2015 Arizona State Sun Devils football team

The 2015 Sun Devils football team represented Arizona State University in the 2015 NCAA Division I FBS football season. They were led by fourth-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.

2015 Arizona State Sun Devils football
Cactus Bowl, L 42–43 vs. West Virginia
ConferencePac-12 Conference
DivisionSouth Division
2015 record6–7 (4–5 Pac-12)
Head coach
Offensive coordinatorMike Norvell (4th season)
Offensive schemeSpread
Defensive coordinatorKeith Patterson (2nd season)
Co-defensive coordinatorChris Ball (3rd season)
Base defenseHybrid Attacking
CaptainMike Bercovici
D.J. Foster
Jordan Simone
Home stadiumSun Devil Stadium
(Capacity: 64,248)
2015 Pac-12 Conference football standings
Conf  Overall
Team W L    W L 
North Division
No. 3 Stanford x$  8 –1     12 –2  
No. 19 Oregon  7 –2     9 –4  
Washington State  6 –3     9 –4  
California  4 –5     8 –5  
Washington  4 –5     7 –6  
Oregon State  0 –9     2 –10  
South Division
USC xy  6 –3     8 –6  
No. 17 Utah x  6 –3     10 –3  
UCLA  5 –4     8 –5  
Arizona State  4 –5     6 –7  
Arizona  3 –6     7 –6  
Colorado  1 –8     4 –9  
Championship: Stanford 41, USC 22
  • $ – Conference champion
  • x – Division champion/co-champions
  • y – Championship game participant
Rankings from AP Poll

Personnel

Coaching staff
NamePositionSeasons at
ASU		Alma Mater
Todd GrahamHead coach4East Central (1987)
Mike NorvellOffensive coordinator, Quarterbacks4Central Arkansas (2005)
Keith PattersonDefensive coordinator2East Central (1986)
Shawn SlocumSpecial teams coordinator1Texas A&M (1987)
Chris BallCo-Defensive Coordinator, Defensive backs4Western State College (1985)
Chris ThomsenOffensive line3TCU (1993)
Jackie ShippDefensive line3Oklahoma (1983)
Chip LongTight ends4North Alabama (2005)
DelVaughn AlexanderWide receivers4USC (1995)
Josh MartinRunning backs1Tarleton State (2011)
Reference:[1]

Previous season and offseason

Arizona State finished the 2014 season 10–3 (6–3 in the Pac-12), with a 36–31 victory over Duke in the Sun Bowl. The Sun Devils began the season ranked #19 in the AP Poll and won their first three games convincingly, but suffered a major loss when third-year starting quarterback Taylor Kelly broke his foot against Colorado. Backup junior Mike Bercovici made his first career start in a 62–27 loss to UCLA, the Sun Devils' worst loss under Todd Graham. The team quickly bounced back with a 38–34 victory over USC thanks to a Hail Mary with no time remaining to Jaelen Strong, a play dubbed by the media as the "Jael Mary". This momentum carried on as the Sun Devils defeated perennial Pac-12 power Stanford on ESPN.

Kelly returned from injury against Washington, and led them to a 24–10 victory. The following week ASU won a critical Pac-12 South game against top-25 Utah on a Zane Gonzalez field-goal in overtime. The following week, 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. The good feelings did not last long however as the Sun Devils were upset the following week at Oregon State. Despite the loss, ASU went into the final week of the season with a chance to clinch the Pac-12 South championship, and earn the right to play Oregon in the Pac-12 Championship Game.

In the final week of the regular season, ASU was fighting for the Pac-12 South with UCLA, and in-state rival Arizona. UCLA was considered the favorite since they were playing unranked Stanford. But with a loss, the Arizona-Arizona State game would decide the division champ. Both games kicked off simultaneously, and word had reached Tucson that Stanford upset UCLA with minutes to play. Arizona pulled away and defeated the Sun Devils 42–35, clinching the Pac-12 South. The following week, the Wildcats were defeated by Oregon who was selected to play in the inaugural College Football Playoff. ASU was invited to the Sun Bowl where they were matched with Duke. The game was expected to be a shootout as both teams had dynamic offenses. A late interception by ASU's Kweishi Brown sealed a 36–31 victory for the Sun Devils. Freshman running back Demario Richard scored all four Sun Devil touchdowns, and Zane Gonzalez added three field goals. A critical play was freshman Kalen Ballage's 96-yard kickoff return after Duke had taken a 31–30 lead to set up the go-ahead score. The 2014 season was a successful one in Todd Graham's third year as head coach. It marked the first time since 1973 Arizona State won ten or more games in back-to-back seasons.

