On the latest edition of the State of the Sun Devils podcast, Jeremy Schnell, Jesse Morrison and Damon Allred discussed Arizona State football’s first loss of the season in its first Big 12 contest.

The Sun Devils fell 30-22 to the Texas Tech Red Raiders at Jones AT&T Stadium to fall to 3-1 overall (0-1 in Big 12).

ASU had eight penalties for 69 yards and sent two kickoffs out of bounds, giving Texas Tech solid field position.  Quarterback Sam Leavitt threw his second interception of the season right after Texas Tech scored a touchdown on the opening drive of the game.

Arizona State gambled a few times in the matchup, going for it on fourth down four times. The Sun Devils were 0-for-3, with another attempt not counting due to a pass interference call against Texas Tech.

The Sun Devils’ pass catchers did not have their best outing with multiple catchable passes not being caught.

ASU has a bye week next week before hosting Kansas on Oct. 5.

On the latest edition of the State of the Sun Devils podcast, Jeremy Schnell, Jesse Morrison and Damon Allred react to Arizona State football’s 30-23 victory over Mississippi State.

The win was the Sun Devils’ first over an SEC team in program history and saw them improve to 2-0 on the season.

Starting running back Cam Skattebo had one of the best single games in ASU history.  He carried the ball 33 times for 262 yards while catching three passes for 35 yards. His 262 rushing yards were the second most for a single game in Sun Devil history.

A fumble recovery by C.J. Fite for a touchdown was crucial for the Sun Devils and Ian Hershey’s field-goal kicking improved from Week 1 with made kicks of 46 and 47 yards.

Quarterback Sam Leavitt struggled through the air with just 69 passing yards. However, he ran for 68 yards and two scores.

ASU has a short week as it plays Texas State on the road on Thursday.

On the latest edition of the State of the Sun Devils podcast, Jeremy Schnell, Jesse Morrison and Damon Allred look ahead to the Arizona State Sun Devils’ matchup on Saturday against Mississippi State. ASU football is 0-and-5 against SEC teams in program history.

Mississippi State was picked to finish second-to-last in the SEC media poll. The Bulldogs are led by first-year head coach Jeff Lebby and coming off a 56-7 blowout win over Eastern Kentucky last week.

Baylor transfer Blake Shapen is Mississippi State’s starting quarterback. He flashed his abilities both on the ground and through the air against Eastern Kentucky. He threw for 247 yards and three touchdowns while leading the team with 51 yards on the ground.

The wide receiver trio of Jordan Mosley, Kevin Coleman Jr. and Mario Craver pose a threat to the Arizona State secondary, a group not tested much in last week’s 48-7 win over Wyoming.

Saturday’s game kicks off at 7:30 p.m. and can be heard on ESPN 620 AM, the Arizona Sports app, ArizonaSports.com and simulcast on 98.7 when the Arizona Diamondbacks’ game ends.

On the latest edition of the State of the Sun Devils podcast, Jeremy Schnell, Damon Allred and Jesse Morrison react to Arizona State football’s 48-7 blowout win over Wyoming.

ASU’s defense stood out during the game with three takeaways, two of which resulted in touchdowns.

The Sun Devils’ rushing attack propelled the offense, as Arizona State carried the ball 49 times for 241 yards and two touchdowns. Eleven ASU players carried the ball, with starter Cam Skattebo leading the way with 49 yards and a score.

Quarterback Sam Leavitt made his debut as the Sun Devils’ starting quarterback. He went 14-for-22 with 258 yards and two touchdowns. He also ran for 47 yards on eight attempts.

ASU will now try to improve to 2-0 when it welcomes SEC program Mississippi State to Mountain America Stadium on Saturday. The Bulldogs won their first game 56-7 over FCS Eastern Kentucky.

The game can be found on ESPN 620 AM, the Arizona Sports app and arizonasports.com.

On the latest edition of the State of the Sun Devils podcast, Jeremy Schnell, Jesse Morrison and Damon Allred discuss Sam Leavitt being named Arizona State’s starting quarterback.

Leavitt, a redshirt freshman transfer from Michigan State, beat out Nebraska transfer Jeff Sims for the starting job. ASU head coach Kenny Dillingham said Sims will be the backup to Leavitt despite a strong fall camp from longtime Sun Devil Trenton Bourguet.

