meeting Result
    12–19 2014 ASU, 38–34

    UCLA

    1 2 3 4 Total
    Sun Devils 9 6 14 9 38
    Bruins 0 10 0 13 23
    Overall record Last meeting Result
    11–19–1 2014 UCLA, 62–27

    Colorado

    1 2 3 4 Total
    Buffaloes 7 3 7 6 23
    Sun Devils 17 7 14 10 48
    Overall record Last meeting Result
    6–0 2014 ASU, 38–24

    Utah

    1 2 3 4 Total
    Sun Devils 10 0 8 0 18
    Utes 7 7 0 20 34
    Overall record Last meeting Result
    20–6 2014 ASU, 19–16

    Oregon

    1 2 3 4OT2OT3OT Total
    Ducks 10 7 17 7776 61
    Sun Devils 0 14 17 10770 55
    Overall record Last meeting Result
    16–17 2012 ORE, 43–21

    Washington State

    1 2 3 4 Total
    Sun Devils 14 0 7 3 24
    Cougars 0 10 7 21 38
    Overall record Last meeting Result
    26–13–2 2014 ASU, 52–31

    Washington

    1 2 3 4 Total
    Huskies 10 7 0 0 17
    Sun Devils 0 3 7 17 27
    Overall record Last meeting Result
    17–15 2014 ASU, 24–10

    Arizona

    1 2 3 4 Total
    Wildcats 0 10 13 14 37
    Sun Devils 14 17 0 21 52
    Overall record Last meeting Result
    39–48–1 2014 ARIZ, 42–35

    California

    1 2 3 4 Total
    Sun Devils 10 17 6 13 46
    Golden Bears 3 7 21 17 48
    Overall record Last meeting Result
    16–16 2012 ASU, 27–17

    West Virginia

    1 2 3 4 Total
    Mountaineers 9 13 14 7 43
    Sun Devils 3 15 14 10 42
    Overall record Last meeting Result
    1–0 1979 ASU, 42–7

    Rankings

    Ranking movements
    Legend: ██ Increase in ranking. ██ Decrease in ranking.
    NR = Not ranked. RV = Received votes. ( ) = First place votes.
    Week
    Poll Pre 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Final 
    AP 15 RV RV RV NR RV RV RV NR NR NR NR NR NR NR  
    Coaches 16 RV RV RV NR RV RV NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR  
    CFP Not released NR NR NR NR NR NR Not released

    References

    1. ↑ "Football – 2015 Coaches". Arizona State University Department of Athletics. Retrieved January 9, 2015.
    2. ↑ "Football – 2015 NFL Draft". National Football League. Retrieved May 4, 2015.
    3. ↑ "Schedule". Arizona State University Department of Athletics. Retrieved January 9, 2015.
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