A lot of college football media owe Herman Edwards an apology. Many in the media scoffed — or just outright laughed — when Edwards was hired as Arizona State’s football coach last December. The 64-year-old Edwards had been an NFL analyst for ESPN. He had not coached at the college level in nearly 30 years. He had not coached at all since 2008.
But what do you know? Arizona State is off to a 2-0 start after defeating coach Mark Dantonio’s then-No. 15 Michigan State Spartans, 16-13, last week.
In that game, the Sun Devils were at the Michigan State 6-yard line with just over two minutes remaining. Rather than try to score a touchdown, Edwards called three straight running plays to drain the clock. Then with three seconds remaining Brandon Ruiz kicked a game-winning 28-yard field goal.
“Most colleges coaches wanna score,” Edwards said in a post-game press conference. “They always think points are the thing, and that’s how offenses are run. It’s possessions for most of these teams. How many possessions do you have? How many times can you score? And that’s where it gets away from them, I think.
“Probably a lot of coaches in that moment would’ve wanted to score a touchdown. I was opposite. I said, ‘We’re not gonna score. We don’t have to score a touchdown to win this game,’ because I was nervous about the fact that, look...we give them too much time, I’ve seen this too many times in college football. They go right back down the field.“
It was good strategy, which is strange because almost all media reports predicted Edwards was doomed to fail. USA Today gave Arizona State a “D” in grading the 2017 “Power Five” coaching hires. Every other hire was graded with at least a “C.” The Sporting News ranked it No. 13 out of 13 “Power Five” hires.
Meanwhile, UCLA’s hiring of Chip Kelly was ranked third. The Bruins are 0-2. Arizona’s hiring of Kevin Sumlin was ranked fifth. The Wildcats are 0-2. Florida State’s hiring of Willie Taggart was ranked sixth. The Seminoles are 1-1 after rallying in the fourth quarter last week to edge Samford. Get that right — Samford not Stanford.
Suddenly, the media is praising Edwards. Long-time college football writer Stewart Mandel of The Athletic tweeted: “Herm Edwards just beat Mark Dantonio in his second game at ASU and maybe he really is a genius and I can’t believe I’m typing this.” Better believe this: Under Edwards, Arizona State is looking like a serious contender in the Pac-12 South.
1. Will Grier, West Virginia, QB: He followed up an excellent showing in the season-opening win over Tennessee by throwing for 332 yards and four touchdowns against Youngstown State. Grier is averaging 380.5 passing yards and has thrown for 9 touchdowns.
2. Jonathan Taylor, Wisconsin, RB: The nation’s rushing leader with 398 yards had a career-high 253 yards and scored three touchdowns in a 45-14 victory over New Mexico.
3. Tua Tagovailoa, Alabama, QB: The quarterback of the nation’s top-ranked team threw four touchdown passes in a 57-7 thumping of Arkansas State. He’s only thrown 35 passes thus far but is averaging 18.2 yards per completion. He’s thrown for six touchdowns.
4. Kellen Mond, Texas A&M, QB: Threw for a career-high 430 yards and three touchdowns in a 28-26 loss to No. 2 Clemson. That included more than 200 passing yards in the fourth quarter. Overall, Mond has passed for 614 yards and five touchdowns.
5. Jarrett Stidham, Auburn, QB: Stidham hardly played in a 63-9 blowout of Alabama State. He threw for 113 yards and a touchdown. That low output shouldn’t be held against him. He was excellent in a season-opening win over Washington in which he passed for 273 yards and a TD.
1. Alabama: Tons of offensive weapons and a typically strong defense.
2. Clemson: The Tigers survived an upset bid by Texas A&M. The ACC appears mediocre, so they may not get another serious challenge until facing arch rival South Carolina in the regular season finale.
3. Ohio State: Two subpar opponents were blown out. This week’s opponent, TCU, might slow down the Buckeyes. And might not.
4. Georgia: The Bulldogs blew out South Carolina and don't figure to be seriously challenged in the SEC East.
1. LSU at Auburn: This series has produced some of the weirdest moments in college football history. Expect more insanity. Defenses are great. Offenses are suspect. Take the under.
2. Ohio State vs. TCU: The Buckeyes final game without coach Urban Meyer on the sideline. It’s also their only real non-conference test. This game matches the nation’s second-ranked offense (Ohio State) vs. the sixth-ranked defense.
3. Boise State at Oklahoma State: A clash of ranked teams, though neither has really earned their lofty status.
4. USC at Texas: Though last year’s game was exciting, the fact this game is listed shows how bad the schedule is this week. Neither team has been impressive. The loser’s season could spiral out of control.
5. Washington at Utah: A possible preview of the Pac-12 championship game, for whatever that’s worth.
It doesn't count if you are playing your scout team.Quote:
2, Jonathan Taylor, Wisconsin, RB: The nation's rushing leader with 398 yards had a career-high 253 yards and scored three touchdowns in a 45-14 victory over Wisconsin.