Leavitt played in four games for the Spartans last season, preserving his redshirt.  He completed 15-of-23 passes for 139 yards and two touchdowns through the air. He also showed off his ability to run the ball, carrying the rock 13 times for 67 yards.

Leavitt will attempt to provide the Sun Devils stability at a position that has felt like a revolving door over the last couple of seasons. In 2022, Emory Jones started out as the team’s signal caller. He ended up being replaced by Bourguet later in the season. Last season, injuries led to four different quarterbacks seeing playing time.

On the latest edition of the State of the Sun Devils podcast, Jesse Morrison and Damon Allred reacted to Arizona State football’s annual Saturday scrimmage at Camp Tontozona.

The ongoing quarterback competition between Sam Leavitt and Jeff Sims appeared to heat up during the scrimmage but head coach Kenny Dillingham seemed to be happier with the day Leavitt had than the day Sims had. However, he has yet to name the Sun Devils’ starting quarterback for the 2024 season.

Other than the quarterbacks, the defensive backs, as well as the running backs, had a good scrimmage on Saturday. The running game behind a noticeably improved offensive line appears to be a strength of the 2024 Sun Devils.

The fan turnout was solid given the team’s back-to-back 3-and-9 seasons. The Saturday scrimmage at Camp Tontozona is an excellent opportunity for fans to get a close look at ASU’s football team each year and interact with players after the scrimmage concludes.

On the latest edition of the State of the Sun Devils podcast, Jeremy Schnell, Jesse Morrison and Damon Allred are joined by new Arizona State athletic director Graham Rossini.

Rossini was officially named athletic director at Arizona State on Thursday.  Rossini, an Arizona State graduate, was with Sun Devil Athletics as executive senior associate athletic director and chief business officer.

Rossini was with the Arizona Diamondbacks from 2008-21 in their special projects and fan experience department.

Rossini replaces former vice president for university athletics Ray Anderson.  Anderson stepped down from the position on Nov. 13.

The new athletic director is in charge of a department that has seen great success in Olympic sports in recent years but has struggled in football, men’s and women’s basketball, baseball and softball.

Rossini will also be in charge of finding a solution for aging Desert Financial Arena, which hosts ASU men’s and women’s basketball among other sports and events.

On the latest edition of the State of the Sun Devils podcast, Jeremy Schnell, Jesse Morrison and Mitch Vareldzis discuss Arizona State reportedly being expected to hire Graham Rossini as its next athletic director.

Multiple reports on Tuesday said that the school planned to hire Rossini, who has been in a position with ASU as executive senior associate athletic director and chief business officer since September after being hired as a senior associate athletic director in early 2021.

In 2002, Rossini received an MBA from ASU’s W.P. Carey School of Business and previously served as director of baseball operations in the 2000s.

From 2008-21, Rossini was with the Arizona Diamondbacks’ special projects and fan experience department.

In his current position with Sun Devil Athletics, he played a major part in naming rights deals for the football stadium and basketball arena. He was key in the hiring of volleyball head coach JJ Van Niel, who was named Pac-12 Coach of the Year, last season. He also played a major part in the hiring of baseball head coach Willie Bloomquist.

According to Action Network’s Brett McMurphy, there is pushback on the potential hire of Graham Rossini as athletic director. Per SunDevilSource’s Chris Karpman, Arizona State president Michael Crow was going to present Rossini to the Arizona Board of Regents last Thursday.  However, Karpman reported that donors have pushed back on the idea of making an internal hire.

Rossini is currently the executive senior associate athletic director at ASU.  He has been in the position since February 2021.  The Sun Devils have been without an athletic director since Ray Anderson resigned in November.

The guys also reacted to ASU football’s spring game, which was more of an open practice this season. The practice did feature a lot of 11-on-11 scrimmaging with plenty of notable plays made by both offensive and defensive players.

Despite the Phoenix Suns playing a playoff game Friday in Phoenix, Sun Devil athletics hosting baseball and softball games and the Savannah Bananas playing in Mesa, a decent turnout still showed up to the event.

