The 5: Best moments in Herm Edwards’ first year at ASU

On Dec. 4, 2017, Herm Edwards was introduced as the head football coach at Arizona State.

The hire was met with frustration because of Edwards’ lack of college coaching experience and his extended absence from the profession.

The 64-year-old changed the minds of many in his first season at ASU.

The Sun Devils finished 7-5 in the regular season with a stunning comeback win in the Territorial Cup and a berth in the Las Vegas Bowl.

Here are the five best moments in Edwards’ first year leading the Sun Devils.

Edwards’ introductory press conference

Edwards’ first press conference was full of memorable quotes and moments.

None more so than when Edwards told everyone to board the train and have faith he would take ASU back to the promise land.

The “Herm Train” became a thing as a result and became a nationwide calling card for Edwards all season, especially when the Sun Devils won games.

Overall, it was a very spirited and animated press conference that lasted an hour.

It was apparent that despite Edwards’ age, he was going to have the enthusiasm to run a college football program.

Oh, and there was the weird moment where a local outlet with “Devils” in its name asked a question and Edwards tried to make a joke.

“I’m Catholic, I’m Christian. Watch out them Devils. I’m just saying,” Edwards joked.

Cool under pressure against Michigan State

A ranked Michigan State team came to Tempe for the second week of the season.

It was the first real test for Edwards, who didn’t face many challenges in a Week 1 blowout win over UTSA.

The game quickly morphed into a defensive battle and the Sun Devils trailed 3-0 at halftime and 13-3 through three quarters.

There was no panic from Edwards, his coaching staff or the team.

ASU outscored the Spartans 13-0 in the fourth quarter to pull off the 16-13 upset.

The Sun Devils’ final drive particularly showed Edwards still knew how to coach in crunch time.

ASU mustered a 13-play, 69-yard drive — the final three plays being kneel downs — to set up a game-winning field goal for Brandon Ruiz.

Edwards keeps faith in trying times

The Sun Devils ran into some trouble in the middle of the schedule.

Going 1-4, ASU lost to San Diego State, Washington, Colorado and Stanford. the win came against Oregon State.

And while the losses piled up, there was one constant; They lost by seven points in those four games.

But instead of throwing in the towel, Edwards went back to work in figuring out how to close out games.

“We’re in close games, we’ve just got to find a way to win them,” Edwards told Doug & Wolf on 98.7 FM Arizona’s Sports Station.

Edwards would figure out how to get over the hump, going 4-1 in his final five games.

ASU gets its signature road win

Looking at a 3-4 record, Edwards and ASU headed to USC to take on the Trojans.

Behind the stellar play from N’Keal Harry and Manny Wilkins, ASU took the 38-35 win over the hosting Trojans, handing USC head coach Clay Helton his first loss at home.

Harry was all over the field, racking up 95 yards and a score on four receptions and using his punt-returning skills to give ASU the lead.

Down 28-24 in the third quarter, Harry caught a USC punt inside his own 10 yard-line with defenders near. Instead of taking it up the field, the wideout cut back, nearing his own end zone as he tried to find space. Just when it looked like he would be forced out of bounds at the 15 yard-line, Harry turned on the afterburners, going 92 yards for the score. ASU would take a 31-28 lead and never look back.

ASU iced the game late when Wilkins rushed for a 45-yard touchdown with 1:23 left in the game to put the Sun Devils up 38-28.

“We’ve been on the wrong side of a lot of these games,” ASU head coach Herm Edwards said after the game. “It was fun to just watch these guys come into the locker room, beating a good football team in USC, a very talented group of players, and you think about what they had to beat.”

A Territorial Cup to remember

If USC was the signature win for ASU, then the Territorial Cup come-from-behind win was the icing on the cake for Edwards in his first year.

The first three quarters were rough for the Sun Devils, who managed to score just 21 points compared to Arizona’s 40.

But just when it looked like Edwards was going to walk off with his first Territorial Cup loss as a Sun Devil, ASU came rallying back in the fourth.

Scoring 20 unanswered points in the fourth quarter, ASU did all they could as Arizona kicker Josh Pollack lined up for the game-winning field goal from 45 yards out.

Flashbacks of another crazy finish in 2010 were in the minds of both sides of Arizona Stadium as Pollack missed wide right, handing ASU a 41-40 win.

It was the first time the road team had won the Territorial Cup since 2012.

The fourth-quarter effort encapsulated Edwards’ first season at ASU.

“When you first get hired, these players don’t know who you are,” Edwards pointed out after the win. “I’m the guy on the television. Manny Wilkins came to the press conference and I coached N’Keal Harry in the Under Armour game, but most of these kids know me as the guy on television.

“I never coached with anybody on the coaching staff and so you have to hire new coaches. I brought in a new defensive system. We had some offensive guys who had been here, but it’s about earning their trust and understanding that this is the way I’m going to do things. I’ve got to be consistent, and I think I’ve earned trust from these guys.”

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