Arizona State QB Drew Pyne ‘100% or as close to’ it ahead of Fresno State game
Sep 15, 2023, 8:19 AM
Arizona State QB Drew Pyne (Jeremy Schnell/Arizona Sports)
(Jeremy Schnell/Arizona Sports)
Arizona State quarterback Drew Pyne is healthy and will be available to play Saturday for the Sun Devils against the Fresno State Bulldogs.
The question is if he will.
Pyne entered Camp Tontozona as the leader in the clubhouse to earn ASU’s starting quarterback job before a hamstring injury sidelined him, opening the door for freshman Jaden Rashada to start the first two games of the season.
Since, Rashada hasn’t shut the door on keeping the job with the offense combining for three total points in second halves over Southern Utah and Oklahoma State.
“Drew’s healthy,” ASU head coach Kenny Dillingham said Friday on Arizona Sports’ Bickley & Marotta. “Drew’s 100% or as close to 100% as you could be if not 100%. (Quarterback Trenton Bourguet) is 100%.
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“I’m excited for what the future holds. Like I’ve said all along, we’re going to work every single week and we’re going to get better. And like I told the team, ‘The best teams get better toward the end of the season.’ We’re going to be one of those teams that continues to grow, continues to get better, continues to get better. We’ll see where we’re at when it all shakes out.”
Rashada has shown flashes of his four-star talent, but for the season he is 34 for 60 (56.7%) for three touchdowns and an interception. He’s been sacked four times and that total has a chance to rise behind an offensive line struck by injuries across the board.
Would ASU consider a quarterback move at any point in the Fresno State game? The question is tied to whether the coaching staff believes Pyne can knock the rust off quickly.
But he brings more college experience to the table.
Pyne saw extensive action for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish last season, completing 164 of 254 passes (64.6%) for 22 touchdowns and six interceptions before transferring to Arizona State.
The Sun Devils will likely need to produce more points than the 24 and 15, respectively, in their first two games.
Fresno State has won at Purdue, 39-35, and at home against Eastern Washington, 34-31, to begin 2023.
How to watch, listen to Fresno State vs. Arizona State
TV: FS1
Listen: Arizona Sports app, ESPN 620 AM, 98.7 HD-2
Arizona State kicks off vs. Fresno State at 7:30 p.m.