“I thought it was a good turnout,” said ASU head coach Kenny Dillingham. “I thought it was a good vibe out here.  … I think there’s more people here this year than last year which shows the belief in the process.”

The spring game, which was more like a formal practice, consisted of different individual and team drills.

The Sun Devils did spend much of the practice in game-like 11-on-11 drills. Team Gold, led by presumed starting quarterback Sam Leavitt, was more impressive than Team Maroon.

While Leavitt missed some deep throws – again, it was windy – and threw an interception, he showed that arm strength is one of his positives. His bomb to wide receiver Jordan Tyson almost went for a touchdown and was the passing highlight of the event.

Sam Leavitt chucks a bomb to spring ball standout @tyson_jordyn to set up another Cameron Skattebo score.@SunDevilSource pic.twitter.com/pgxnnYlFjN

— Blake Niemann (@Blakes_Take2) April 27, 2024

Leavitt also showed his athleticism as he had a touchdown run on Team Gold’s second offensive possession.

QB @S_leav10 with the TD run. pic.twitter.com/M6XB2Tt5SD

— State of the Sun Devils (@AZSportsDevils) April 27, 2024

Dillingham talked about Leavitt’s spring as a whole.

“I couldn’t be more happy with his progression,” Dillingham said. “He completed over 70% of his balls in team periods this spring, which is, I don’t know my history. We tracked (offensive coordinator Marcus) Arroyo’s history and that was the best, or one of the best, he’s had in his career at quarterback so kudos to him and we’re going to keep getting better.”

The quarterback was not the only player who excelled on the ground. Running back Cam Skattebo had the run of the night, breaking a tackle to score a touchdown for the first touchdown of 11-on-11.

Defensively, the physical play of the gold unit was noticeable. A play late in the proceedings when Myles Rowser made a stop on the goal line and forced a fumble stood out among plays made by the group.

DB @MylesRowser put the goal line stop also caused a fumble recovered by the defense. pic.twitter.com/QvxYZimlfl

— DevilsDigest.com (@DevilsDigest) April 27, 2024

An interesting storyline to potentially watch heading into fall camp is what happens at backup quarterback. Trenton Bourguet, who has seen a lot of action the past two seasons as both a starter and in relief, did not jump off the page as much as walk-on true freshman Navi Bruzon.

Bruzon, who led Liberty High School in Peoria to the Arizona Open Division state title in 2023 at Mountain America Stadium, was the more-electrifying quarterback between him and Bourguet on Friday.

Bourguet looked like what he has looked like the past couple of years, which is pedestrian. His best plays in the spring game were short passes over the middle. He missed a target on a quick pass to the outside, throwing the ball low. The maroon offense stalled with him at quarterback.

Bruzon, on the other hand, showed off his athleticism when he rolled out to his left, went through his reads well and accurately completed a pass for a touchdown late in the final 11-on-11 period.

Navi Bruzon to Joe Dochee jr. for a TD. Sparky liked it. pic.twitter.com/3ohzm0tGOU

— Chris Karpman (@ChrisKarpman) April 27, 2024

“I guess this is just his home field,” Dillingham said. “Navi hits this field and he turns into the Navinator. He’s the definition of activate the Valley, who really had as much success in high school football here as possible. Maybe he didn’t have the opportunities to go elsewhere but he’s been unbelievable for us. And testament to his coach in high school, testament to that staff for coaching him hard and getting him mentally to the point where he can execute as a true freshman in college in a spring game.”

Arizona State’s offensive line could be a problem again this season. The group was called for multiple penalties in Friday’s spring game and could have done a better job in pass protection.

As for what Dillingham thinks he did better this spring than last spring, he discussed how he improved at connecting with players.

“I think we monitored player loads,” Dillingham said. “I think we structured it to where the guys were going to get more work. To me, I met more with the team. Last spring, I would only meet every other day, every off day. Today, everything started with a team meeting. Because I want those guys to feel my energy every single day that I’m going to bring it every day.”

On the latest edition of the State of the Sun Devils podcast, Jeremy Schnell, Jesse Morrison and Mitch Vareldzis react to the NCAA finally handing Arizona State football sanctions for recruiting violations during the 2020 COVID-19 recruiting dead period.

