Ducks Roundtable: How good is Arizona State?

Arizona State statistically had the best overall defense in the Pac-12 before they played Oregon. Was this game more of an exposure because of the weaker schedule, or does this show more of how powerful Oregon’s offense is?

Oct. 18, 2012; Tempe, AZ, USA; Arizona State Sun Devils defensive tackle (90) Will Sutton returns to the sidelines in the second half on crutches after suffering an injury in the first quarter against the Oregon Ducks at Sun Devil Stadium. Oregon defeated Arizona State 43-21. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-US PRESSWIRE

Brian: It was already a bad matchup on defense, and the loss of Will Sutton for the game made things even worse. They didn’t have the depth to stop Oregon’s running game, and that’s why it was as fast of a blowout like it was against Arkansas State.

Ricky: It definitely shows how tough Oregon’s offense is if anything. The only offense that ASU has played against is Mizzou. It is really easy to look good when you aren’t playing the best of the best every week. Oregon’s offense is for real and most teams take them for granted.

Mike: Outside of Missouri I think ASU had an easy run-up to this game, Todd Graham’s team after the turnover and touchdown just looked shell shocked by what Oregon did. 43 unanswered points allowed and then the Sun Devils offense getting KO’d by the Ducks D showed that maybe they’ll want to challenge themselves earlier in the season. Everything said it is hard to simulate an offense like Chip Kelly runs in practice but they do have a powerful offense no matter the opposition.

Raymond: I think it was a little bit of both. Arizona State was thin on the defensive line and losing Sutton on the fumble play hurt even more. They lost another defensive lineman not longer after so it was going to be almost impossible for them to battle back. It does show how strong the Oregon offense is though; they could have easily put up 80 points if they played the whole game.

The Autzen Zoo staff includes lead editor Brian Spaen along with staff writers Joe Soriano, Mike Vamosi, Raymond Mencke, Jr., and Ricky Widmer.