Players drafted
Main article: 2015 NFL draft
RoundPickPlayerPositionNFL Team
130 Damarious RandallSafetyGreen Bay Packers
370 Jaelen StrongWide ReceiverHouston Texans
4114 Jamil DouglasOffensive GuardMiami Dolphins
4135 Marcus HardisonDefensive EndCincinnati Bengals
Reference:[2]

Class of 2015 signees
US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Jalen Bates
DE		 Kaplan, LA Kaplan High School 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 240 lb (110 kg) Oct 7, 2014 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Cade Cote
OG		 Gilbert, AZ Williams Field High School 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 257 lb (117 kg) Jun 23, 2014 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Davon Durant
OLB		 Greenwood, SC Butler Community College 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 240 lb (110 kg) Oct 21, 2014 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Raymond Epps
TE		 Yuma, AZ Arizona Western College 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 235 lb (107 kg) Apr 5, 2014 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Morie Evans
ATH		 Buford, GA Buford High School 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Jan 16, 2014 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Dillon Faamatau
DT		 Norwalk, CA Norwalk High School 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 268 lb (122 kg) Jan 26, 2015 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Tommy Hudson
TE		 San Jose, CA Archbishop Mitty High School 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 250 lb (110 kg) Jul 1, 2014 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Malik Lawal
OLB		 Murrieta, CA Chaparral High School 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 202 lb (92 kg) Jun 18, 2014 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
George Lea
DT		 New Orleans, LA Landry-Walker High School 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 258 lb (117 kg) Nov 12, 2014 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Jaason Lewis
ATH		 Virginia Beach, VA Ocean Lakes High School 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 241 lb (109 kg) Sep 25, 2014 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Steve Miller
OT		 Gilbert, AZ Gilbert High School 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 280 lb (130 kg) Jun 23, 2014 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Stanley Norman
CB		 Gardena, CA Junipero Serra High School 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) 165 lb (75 kg) Jan 3, 2015 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Kareem Orr
DB		 Chattanooga, TN Notre Dame School 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Feb 2, 2015 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Bryce Perkins
QB		 Chandler, AZ Chandler High School 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 201 lb (91 kg) Apr 3, 2014 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Nick Ralston
RB		 Argyle, TX Argyle High School 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 225 lb (102 kg) Feb 1, 2014 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
DeOnte Reynolds
DT		 Pinole, CA Contra Costa College 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 325 lb (147 kg) Feb 4, 2015 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Zach Robertson
OG		 Bellflower, CA St. John Bosco High School 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 313 lb (142 kg) Dec 26, 2014 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Khaylan Thomas
OLB		 Etiwanda, CA Etiwanda High School 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Apr 3, 2014 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Mason Walter
OT		 Temecula, CA Chaparral High School 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 275 lb (125 kg) Jun 23, 2014 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Brady White
QB		 Newhall, CA William S. Hart High School 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 186 lb (84 kg) May 2, 2014 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
JoJo Wicker
DT		 Long Beach, CA Long Beach Polytechnic High School 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 260 lb (120 kg) Feb 4, 2015 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Jay Jay Wilson
ATH		 Valencia, CA Valencia High School 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 225 lb (102 kg) Feb 2, 2015 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: 19   Rivals: 20  247Sports: 20  ESPN: 26
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "2015 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved February 5, 2015.

