Listening to both Arizona State head coach Herm Edwards and defensive coordinator Danny Gonzales all season they’ve preached the same storyline about their defense.
They’re young.
ASU’s opening night defensive unit featured just three players that had taken Division I snaps entering the season.
The unit has been much improved throughout the season, and have gone through a fair amount of growing pains. Seeing the process turn into a strong performance against No. 16 Utah is just that much sweeter.
Freshman linebacker Merlin Robertson and freshman Aashari Crosswell each collected their first career interceptions. Redshirt freshman linebacker Tyler Johnson recorded seven tackles.