"We can play loud music, but that's not going to prepare you for the entire environment," ASU head football coach Kenny Dillingham said about BYU's home field. "It's going to come down to just understanding you've got to do your 1/11th every single play,"
The sweet music of an upset victory will have to come via blocking out the noise in Provo for the Arizona State Sun Devils, especially with their quarterback situation.
A lot remains up in the air in the Arizona State vs. BYU matchup, on both sides, with the Cougars coming off a massive upset loss to unranked UCF last week.
These two teams meet on different sides of the college football spectrum, but both have major implications hanging in the balance with a win or loss this Saturday.
Here are the main storylines for ASU's trip to Brigham Young this weekend:
Dillingham touched on how to make the true freshman quarterback comfortable in a hostile environment like BYU, considering that Jake Fette is likely to start as Mikey Keene is still questionable.
"I think we have to have enough plays where he can just take a deep breath. Where you don't have to think all the time. It's like, oh, let me just breathe, take a big breath, and whether it's throw a screen, hand off a run, line up in the Wildcat. There's a variety of things you can do to give quarterbacks breaks that everybody in college football knows, right? Not a secret. So we just have to find ways to be able to give them a break every once in a while, and people around them have to step up."
But what happens if Fette never gets comfortable in his first collegiate start?
Will Dillingham be open to putting out a banged-up Mikey Keene? Or if things go really upside down, Cutter Boley? Or will the fourth-year head coach let this be a learning experience for the once-highly touted recruit?
Many expect Fette to be handed the keys to the offense next season, but that timeline was expedited due to ASU's quarterback situation. So how much stock will be put in this performance? And how will Fette respond if it doesn't go to plan?
One way to make your young quarterback comfortable? Provide a stable run game.
For ASU, that top option looks to also be a freshman: Cardae Mack.
Mack has been the poster child of ASU's last two victories, running for over 300 yards and six touchdowns in the Hawaii and Kansas State wins combined.
Against big-name opponents? ASU has not unleashed any form of "Mack Attack". The true freshman has just one carry against Texas A&M and seven carries at Texas Tech.
Facing a top-ten team in a raucous road environment usually makes teams opt for more proven talent, such as veteran Kyson Brown, showing off a level of trust that they can rely on in the senior tailback.
However, to try and take down the No. 8 Cougars , the Devils will need all the firepower that they can get, and Mack is likely the best option in that department.
"There's a chance that you have two true freshmen in the backfield together going on the road at BYU, yeah, (that's) exciting," Dillingham said. "But if you are going to have two freshmen doing it, those are two guys that you would like to have. And then obviously, having some veterans like Sip (RB Kyson Brown) as well, being back there with Jake and being just a calming voice of somebody who's been there and done that. So I think there's a balance that's needed, but yeah, it's fun to watch those young guys go out there and play the game free and confident."
Arizona State had just four missed tackles against Kansas State, a significant change from their losses to Texas Tech and Baylor, and even their victory vs. Hawaii.
Are the past tackling troubles officially gone? Taking on this BYU offense will be the ultimate test.
The Cougars like to run a highly effective option run, pairing with the mobile ability of QB Bear Bachmeier, on top of a lot of pre-snap movement and keeping defenses guessing.
"You have to just prepare at a high level to understand if I see A, B is happening," Dillingham said. "You don't have to see both to confirm it. So I think that's one of the challenging things when you face a team like this, is you're not going to probably see the whole picture. You're going to be able to see a piece of the picture, and you've got to anticipate what the other side of the picture is doing."
Even in a loss, Bachmeier finished with 257 passing yards and two touchdowns, picking up 37 more yards and another touchdown with his legs. UCF was able to handle a shootout against the Cougs (39-31), but with ASU sporting a lot of young talent on offense, relying on a lot of points may be costly.
What defense will show up on Saturday? The one that sealed the deal last Saturday afternoon vs. the Wildcats? Or the unit that was embarrassed in primetime at home vs. the Bears, almost exactly a month ago?
ASU and BYU are set to kickoff this Saturday, Oct. 31, at 12:45 p.m. AZT on FOX.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/arizonastate as Three Storylines I'm Watching Most in Arizona State's Week 9 Matchup Against No. 8 BYU .
