Todd Graham: ASU is more prepared for this year’s Notre Dame game

Arizona State and Notre Dame met last year in Dallas, set for an eventual shootout between an unranked and low-ranked team, registering very little importance on the championship radar.

The stakes are much higher in Saturday’s matchup at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe.

The Sun Devils are ninth in the College Football Playoff Rankings, and with a 7-1 record, are in control of the Pac-12 South Division. The Fighting Irish are seeing similar success, ranked 10th with an identical 7-1 record, the only blemish coming from a tightly-contested loss to second-ranked Florida State.

As one of two games this week between top-10 ranked teams, a win would vault either team directly into the thick of national-title contenders.

With his team on the national stage, Arizona State coach Todd Graham was a guest Friday with Doug & Wolf on Arizona Sports 98.7 FM. After last season’s spectacle against the Fighting Irish and a Pac-12 Championship Game appearance, Graham sees an ASU team that is much more prepared for the spotlight.

“Last year in the championship game, I underestimated,” said Graham. “I thought we were a lot further along than we were and I made some really critical mistakes as a coach because it was the first time we had ever been in that game. So the more you play on the national stage, I think there’s no substitute for experience. Our guys expect to win, I fully expect to win. The mentality of our team is different.”

The Sun Devils lost to Notre Dame 37-34 last year, but ASU is not the only team to improve over that time.

Notre Dame has a slew of talented and more-experienced skill players, including wide receiver William Fuller who is tied for fifth in nation with nine receiving touchdowns. Fuller, along with a better running game, have accounted for an improvement of more than 50 yards of total offense and eight points per game than 2013’s team.

“Probably the best talent that they’ve had in a decade at Notre Dame,” said Graham. “It’ll be a lot like a USC team when you look at their receivers. When you look at how big their line is. When you look at their running backs, when you look at their skill players and their defensive front; so they’re very, very talented.”

A crucial component to Notre Dame’s success is the play of quarterback Everett Golson, who missed last year’s matchup while serving a season-long suspension. The senior is tied for 12th in the nation with 22 passing touchdowns and is tied for eighth among quarterbacks with seven rushing touchdowns.

“Our guys respect him, and they know he’s the best we’ve played against, because of his ability to escape. But I’m going to tell you also, we’re motivated to get after him,” said Graham. “When he extends plays, that’s when you hold your breath and we’ve got to keep him corralled.”

The Arizona State-Notre Dame matchup will start Saturday at 1:30 p.m., and will be broadcast on Arizona Sports 98.7 FM.

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