2014 Arizona State Sun Devils football team
American college football season
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The 2014 Arizona State Sun Devils football team represented Arizona State University in the 2014 NCAA Division I FBS football season. They were led by third-year head coach Todd Graham and played their home games at Sun Devil Stadium. They were a member of the South Division of the Pac-12 Conference. The Sun Devils finished the season 10–3 (6–3 in Pac-12 play) with a 36–31 victory over Duke in the Sun Bowl. It marked the first time since 1973 that Arizona State won ten or more games in back-to-back seasons.
| 2014 Arizona State Sun Devils football | |
|---|---|
 | |
Sun Bowl champion | |
| Conference | Pac-12 Conference |
| South Division | |
| Ranking | |
| Coaches | No. 14 |
| AP | No. 12 |
| Record | 10–3 (6–3 Pac-12) |
| Head coach |
|
| Offensive coordinator | Mike Norvell (3rd season) |
| Offensive scheme | Spread |
| Defensive coordinator | Keith Patterson (1st season) |
| Co-defensive coordinator | Chris Ball (2nd season) |
| Base defense | Hybrid Attacking |
| Home stadium | Sun Devil Stadium |
| Conf. | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | W | L | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| North Division | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 2 Oregon xy$^ | 8 | – | 1 | 13 | – | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Stanford | 5 | – | 4 | 8 | – | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Washington | 4 | – | 5 | 8 | – | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| California | 3 | – | 6 | 5 | – | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Oregon State | 2 | – | 7 | 5 | – | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Washington State | 2 | – | 7 | 3 | – | 9 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| South Division | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 19 Arizona xy | 7 | – | 2 | 10 | – | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 10 UCLA | 6 | – | 3 | 10 | – | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 12 Arizona State | 6 | – | 3 | 10 | – | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 20 USC | 6 | – | 3 | 9 | – | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 21 Utah | 5 | – | 4 | 9 | – | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Colorado | 0 | – | 9 | 2 | – | 10 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Championship: Oregon 51, Arizona 13 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Personnel
Coaching staff
| Name | Position | Seasons at ASU | Alma mater |
|---|---|---|---|
| Todd Graham | Head coach | 3 | East Central (1987) |
| Mike Norvell | Offensive coordinator, quarterbacks | 3 | Central Arkansas (2005) |
| Keith Patterson | Defensive coordinator | 1 | East Central (1986) |
| Chris Ball | Co-defensive coordinator, defensive backs | 3 | Western State College (1985) |
| Chris Thomsen | offensive line | 2 | TCU (1993) |
| Paul Randolph | Defensive line | 3 | Tennessee-Martin (1990) |
| Jackie Shipp | Defensive line | 2 | Oklahoma (1983) |
| Chip Long | Tight ends | 3 | North Alabama (2005) |
| DelVaughn Alexander | Wide receivers | 3 | USC (1995) |
| Bo Graham | Running backs | 2 | Tulsa (2006) |
| Reference:[1] | |||
Previous season
The 2013 Sun Devils finished 10–4 (8–1 in the Pac-12) and made an appearance in the Pac-12 Championship Game, where they were defeated by Stanford. They were invited to the Holiday Bowl, where they were upset by Texas Tech.[2] It was the first time the Sun Devils won 10 games and finished ranked since the 2007 season.
Players drafted
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | NFL team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 82 | Will Sutton | Defensive lineman | Chicago Bears |
| 4 | 121 | Carl Bradford | Outside linebacker | Green Bay Packers |
| 6 | 201 | Marion Grice | Running back | San Diego Chargers |
| UFA | – | Alden Darby | Defensive back | San Diego Chargers |
| UFA | – | Robert Nelson | Defensive back | Cleveland Browns |
| UFA | – | Davon Coleman | Defensive lineman | Dallas Cowboys |
| UFA | – | Chris Coyle | Tight end | Houston Texans |
| UFA | – | Chris Young | Linebacker | Houston Texans |
| UFA | – | Evan Finkenberg | Offensive lineman | Miami Dolphins |
- Reference:[3]
Schedule
| Date | Time | Opponent | Rank | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| August 28 | 7:30 pm | Weber State* | No. 19 | P12N | W 45–14 | 52,133 | |
| September 6 | 4:00 pm | at New Mexico* | No. 17 | CBSSN | W 58–23 | 25,742 | |