    Schedule
    DateTimeOpponentRankSiteTVResultAttendance
    September 54:00 pmvs. Texas A&M*No. 15
    		ESPNL 17–3866,308
    September 128:00 pmNo. 18 (FCS) Cal Poly*
    		P12NW 35–2146,500
    September 187:00 pmNew Mexico*
    • Sun Devil Stadium
    • Tempe, AZ
    		P12NW 34–1043,310
    September 267:30 pmNo. 19 USC
    • Sun Devil Stadium
    • Tempe, AZ
    		ESPNL 14–4261,904
    October 34:30 pmat No. 7 UCLA
    		FOXW 38–2380,113
    October 107:00 pmColorado
    • Sun Devil Stadium
    • Tempe, AZ
    		P12NW 48–2344,157
    October 177:00 pmat No. 4 Utah
    		ESPNL 18–3446,192
    October 297:30 pmOregon
    • Sun Devil Stadium
    • Tempe, AZ
    		ESPNL 55–61 3OT56,534
    November 71:30 pmat Washington State
    		FS1L 24–3832,952
    November 141:00 pmWashington
    • Sun Devil Stadium
    • Tempe, AZ
    		P12NW 27–1751,695
    November 211:30 pmArizona
    		FS1W 52–3764,885
    November 288:00 pmat California
    		FS1L 46–4845,385
    January 28:15 pmvs. West Virginia*
    		ESPNL 42–4339,321
    • *Non-conference game
    • Homecoming
    • Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game
    • All times are in Mountain time
    Reference:[3]

    Game summaries

    Texas A&M
    1 2 3 4 Total
    Sun Devils 0 7 7 3 17
    Aggies 7 7 3 21 38
    See also: 2015 Texas A&M Aggies football team and Texas Kickoff

    Cal Poly
    1 2 3 4 Total
    Mustangs 0 14 7 0 21
    Sun Devils 7 14 0 14 35
    See also: 2015 Cal Poly Mustangs football team

    New Mexico
    1 2 3 4 Total
    Lobos 0 0 10 0 10
    Sun Devils 0 10 14 10 34
    See also: 2015 New Mexico Lobos football team

    USC
    1 2 3 4 Total
    Trojans 7 28 0 7 42
    Sun Devils 0 0 7 7 14
    See also: 2015 USC Trojans football team

    UCLA
    1 2 3 4 Total
    Sun Devils 9 6 14 9 38
    Bruins 0 10 0 13 23
    See also: 2015 UCLA Bruins football team

    Colorado
    1 2 3 4 Total
    Buffaloes 7 3 7 6 23
    Sun Devils 17 7 14 10 48
    See also: 2015 Colorado Buffaloes football team

    Utah
    1 2 3 4 Total
    Sun Devils 10 0 8 0 18
    Utes 7 7 0 20 34
    See also: 2015 Utah Utes football team

    Oregon
    1 2 3 4OT2OT3OT Total
    Ducks 10 7 17 7776 61
    Sun Devils 0 14 17 10770 55
    See also: 2015 Oregon Ducks football team

    Washington State
    1 2 3 4 Total
    Sun Devils 14 0 7 3 24
    Cougars 0 10 7 21 38
    See also: 2015 Washington State Cougars football team

    Washington
    1 2 3 4 Total
    Huskies 10 7 0 0 17
    Sun Devils 0 3 7 17 27
    See also: 2015 Washington Huskies football team

    Arizona
    1 2 3 4 Total
    Wildcats 0 10 13 14 37
    Sun Devils 14 17 0 21 52
    See also: 2015 Arizona Wildcats football team and Arizona–Arizona State football rivalry

    California
    1 2 3 4 Total
    Sun Devils 10 17 6 13 46
    Golden Bears 3 7 21 17 48
    See also: 2015 California Golden Bears football team

    West Virginia
    1 2 3 4 Total
    Mountaineers 9 13 14 7 43
    Sun Devils 3 15 14 10 42
    See also: 2015 West Virginia Mountaineers football team and 2016 Cactus Bowl (January)

    Rankings
    Further information: 2015 NCAA Division I FBS football rankings
    Ranking movements
    Legend: ██ Increase in ranking. ██ Decrease in ranking.
    NR = Not ranked. RV = Received votes. т = Tied with team above or below. ( ) = First place votes.
    Week
    Poll Pre 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Final 
    AP 15 RV RV RV NR RV RV RV NR NR NR NR NR NR NR  
    Coaches 16 RV RV RV NR RV RV NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR  
    CFP Not released NR NR NR NR NR NR Not released

    References
    1. "Football – 2015 Coaches". Arizona State University Department of Athletics. Retrieved January 9, 2015.
    2. "Football – 2015 NFL Draft". National Football League. Retrieved May 4, 2015.
    3. "Schedule". Arizona State University Department of Athletics. Retrieved January 9, 2015.
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