Arizona State Sun Devils looking for ‘payback’ against Notre Dame

It’s always big when the Notre Dame Fighting Irish come to town.

It’s even bigger when there’s a revenge factor involved.

And it’s off-the-charts huge when the Golden Domers invade your stadium for a game with College Football Playoff implications.

That’s the scenario this week for the 9th-ranked Arizona State Sun Devils as 10th-ranked Notre Dame visits Tempe for a regular season game for only the second time in their history.

The two teams met last season in a Shamrock Series game in Arlington, Tex., with Notre Dame prevailing 37-34. Admittedly, there was a lot less on the line in the 2013 meeting. Each team came in 3-1 and only the Sun Devils were ranked at the time of the contest.

This time around, the winner can continue to include itself in the conversation of teams still alive for inclusion in the first-ever College Football Playoff. The loser is out.

But some in maroon and gold (or anthracite and copper this week) are focusing on avenging last year’s loss to the Irish.

“It’s a huge payback for us and for myself,” ASU senior quarterback Taylor Kelly said. “We were just so close in Dallas and to have them back here at our home with our fans, it’s going to be a great game.”

Kelly did pass for 362 yards and three touchdowns against the Irish last season, but his two fourth-quarter interceptions, including one returned for a touchdown, proved to be costly.

This matchup is one of five key games on this week’s schedule featuring teams in the top-17 of the College Football Playoff rankings joining #4 Oregon at #17 Utah, #5 Alabama at #16 LSU, #7 Kansas State at #6 TCU and #14 Ohio State at #8 Michigan State.

Here’s what to watch for in Saturday’s tilt in Tempe.

When the Sun Devils have the ball

So now we finally know the truth about Kelly’s foot injury that kept him out six weeks.

“You come off a broken foot and having surgery and not being able to do a whole lot, he’s showed great courage,” ASU head coach Todd Graham said about Kelly’s rust in the last two games. “He just needs to get his timing back and he played better (against Utah) than he did the week before and he’ll continue to improve.”

Prior to the injury suffered against Colorado in September, Kelly’s passer efficiency rating was 168.09. In his two games back, it’s 123.23. However, since his return, ASU has faced two stellar defenses in Washington and Utah and the windy conditions in Seattle during the Devils’ win over the Huskies weren’t conducive to downfield throws.

ASU’s running game also looked better against Utah than it has in the last month. Spurred by true freshman Demario Richard, who ran for a career-high 116 yards, the Sun Devils rolled up 239 yards rushing. Kelly added 55 and D.J. Foster had 53. Notre Dame’s running defense has been all over the board this season. It was excellent in wins over Purdue (56 yards) and Stanford (47 yards) but was gashed for 336 yards by Navy’s dizzying triple-option attack last week.

The Fighting Irish’s pass defense has been average this year and ranks 64th in the nation, allowing 227.3 yards per contest. In last year’s game against Arizona State, Notre Dame struggled to contain stud receiver Jaelen Strong, who had eight catches for 136 yards and a touchdown.

One of the key issues for Notre Dame is the loss of senior linebacker Joe Schmidt, who suffered a season-ending ankle injury against Navy. Schmidt was leading the team with 65 total tackles while adding two interceptions and two forced fumbles. He’ll be replaced by freshman Nyles Morgan, who has just eight tackles on the season.

ASU, on the other hand, got good news on the injury front. Junior left guard Christian Westerman, who started the first seven games of the year, should be back after missing the Utah game with a leg injury.

When the Fighting Irish have the ball

There’s no other way to say it, Notre Dame quarterback Everett Golson is one of the most dynamic offensive players in the country. The senior has thrown for 2,311 yards and 22 touchdowns this year while running for another 272 and seven scores. Through eight games, he’s still considered by many as a Heisman Trophy candidate.

“This is a different challenge this week,” Graham said about facing Golson. “And a challenge we haven’t had. Their quarterback is special when it comes to extending plays and being evasive in the pocket. (He’s got) a big-time strong arm, can roll one way, throw it 60 yards in the air on a dime the other way.”

Golson also boasts a deep receiving corps led by sophomore Will Fuller, who has 46 catches for 599 yards and nine touchdowns, which ranks fourth in the nation. But the Irish attack features so much more than Fuller. In fact, Fuller, along with Corey Robinson, Chris Brown, C.J. Prosise and Amir Carlisle, have combined for 133 catches for 1,770 yards and 18 touchdowns on the year. Senior tight end Ben Koyack has also been a threat, catching 23 balls for 233 yards and two scores.

Paced by sophomore running back Tarean Folston, Notre Dame averages 169.4 yards per game on the ground. Folston has 532 yards and three touchdowns while averaging 5.3 yards per attempt.

Unlike many Notre Dame teams of the past, this year’s offense is nearly a 50-50 split of pass and run. The Irish have run 301 times and thrown 293.

ASU’s defensive front will be short-handed as junior Jaxon Hood has been ruled out for this game. Hood doesn’t put up huge numbers from his nose tackle position, but he is an emotional leader and has a pass break-up in each of the last two games. Lineman Demetrius Cherry will return from a one-game suspension for the ASU defense, which has been outstanding over the last three games.

The Sun Devils have yielded an average of only 273 yards per contest in wins over Stanford, Washington and Utah. Opponents’ offenses have found the end zone only twice in that span. After being victimized by big plays earlier in the season, ASU has allowed only three plays of 30 or more yards in their last three games.

Special Teams

Neither team has displayed any game-changing ability in the return game. Notre Dame ranks 65th in the nation in punt returns and 79th in kickoff returns. ASU is 38th in kickoff returns, but very rarely has an opportunity. The Sun Devils have returned only 10 all season.

Kyle Brindza handles the punting and kicking for Notre Dame, and is solid in both areas. The senior avearges 41.8 yards per punt and has hit 10-of-16 field goal attempts this season with long of 48 yards.

ASU punter Matt Haack has come into his own in the last few weeks and is averaging 42.5 yards per punt. Sophomore Zane Gonzalez, who is the reigning Pac-12 Special Teams Player of the Week after kicking the game-winning field goal in overtime to beat Utah, has nailed 14-of-17 attempts this season with a long of 49.

Arizona State has allowed both a kickoff return and a punt return for a touchdown this season, but has been much better in coverage over the last month.

Tidbits

• Notre Dame is 3-0 all-time against Arizona State, but is only 2-3 at Sun Devil Stadium. The Irish have played in three Fiesta Bowls at the venue, going 1-3 with a win over West Virginia to complete their 1988 national championship season and losses to Colorado in 1995, Oregon State in 2001 and Ohio State in 2006.

• The Fighting Irish roster features one player from Arizona — defensive back Luke Cole, a product of Chandler Hamilton High.

• The Notre Dame defense has yet to allow a scoring drive of 80-plus yards this season. Their offense has produced 10 such possessions. ASU’s offense, on the other hand, has six scoring drives of 80-plus yards.

• Todd Graham is the only coach to face Notre Dame at three institutions. Graham’s Tulsa squad beat the Irish 28-27 in South Bend in 2010. Graham’s 2011 Pittsburgh team lost to Notre Dame 15-12. And in his second year at ASU, the Sun Devils lost to the Irish 37-34 at a Shamrock Series game in Arlington, Tex.

• Notre Dame is 92-50 all-time against current members of the Pac-12. They are 5-1 against Pac-12 foes since 2012.

• The Sun Devils are 20-5 in their last 25 games.

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