Week 3
Week 3: Fresno State vs. Arizona State University
Arizona State, now 2-0 to start its 2023 campaign, will have its third straight home game against Fresno State, a program that finished 10-4 in 2022 and No. 24 in the top-25 rankings.
The Bulldogs were able to register wins over San Diego State, Washington State and split their series with Boise State in 2022. The win over Boise State came in the Mountain West Conference game and the win over Washington State came in the LA Bowl game.
As ferocious as the Bulldogs were in 2022, they lost Jake Haener, their starting quarterback and leader. Haener was drafted by the New Orleans Saints in the fourth round of the 2023 NFL draft. He went 21-8 in 32 career games for the Bulldogs.
To add insult to injury, Fresno also lost its feature back, Joshua Mims, who carried the rock 261 times for 1,370 yards and 18 touchdowns.
Now heading into 2023 with a quarterback carousel comprising five different guys, Fresno State’s success is up in the air. Arizona State has seemingly found its starting quarterback while also having a boosted moral and roster.
We have Arizona State winning, moving to 3-0 in 2023. As overly optimistic as may sound, Fresno State is searching for a leader to recapture its successful 2022 campaign while also dealing with key offensive playmakers that bolstered its success in previous seasons.
The talk of the off season for the Devil’s has been the roster, Kenny Dillingham and improved recruits, but one thing that many over look is the moral of the team and the Sun Devil fan base. This will prove to be the most pivotal element in Arizona State’s success.
This is one of Arizona State’s early-season matchups that we will be closely watching and could easily swing either way.
Arizona State 28, Fresno State 16