Choo choo.

Arizona State coach Herm Edwards has his train ahead of schedule, and suddenly all that doubt and vitriol and hate and resistance and anger and skepticism and cynicism and shock and bewilderment and good ol’ fashioned prejudgment that rattled college football when he took the job has fallen silent.

His team is 5-1 (2-1 Pac-12) thanks to star players who embody the flexibility of a yogi and a popsicle cool attitude.

You’d forgive him if he sounded a little satisfied after beating Washington State 38-34 at Sun Devil Stadium with HBO cameras filming each side for a college football documentary series “24/7 College Football.”

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You’d forgive him if he reminded everyone that his program was poised to climb into the top 15 halfway through his second season.

You’d even forgive him if he reminded everyone that he had given them a fair chance to “get on the train” 18 months ago.

But he didn’t do any of that. He kept it cool, like he always does.

“Our motto is real simple,” Edwards said. “Stay humble and hungry. Just stay humble and hungry.”

'I don’t care about any rankings'

Choo choo.

Edwards is going into a game that will have implications for the top-25 rankings and will help determine who has control of the Pac-12 South heading into the final stretch of the season.

You’d forgive him if he touted all of that.

You’d forgive him if he boasted that he was doing it with a freshman quarterback and freshmen on the offensive line and rookies all over the defense.

You’d even forgive him if he reminded everyone that he’s raised the expectations and excitement around Tempe by winning games no one thought he could win and drawing national attention few other coaches could generate.

But he didn’t do any of that. He just kept it even, like he always does.

“I don’t care about any rankings,” he said. “I don’t pay attention to ’em. The only way I know is when you folks come in here and tell me. I don’t read it. I don’t watch it. I don’t pay attention to it. I know what we’ve gotta do now. We’ve gotta go play Utah. And they’ve got a really good football team.”

‘Coach, you like this’

Choo choo.

Utah entered the season as a favorite to win the division.

The Utes entered the weekend ranked No. 15 in the Amway Coaches Poll.

And they’ll probably enter next week’s game in Salt Lake City as the favorite against ASU.

And they should expect a fight.

Coach Herm’s Sun Devils keep things close.

They win big games on the road.

And they beat you with guys like Eno Benjamin, who’s catching the ball out of the backfield, and Brandon Aiyuk, who’s catching the ball wherever they throw it, and Jayden Daniels, who can beat you throwing or scrambling.

Benjamin gained 137 yards on the ground. But at one point on the final drive, he caught four straight passes for 30 yards.

Aiyuk caught a deep post for a 40-yard touchdown in the first half. And he turned a couple of modest plays into touchdowns of 33 and 86 yards. He finished the day with 196 yards and three touchdowns.

Daniels engineered yet another game-winning drive, gaining the final 17 yards on a scramble that ended with a spinning leap into the end zone.

They can beat you on the ground. They can beat you through the air. They can beat you at home. They can beat you on the road.

The only way they can’t seem to beat you is big.

“These guys are gonna give me a heart attack,” Edwards said. “I said, ‘What are y’all doing? I’m 65 years old, what are you guys doing?’ … They’re trying to send me to the hospital. They won’t (win big) for me. I’ve asked them numerous times, they say, ‘Coach, you like this.’ I say, ‘I really don’t.’ ”

'They don’t quit'

Choo choo.

The team has his personality.

They don’t back down. They don’t break. They don’t fold.

“If you watch ’em play, they don’t quit,” he said. “They never say, ‘Oh, it’s too much.’ ”

He wasn’t done.

“They don’t know how hard it is,” Edwards said. “This (win over Washington State) was hard. Two weeks ago, against Cal, that was hard. Michigan State? It was hard. They don’t flinch. That’s why I love ’em.”

Edwards knows the season isn’t over. Not by a long shot.

There are games on the schedule against Utah, USC, Oregon and Arizona. All are playing good football, so things could go bad in a hurry.

ASU’s depth isn’t where anyone would like for it to be.

And the defense has more questions to answer than a round of bar trivia (though no one can rightly ask whether they can make big plays in big moments.)

But for right now, ASU football is getting it done.

Edwards isn’t gloating. But he isn’t surprised, either.

“That’s who they are,” he said. “They’re a resilient bunch. They really are.”

Choo choo.

Reach Moore at gmoore@azcentral.com or 602-444-2236. Follow him on Instagram and Twitter @WritingMoore.

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: ASU football's Herm Edwards has ranked Sun Devils ahead of schedule