Cal Poly @ Arizona State preview

Arizona State already is off to a disappointing start and should be eager to piece things back together Saturday, when it hosts Cal Poly in a non-conference game. Arizona State didn’t play up to its preseason expectations last weekend at Texas A&M, and the 38-17 loss in Houston shined a dim light on everything from the Sun Devils’ rigid play-calling to their recent failures in recruiting.

Finding methods to get the ball in the hands of converted wide receiver D.J. Foster will be one of the keys for Arizona State this week. Foster rushed for 1,081 yards and nine touchdowns and caught 62 passes for 688 yards and three TDs as a running back last season, receiving an average of 19.6 touches per game. He was moved to wide receiver in the spring but had just nine touches against Texas A&M for a total of 61 yards. Behind its triple-option offense last season, Cal Poly led the nation in rushing yards for a second consecutive year, and fleet-footed quarterback Chris Brown is back for his senior season.

TV: 11 p.m. ET, Pac-12 Networks LINE: OFF

ARIZONA STATE (0-1): The bright spot for the Sun Devils in their season opener was the play of the defense, which notched eight tackles for losses - including three sacks. Viliami Latu and Demetrius Cherry are sturdy defensive tackles who should clog up most interior holes against Cal Poly, and linebackers Salamo Fiso and Christian Sam demonstrated they can go sideline to sideline with the best. Arizona State features a pair of senior cornerbacks in Lloyd Carrington and Kweishi Brown, whose open-field tackling skills might be tested against run-heavy Cal Poly. On the offensive side of the ball, quarterback Mike Bercovici combined for 998 passing yards in back-to-back games last fall but has accumulated just 567 in the four games since.

CAL POLY (1-0): The Mustangs beat Montana with a 49-yard field goal with four seconds remaining last week. Brown completed only 4-of-12 passes for 56 yards but ran for 130 on 24 carries, and running back Joe Protheroe added another 112 yards on 29 rushes. Cal Poly isn’t without capable receivers, as fifth-year senior Willie Tucker returns after missing all of last season with a knee injury and gives the Mustangs a third wideout they can use in some offensive sets. Defensively, linebacker Tu'uta Inoke has excellent strength and field coverage, demonstrated by his 16 tackles against Montana.

EXTRA POINTS

1. Arizona State is expected to be without backup RB Kalen Ballage, who was sent home just hours before the Texas A&M game after being diagnosed with mononucleosis.

2. Foster has caught a pass in a nation-leading 41 straight games.

3. Brown’s brother Terrence is a former CB at Stanford who started for the Cardinal during the 2012 and 2013 seasons, helping them go 22-4 in that span.

PREDICTION: Arizona State 41, Cal Poly 24