| September 13 | 7:00 pm | at Colorado | No. 16 | ESPNU | W 38–24 | 38,547 | |
| September 25 | 6:00 pm | No. 11 UCLA | No. 15 |
| FS1 | L 27–62 | 60,876 |
| October 4 | 4:30 pm | at No. 16 USC | FOX | W 38–34 | 70,115 | ||
| October 18 | 7:30 pm | No. 23 Stanford | No. 17 |
| ESPN | W 26–10 | 59,012 |
| October 25 | 7:45 pm | at Washington | No. 14 | ESPN | W 24–10 | 64,666 | |
| November 1 | 8:00 pm | No. 17 Utah | No. 14 |
| FS1 | W 19–16 OT | 53,754 |
| November 8 | 1:30 pm | No. 10 Notre Dame* | No. 9 |
| ABC | W 55–31 | 65,870 |
| November 15 | 8:45 pm | at Oregon State | No. 6 | ESPN | L 27–35 | 40,525 | |
| November 22 | 11:00 am | Washington State | No. 13 |
| P12N | W 52–31 | 51,428 |
| November 28 | 1:30 pm | at No. 11 Arizona | No. 13 | FOX | L 35–42 | 56,083 | |
| December 27 | 12:00 pm | vs. Duke* | No. 15 | CBS | W 36–31 | 47,809 | |
| |||||||
- Reference:[4]
Game summaries
Weber State
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wildcats | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 14 |
| #19 Sun Devils | 17 | 14 | 14 | 0 | 45 |
New Mexico
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #17 Sun Devils | 22 | 10 | 13 | 13 | 58 |
| Lobos | 7 | 14 | 0 | 2 | 23 |
Colorado
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #16 Sun Devils | 14 | 10 | 14 | 0 | 38 |
| Buffaloes | 0 | 14 | 3 | 7 | 24 |
UCLA
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #11 Bruins | 6 | 21 | 21 | 14 | 62 |
| #15 Sun Devils | 10 | 7 | 10 | 0 | 27 |
USC
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun Devils | 0 | 15 | 3 | 20 | 38 |
| #16 Trojans | 7 | 10 | 3 | 14 | 34 |
1st quarter scoring: USC – Nelson Agholor 53-yard punt return (Andre Heidari kick)
2nd quarter scoring: AS – Jaelen Strong 4-yard pass from Mike Bercovici (Alex Garoutte kick); AS – Strong 77-yard pass from Bercovici (Kody Kohl pass from Bercovici); USC – Javorius Allen 1-yard run (Heidari kick); USC – Heidari 35-yard field goal
3rd quarter scoring: AS – Garoutte 19-yard field goal; USC – Heidari 33-yard field goal
4th quarter scoring: USC – Cody Kessler 8-yard run (Heidari kick); AS – D. J. Foster 21-yard pass from Bercovici (Garoutte kick); USC – Allen 53-yard run (Heidari kick); AS – Cameron Smith 73-yard pass from Bercovici (Garoutte kick); AS – Strong 46-yard pass from Bercovici
Stanford
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #23 Cardinal | 0 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 10 |
| #17 Sun Devils | 0 | 14 | 3 | 9 | 26 |
Washington
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #14 Sun Devils | 0 | 10 | 0 | 14 | 24 |
| Huskies | 0 | 0 | 7 | 3 | 10 |
Utah
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #18 Utes | 0 | 6 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 16 |
| #15 Sun Devils | 6 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 19 |
Notre Dame
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #8 Fighting Irish | 3 | 7 | 7 | 14 | 31 |
| #11 Sun Devils | 17 | 17 | 0 | 21 | 55 |
The Sun Devils played their biggest game in the Todd Graham era against highly ranked Notre Dame, a game that many analysts viewed as an elimination game for a spot in the first-ever College Football Playoff. ASU stormed out of the gates leading 34–3 late in the first half, and although the Irish managed to cut the lead to 3 in the fourth quarter, the Sun Devils pulled away and secured a 55–31 victory. With the win, ASU moved into the top-10 for the first time since the 2007 season.
Oregon State
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #7 Sun Devils | 10 | 14 | 0 | 3 | 27 |
| Beavers | 14 | 0 | 7 | 14 | 35 |
Washington State
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cougars | 7 | 17 | 0 | 7 | 31 |
| #13 Sun Devils | 0 | 21 | 7 | 24 | 52 |
Arizona
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #13 Sun Devils | 7 | 14 | 0 | 14 | 35 |
| #12 Wildcats | 14 | 7 | 14 | 7 | 42 |
Duke (Sun Bowl)
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blue Devils | 3 | 14 | 0 | 14 | 31 |
| #15 Sun Devils | 10 | 10 | 10 | 6 | 36 |
Roster
The 2014 team roster can be viewed here
Rankings
Offseason
Players drafted
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | NFL team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 30 | Damarious Randall | Defensive back | Green Bay Packers |
| 3 | 70 | Jaelen Strong | Wide receiver | Houston Texans |
| 4 | 114 | Jamil Douglas | Offensive lineman | Miami Dolphins |
| 4 | 135 | Marcus Hardison | Defensive lineman | Cincinnati Bengals |
- Reference:[5]