Arizona State Football: What To Watch for in Arizona Wildcats Rivalry Game

The Arizona State Sun Devils (6-4) will host their in-state rivals the Arizona Wildcats (2-8) on Saturday. The Sun Devils are approaching a must-win game, and no game is bigger than when they take on the Wildcats.

After losing to the Washington State Cougars last week, the Sun Devils need to win this game in order to put themselves in the right direction to make an appearance in the Pac-12 championship game. They now need the UCLA Bruins to drop another game, considering the Sun Devils failed to capitalize on last week's opportunity to beat them.

This has put head coach Dennis Erickson's job on the line. If he loses this game, there is no way that many could imagine him as coach once again next season.

Even though the Wildcats are having a terrible season, in a game like this they can never be eliminated. The Sun Devils are also coming off two straight losses, so they can no longer be considered a shoo-in at this point in the season.

Here are the five things to watch for this Saturday when the Wildcats visit the Sun Devils.

Will the Sun Devils Be Able To Stop Quarterback Nick Foles?

Last week, Arizona State allowed Washington State's freshman quarterback Connor Halliday to throw for 494 yards and four touchdowns. While the Sun Devils' secondary has been incredibly effective this year, one would have to wonder if they are falling off at this point in the season.

This weekend, the Sun Devils will have to take on the Arizona Wildcats' superb quarterback Nick Foles. In a season of many low points, Foles has continued to be a bright spot. Only twice this season has he thrown for under 300 yards, and he has thrown for over 350 yards in seven games.

With 23 touchdowns on the season, the Sun Devils are going to have to be able to stop Foles and his passing attack. If they fail to do so, this game may end up being a lot closer then many may think.

Will Cameron Marshall Be Effective?

Arizona State's star running back Cameron Marshall had his worst game of the season last week against Washington State. Marshall ran for only 37 yards on 16 carries and one touchdown.

Following a huge 168-yard game against UCLA, Marshall just didn't look like the same player. Considering the Wildcats have been allowing 179.8 yards per game on the ground, it is hard to really say which Marshall we will see on Saturday.

The Sun Devils will need a huge game from Marshall in order to win this game, but following last week's performance, many have to worry how much of an effect he will have.

Marshall has been terrific at times this season, so hopefully that will be the running back that comes out on Saturday.

Will the Arizona Wildcats Be Able To Succeed Without the Run?

The Wildcats have a pretty terrible run game, averaging only 91.2 yards a game on the ground. The Sun Devils have been pretty hopeless in stopping the run, allowing opponents to run over them for 143.5 yards a game.

The Sun Devils' rush defense is going to have to rise to the opportunity, otherwise they may get beaten in an area where their opponent is rather weak.

Both of the Wildcats' primary running backs have combined for only nine touchdowns on the season. While Keola Antolin has had the majority of the carries and yards, Ka'Deem Carey has six touchdowns on the season. Two of those came last week against the Colorado Buffaloes.

The Sun Devils should be able to stop the Wildcats in the run department, but if they fail to, it will be hard to stop both the run and the pass. 

Will Alex Garoutte Be Called on To Kick?

Sun Devils kicker Alex Garoutte has missed four of his last six field goals. The Sun Devils have lost their last two games by close margins, and they likely would have won those games if he had completed his field goals.

The Sun Devils don't really have a better option than Garoutte, but one would have to wonder if the Sun Devils would be better off just going for it on fourth down instead of kicking a long field goal.

Coach Dennis Erickson will likely call on his kicker early, but if he misses anymore field goals, the Sun Devils are going to have to reconsider their game plan. They really cannot risk losing another game because of a missed field goal.

Can the Sun Devils Maintain Their Home Streak?

For the 2011 college football season, Arizona State has yet to drop a game at home. In Sun Devil Stadium, the team stands at a record of 5-0. The road hasn't been as kind with a record of 1-4.

With only two games left on the season, both being at home, the Sun Devils are going to have to hope they can keep winning at home. If they can't, this team will be in trouble going into bowl season.

Nothing would be more detrimental to this Sun Devils team than if they were to lose a third game in a row. Especially if that game was to in-state rival Arizona. The Wildcats will be playing just to ruin the Sun Devils' stadium and home record, so the Sun Devils will need to be ready for this team that will have nothing to lose.