Arizona State got the win in the first game of the season 37-31 against New Mexico State, and nothing that follows can ever take that away.
But there was very little encouraging about that win.
Let’s start with the good: Kalen Ballage scored two touchdowns; Manny Wilkins found John Humphrey deep for another; and Karon Crump and Tashon Smallwood combined for four of ASU’s six sacks.
But there were areas of concern: Wilkins took too many sacks and hits, and he scrambled far too often; the defense had problems stopping New Mexico State on third down, probably because they were fatigued by a bush league coaching strategy; and most troubling, throngs of fans left before the start of the fourth quarter.