In addition to the 2023 self-imposed bowl ban, ASU football is receiving four years of probation, a fine, vacation of records for games where ineligible players competed, scholarship reductions and recruiting restrictions.

The NCAA ruling was not the only bit of bad news for ASU football on Friday. Top wide receiver Elijhah Badger is entering the transfer portal. He had over 700 yards receiving in each of the past two seasons.

On a positive note, ASU received a commitment from four-star wide receiver prospect Adrian Wilson on Friday, and the men’s basketball program received a commitment from transfer guard Alston Mason.

He averaged 17.5 points per game and shot 35.3 percent from 3-point range in 2023-24 for Missouri State.

On the latest episode of the State of the Sun Devils podcast, Jeremy Schnell, Jesse Morrison and Mitch Vareldzis discuss the future of Arizona State men’s basketball head coach Bobby Hurley.

Hurley’s Sun Devils were crushed 90-57 in the first round of the Pac-12 Tournament in Las Vegas on Wednesday. The loss ended one of the worst seasons of Hurley’s tenure in Tempe.

A season after ASU made the NCAA Tournament, roster turnover and poor offensive play led the Sun Devils to regress, going 14-18.

This begs the question of what Hurley’s future will be at Arizona State.

He could leave and go somewhere with more solidified name, image and likeness deals for basketball players.

ASU could also part ways with its longtime head coach but the Sun Devils currently do not have a permanent athletic director and have not since November.

Hurley could stay but it is obvious the Sun Devils’ offense needs to be fixed.

Bobby Hurley has a serious, long-standing problem with his team’s offenses. Effective FG% national ranking by year via KenPom:

2024: 284
2023: 288
2022: 294
2021: 206
2020: 209

If he remains at ASU, Hurley should hire a good offensive bench assistant and overhaul his approach.

— Chris Karpman (@ChrisKarpman) March 14, 2024

The seven-time Cy Young Award winner took the mound for the Savannah Bananas at a packed Minute Maid Park, home of the Houston Astros, on Saturday. He donned his No. 22 with the iconic nickname “Rocket” on the back.

Clemens, who spent 2004-06 with the Astros, last pitched in organized baseball for the independent Sugar Land Skeeters in 2012.

The Bananas travel around the country, dancing and playing baseball against their opponent, the Party Animals.

The Party Animals had some success against the legend with three earned runs. Clemens recorded one out on a slow roller back to the mound that he flipped to first base. The crowd of 41,000 gave him quite the ovation.

7x Cy Young Award Winner, Roger Clemens, takes the mound for the Savannah Bananas at Minute Maid Park. pic.twitter.com/Rc5ZT3sAdj

— Savannah Bananas (@TheSavBananas) March 10, 2024

Clemens was not the only Astros great to make an appearance for the Bananas on Saturday. Roy Oswalt, 46, who made three All-Star teams for Houston from 2005-2007, also pitched on Saturday.

Oswalt pitched 0.1 innings, giving up a run on three hits and striking out a batter.

Now pitching for your Savannah Bananas, former Astro and 3x All Star, Roy Oswalt😎 pic.twitter.com/Eghzlj0DLv

— Savannah Bananas (@TheSavBananas) March 10, 2024

Clemens and Oswalt pitched for the World Series-bound Astros in 2005, and the Bananas gave Houston fans a blast from the past in their MLB stadium debut.

The D-backs also reassigned two players to minor league camp.

The players optioned to Reno outside of Lawlar were right-handed pitchers Justin Martinez, Cristian Mena and Peter Strzelecki as well as outfielder Jorge Barrosa. The players reassigned to minor league camp were left-handed pitcher Kyle Backhus and catcher Adrian Del Castillo.

Lawlar, a shortstop, made his MLB debut on Sept. 7 at the Chicago Cubs. He appeared in 14 total games last season, going 4-for-31 at the plate.

He played in three games in the postseason, taking a walk and scoring a run in Game 4 of the World Series against the Rangers. He hit .358 with five home runs in 16 Triple-A game before getting called up.

Lawlar being optioned to the Aces is a move that opens the door for more playing time early this season. D-backs manager Torey Lovullo named Geraldo Perdomo Arizona’s everyday starting shortstop earlier in spring training.

