Arizona State got back in the win column this past weekend, but a much larger test awaits.
ASU head coach Kenny Dillingham and the Sun Devils will travel to Lubbock, Texas, to take on the No. 10-ranked Texas Tech Red Raiders.
In their last Big 12 matchup, the Devils were embarrassed as a home favorite. Now as a road underdog, will ASU be able to keep up?
Here is everything Dillingham had to say in his Monday press conference:
Preparing To Play at Texas Tech:
"Unbelievable environment. They've got great tradition there. I know they sold out a game that was, I believe, on a Friday night, which is impressive. I mean, that just tells you that this place is going to be rocking here on Saturday. You know, they're 5-0. They're one of the best teams in the country, a top-10 team in the country. They have everything, everything is positive there, so it's a great challenge for our guys. It's a great challenge for our staff, and it's going to be an unbelievable environment to go play in."
Preparing To Play A Joey McGuire (Texas Tech's HC) Led-Team:
"I think they're always going to be built from the front out. That's something that they take a lot of pride in: building the front. Defensive front, linebackers, and their corners-the length they have this year. I mean, they just have a very, very good football team. I mean, in all aspects, to be honest, not many weaknesses, and what they have. Their quarterback last year, in his first game, went out and scored one of the best performances, on Utah, that I've seen from a quarterback. He was a guy that they said, 'This is our future, and the future is now.' And he's led him to being 5-0. So I think there's so many. They signed the number one wide receiver in the country a couple of years ago, who's playing for them. They've got some of the best guys in the country on that field, and that's what you should want as a competitor. You want to play the best and play a top-10 team in the country on the road."
How Does Dillingham Feel Being a Road Underdog? (+14.5)
"I expect to win every game. I expected to win games when we ran the swinging gate. I expect to win every freaking game. I expect to win. There has not been one game since I've been the head coach here that I have not taken the field, expecting to win the football game, and with a plan that I had the utmost belief in, was the best thing to win the football game. So I don't really care. I don't really get into all of that. It doesn't motivate me, It doesn't not motivate me. What motivates me is going to play the best football game we can play, and what motivates me is being around people who play the game with a passion and their respect for the game. They play the game with the utmost level of want. There is no quit. I will do whatever is necessary for my brother next to me, and with passion, and yeah, that's how I look at every single opponent. I don't care who it is, it doesn't matter to me. I just want to play our best game possible with as much passion to put our players in the best position to be as successful as they can possibly be, over and over and over again."
Through Five Games, How Have ASU's Transfers Performed?
"I think the guys have come in and done a pretty nice job. We're not giving up. We've had a few penalties there, but not like we're giving up one-on-one fade balls consistently. I think we had one of those on a corner that was truly just giving up. But I think those guys, from that perspective, have played pretty solid. I would say the biggest thing for me right now is we just got to play harder. We've got to be felt when we're on the field, and that's not what we are right now. And we've got to find that. We got to find that. Everybody's got to look into themselves and find how to just play this game with a relentless passion, and that's the message, and that's the challenge."
How ASU Has Looked In The Trenches (Offensive Line, Defensive Line)
"I think part of that is that everything works together. So the scheme works together with the pass rush, who you're playing, and the pass rush and the coverages, and then obviously on third downs, creating pass rushes-that's the goal. So I think there's a lot to be said about that. I'm not going to get specifically into the thoughts on that, just because I think there's some more layers that I don't want to really get into leading up to this week. But yeah, we have to have an increased pass rush. We got to find a way to have an increased pass rush on early downs. We've also faced a lot of teams that were really good at catching and throwing, that was their M-O. So, we'll kind of hopefully progress in that category."
ASU will travel to Lubbock this Saturday for a 1:30 p.m. MST kick against the No. 10 Texas Tech Red Raiders.
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