Daniels, Henderson Named Pac-12 Players of the Week
SAN FRANCISCO – Sun Devil Football quarterback Jayden Daniels and offensive lineman LaDarius Henderson each earned Pac-12 Player of the Week honors, the conference announced Monday morning.
The announcement comes after Arizona State knocked off No. 20 UCLA on the road Saturday night, 42-23, in Pasadena in a pivotal Pac-12 South clash. The 19-point victory is the second-largest on the road over an AP-ranked opponent in program history. Daniels and Henderson led an offensive unit that dominated UCLA, allowing ASU to take over in the second half and cruise to a win.
After collecting four Player of the Week awards a season ago despite playing in only four games, Sun Devil Football continues to add to their trophy case under Head Coach Herm Edwards. Since he arrived in Tempe prior to the 2018 season, Arizona State has had an incredible 27 Pac-12 Player of the Week selections, fourth-most in the conference. It is the eighth time that two Sun Devils have earned the distinction in the same week over the past four years.
For Daniels, it is the fifth weekly award of his career and the second time he was named the Offensive Player of the Week. This is Henderson's first player of the week honor, taking home Offensive Lineman of the Week. Since 1983, Sun Devils have won a total of 140 Pac-10/12 Player of the Week Honors.
Jayden Daniels - Offensive Player of the Week
Sun Devil quarterback Jayden Daniels led the Sun Devils to a 42-23 win over No. 20 UCLA, the second-largest margin of victory against an AP Top-25 team on the road in program history. Daniels did it with both his arm and legs, but excelled in the passing game. He threw for 286 yards on an efficient 13-for-18 passing, throwing for a pair of touchdowns. It was his ninth game with 2+ scores through the air. It is his 12th career performance accounting for two or more touchdowns and the ninth time he eclipsed 250 yards through the air. Daniels accounted for 331 yards of offense, going over the 300-yard mark for the eighth time. He averaged 22 yards/completion, which set a new career high.
He added 45 yards on the ground on only six carries. Daniels created explosive plays with his accuracy and arm strength, completing four passes of over 40 yards. As a result, he was PFF's 21st highest graded player overall in FBS for the week, grading out at 87.6. The rating was 12th among all quarterbacks and was the best in the Pac-12 this week. His 15.1 ypa were second among FBS quarterbacks this week. Additionally, he had the 8th-highest NFL QBR in the FBS according to PFF.
LaDarius Henderson - Offensive Lineman of the Week
Sun Devil left guard LaDarius Henderson provided a physical presence at the line of scrimmage in the victory over No. 20 UCLA. Henderson and the offensive line unit paved the way for an extremely balanced offensive attack that produced 42 points and 458 total yards (286 passing & 172 rushing). Henderson graded out at 84%, including two pancakes and one knockdown. He did not allow a single quarterback pressure and still has only allowed one all season. Henderson was effective as a pull blocker on run plays and had key blocks on Rachaad White's 49-yard yard run and Ricky Pearsall's 58-yard touchdown reception on a screen.
Next up, the Sun Devils will take on Stanford on Friday at 7:30 p.m. MST. The game will be televised on ESPN. Get tickets here.