The backup shortstop battle will come down to veteran incumbents Jace Peterson and Emmanuel Rivera, non-roster invitees Elvis Andrus and Kevin Newman in addition to Arizona’s No. 20 prospect Blaze Alexander.

Martinez, Arizona’s No. 26 prospect, appeared in 10 games a season ago. The 22-year-old struggled with command, posting a 12.60 ERA in 10 innings pitched, but has an electric 100 mph fastball and a plus splitter.

Mena, acquired in an offseason deal with the Chicago White Sox for Dominic Fletcher, is the D-backs’ No. 11 prospect. The 21-year-old only has four Triple-A appearances in his minor league career so he will gain more experience pitching in Reno.

Barrosa, 22, batted .274 with a .394 on-base percentage last season in 120 games for the Aces. The switch-hitter is stuck behind the plethora of outfielders Arizona has.

Strzelecki can provide bullpen depth if the D-backs need it at some point this season. He appeared in 37 games between Milwaukee and Arizona last season — one with the D-backs — posting a 4.38 ERA.

Moving Del Castillo back to minor league camp narrows the Arizona backup catching battle to veteran non-roster invitee Tucker Barnhart and Jose Herrera.

On the latest edition of the State of the Sun Devils podcast, Jeremy Schnell, Jesse Morrison and Mitch Vareldzis preview Arizona State men’s basketball’s games in Los Angeles this weekend.

The Sun Devils play USC on Thursday at 9 p.m. MST  and UCLA on Saturday at 9 p.m. MST. Both games are important for ASU as the Sun Devils need momentum heading into the Pac-12 Tournament in Las Vegas next week.

ASU’s only shot at the NCAA Tournament is if it wins the Pac-12 Tournament and automatically qualifies for the Big Dance. The Sun Devils are 14-15 and 8-10 in the Pac-12.

Before then, the Sun Devil women’s basketball team plays in the Pac-12 Tournament this week. ASU takes on No. 22 Utah in the first round on Wednesday at 9 p.m. MST.

The women’s basketball team improved from a season ago but will need even more of a magical run than the men’s team to qualify for the NCAA Tournament.

The Cardinals have big decisions to make when the draft commences on April 25 with two first-round picks and areas of need on both sides of the ball.

“(Gannon) had a lot of energy walking into that room,” Fashanu told reporters on Saturday. “Super pumped up. Got a really good vibe from the guy. And yeah, it was a smooth meeting.”

Fashanu went on to discuss how it would be “cool” to play alongside Arizona right tackle and former Ohio State Buckeye Paris Johnson Jr., blocking for quarterback Kyler Murray.

“Paris and I were peers last year playing in the same conference,” Fashanu said. “So to have that opportunity to block on the other side of the line with him, it’d be cool.”

Fashanu is the projected No. 7 pick in the draft by NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah. He started all 12 games he played in last season at left tackle and was named the Rimington-Pace Big Ten Offensive Lineman of the Year.

He did not allow a sack in 365 pass blocking snaps, according to Penn State.

Gannon told Arizona Sports’ Wolf & Luke on Friday that offensive line is his “spirit animal” and he would be ok with general manager Monti Ossenfort selecting an offensive lineman early in the draft.

“I love all the o-linemen we talked about, I said sign them all up,” Gannon said.

Clemson cornerback Nate Wiggins and Toledo cornerback Quinyon Mitchell stood out when defensive backs went through testing.

Mitchell, who has interviewed with the Arizona Cardinals, ran a blazing 4.33 second 40-yard dash. He also completed 20 reps on the bench press, the most of the nine cornerbacks who participated in the bench press at the combine.

4.33u ‼️@ToledoFB DB Quinyon Mitchell was FLYING.

📺: #NFLCombine on @nflnetwork
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/We7EdoMm5s

— NFL (@NFL) March 1, 2024

Wiggins was flying in his 40-yard dash, running it in 4.28 seconds.

However, he did have to be helped off the field with what he told NFL Network was a hip flexor injury.

Oh my, Nate Wiggins. 4.29u. Wow.

📺: #NFLCombine on @nflnetwork
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/sgCVDjfADE

— NFL (@NFL) March 1, 2024

The Cardinals certainly need a corner and if they want either player, they may have to trade up from pick No. 27 or down from pick No. 4. NFL Network draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah has Wiggins going No. 15 to the Indianapolis Colts and Mitchell No. 17 to the Jacksonville Jaguars in his latest mock draft published on Feb. 20.

