Why Arizona State football’s season opener means more to the program than before

First-year head coach Kenny Dillingham and Arizona State’s football program were dealt the short end of a stick before the season even began.

Dillingham’s first season and homecoming at ASU has brought in a shared sense of support and overall positive sentiment for the program.

However, the team has once again been struck with adversity within days of kickoff at Mountain America Stadium as the season will include a self-imposed bowl ban.

Even without the postseason, there's still a great deal of excitement for how the Dillingham era will begin. However, the excitement has nearly been overshadowed by the fact that a great deal of players won't get to have a bowl experience in their final season.

Dillingham has praised his team’s character following the news and saw it as another hurdle the team will overcome.

Thursday will be a telling sign of how the team has responded to the late surprise. It will also be the perfect setting for the team to make a statement by winning.

ASU has garnered positive attention for the majority of the offseason following Dillingham's hire with him seeking out hidden gems and returning Arizona players through the portal. Dillingham has also received praise for backing up his words on building a team with high character and has notably dismissed two players for that reason.

Now it's time for the team to make an even bigger statement through its play.

Last season, the Sun Devils underwhelmed in the home opener, despite a 40-3 win over Northern Arizona. ASU’s offense could only manage a field goal after the first quarter and relied heavily on special teams in the game.

Since the ban was announced Sunday, the team has bounced back with spirited practices. True freshman starting quarterback Jaden Rashada has looked sharp after winning the role. Players haven’t been afraid to voice their concerns and continued faith in the team.

How ASU can win: ASU scouting report vs. Southern Utah

Southern Utah possesses a good first step for ASU in that the FCS program is still being rebuilt under coach DeLane Fitzgerald. In his first season, Fitzgerald led SUU to a 5-6 record with a 2-3 mark in the Western Athletic Conference last year. The five victories were the most wins in a single season for Southern Utah since 2017.

A convincing win over SUU would be enough to show that the program is ready to move forward regardless because actions have always spoken louder than words.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Following bowl ban, ASU football's home opener means more than before