ESPN draft analyst Matt Miller has a totally different scenario playing out. In his latest mock draft published on Feb. 5, Miller has Wiggins falling to the Cardinals in the second round at pick No. 35. He has Mitchell going to the Philadelphia Eagles at No. 22.

Arizona Coyotes president and CEO Xavier Gutierrez responded Friday to NHLPA executive director Marty Walsh’s comments in which he said he would support the team’s relocation out of the state.

Walsh spoke about the Coyotes’ arena situation at NHL All-Star Weekend earlier in February, saying “players want to play in an NHL arena.” Arizona currently plays at Arizona State’s 4,600-seat Mullett Arena and reportedly is closing in on purchasing land to build a new stadium.

Gutierrez said on Arizona Sports’ Bickley & Marotta that Walsh originally offered to help Arizona with its previous Tempe arena plan before the relationship went sour.

“(Walsh) came to meet with us,” Gutierrez added. “He was at Mullett and he offered to try to work with us and help us in terms of the previous campaign that we were under. And then it seemed to stray. And the reality is both (Coyotes owner) Alex Meruelo and I had met with the previous PA head on a number of occasions and kept him quite informed when he asked us to. The current one has not requested a meeting, has not requested information but has been very vocal in a process that quite frankly we work with the commissioner and we work with the league and we work with the ownership on moving forward.

“So, we’re not quite sure what the animosity is. No one understands better that Mullett is a temporary solution. We know that more than anybody knows that. We have never shied away from saying that that is the case. And he’s heard that as well. So, I’m not sure if there is a positioning to try to show the players’ association that he is at the forefront of a process that quite frankly we deal with the commissioner on.”

Mullett Arena has about 10,000 fewer seats than the second-smallest NHL arena.

The Coyotes and ASU have a deal in place for the team to play their home games there through next season with an option for 2025-26.

Walsh criticized Meruelo as well as Gutierrez for not collaborating with the players’ association since Walsh took the position as executive director in the spring of 2023.

“We have a team in Arizona that doesn’t seem interested in having conversation with the union who represents the players that play on that team,” Walsh told reporters during All-Star weekend.

Gutierrez on Friday did not have much of an update about the team’s arena plans after it lost a May 2023 vote to begin constructing an entertainment district in Tempe.

He said the team has “honed in” on state-owned land that if won at auction would not be subject to a public vote. The team is confident it will be able to win that auction, he said.

“A month after that (failed Tempe) vote, we submitted an application for state-owned land,” Gutierrez said. “We also looked at well over half a dozen other sites. We actually put two others under contract, one of which made the public news. We were not sitting idle.

“We know that (finalizing an arena plan) is the issue: This is the thing that will finally really calm all the concerns. We are committed to being here.”

Arizona Cardinals owner Michael Bidwill had high praise for Monti Ossenfort just more than a year into Ossenfort’s first job as an NFL team’s general manager.

“Monti came from New England where he was Bill Belichick’s right-hand personnel person up there for years,” Bidwill said on Bickley & Marotta. “(Patriots owner) Robert Kraft told me, ‘hey, if we were ever going to hire a general manager,’ Monti would be No. 1 on his list. So I know we got a great one and you just look at the last year, the great success we had in free agency and with the draft and some of the moves he made throughout the season.

“And you just look at the last year — the great success we had in free agency and with the draft and some of the moves that he made throughout the season. And we’re just a couple of weeks away from free agency. I’m super excited about his plan going into free agency.”

Since being hired in January 2023, Ossenfort has overhauled the Cardinals’ roster, moving on from multiple players left over from the Steve Keim era. The most notable of these moves was when the Cardinals traded 2020 No. 8 pick Isaiah Simmons to the New York Giants in August.

Ossenfort’s first NFL Draft as general manager received high marks both after the draft and after the season. NFL.com rated Arizona’s draft class No. 5 out of 32 teams in May and No. 10 after the season ended.

The Cardinals were one of the biggest movers on draft night, trading the No. 3 pick and the No. 105 pick to the Texans for the No. 12 pick, a 2024 first-round pick and a 2024 third-round pick.

Arizona then moved back up to No. 6, trading the No. 12 pick and two second-rounders to the Detroit Lions. The Cardinals were also able to acquire a fifth-round pick. With the No. 6 pick, Arizona drafted tackle Paris Johnson Jr. He put together a solid rookie season, starting all 17 games at right tackle.

“What he did last year demonstrated he’s a true pro,” Bidwill said. “He absolutely handled that thing masterfully as if he was a 10-year veteran general manager.”

Bidwill was flabbergasted at the moves Ossenfort made on draft night.

“The amounts of plates we had spinning while we were on the clock was just remarkable. I had never seen anything like it in my life and I’d seen a lot of trades go down throughout my lifetime.”

Cardinals owner Michael Bidwill assesses Jonathan Gannon after year No. 1

Despite the Cardinals going 4-13 in head coach Jonathan Gannon’s first season, the team’s effort was elevated from the 2022 season under Kliff Kingsbury.

Three of the Cardinals’ four wins were against the Dallas Cowboys, Philadelphia Eagles and Pittsburgh Steelers, all teams that made the playoffs. Arizona was 3-5 down the stretch after Kyler Murray returned from his ACL injury.

Bidwill praised Gannon’s ability to lead in year No. 1 on the job.

“I think he was already regarded as one of the bright defensive coaches in the National Football League,” Bidwill said. “What he did in terms of the step up to being head coach – I mean the key thing there is leadership. You just look at the way this team played … . They all believe in him. All 53 men believe in what coach Gannon is talking about and in the plan.

“They’ve bought in. His staff has bought in. He went with the younger staff. That was a question mark a year ago. … These guys really did a great job and everybody’s bought into what JG is leading us through and I’m just super impressed with him as well.”

ASU, now at .500 on the season at 11-11 and below .500 in Pac-12 play at 5-6, did not play the strong defense that has been its identity this season. The Sun Devils also struggled on offense, something that has been an issue all season long.

Cal lit up the Sun Devil defense, especially in the first half. The Golden Bears (9-13, 5-6 Pac-12) shot 13-of-26 (50%) from the field and 7-of-13 (53.8%) from 3-point territory in the first half. For the game, they shot 27-54 (50%) from the field and 11-22 (50%) from three. ASU fouled Cal 16 times and the Golden Bears were able to knock down 16-of-19 free throws (84.2%).

ASU forward Alonzo Gaffney discussed the team’s defensive struggles in the first half.

“The effort wasn’t there in the first half from a defensive standpoint – defending the 3-point line,” Gaffney said. “We just got to be better.”

On offense, the Sun Devils put up many contested shots throughout the game. They especially struggled early on, digging themselves into a hole they could not find their way out of.

ASU never led the entire afternoon. The Sun Devils went down 3-0 on a Cal three with 19:14 left in the first half and the Golden Bears never looked back. Cal led by as many as 21 points in the second half.

The game was not just ASU’s fourth loss in a row. It was the Sun Devils’ sixth loss in their last seven games. Their only win in their last seven was against a depleted USC team on Jan. 20. They have gone from playing Oregon on Jan. 25 to remain at the top of the Pac-12 to being in the bottom half of the conference standings. Stacking losses in conference play is especially damaging to the Sun Devils due to how they played in the non-conference portion of their schedule. ASU played to a 6-5 record in non-conference play.

“It’s not great, considering the way we started, that we’re sitting where we are right now but it’s not in my makeup to quit,” said ASU head coach Bobby Hurley. “That’s not what I’ve done my whole life so if that’s what they’re looking for from their leader, then they’re not going to get that. We’re just going to look at each individual game and see how we could try and turn this around but it has come full circle back to the same things that haunted us in some of our non-conference games.”

Perez benched for second half

ASU starting guard and second-leading scorer Jose Perez did not play in the second half of Saturday’s game due to what Hurley called a “coach’s decision.”

“It’s what I had to do for that half to try and see if we could climb back in the game,” Hurley said.

Up Next

ASU travels to Colorado on Thursday. The game is at 6 p.m. and cane be heard on ESPN 620 AM, the Arizona Sports app and ArizonaSports.com.