Arizona State football coach Herm Edwards knows what it's like to be the underdog. So while his team may be the heavy favorite in its season debut against Kent State, he certainly isn't taking the opponent lightly. Neither is his team.

The Sun Devils open the 2019 campaign against the Golden Flashes on Thursday at Sun Devil Stadium in the much-anticipated debut of quarterback Jayden Daniels, the first true freshman in school history to draw a start at that position in the opener.

Kent State, directed by second-year coach Sean Lewis, is coming off back-to-back 2-10 seasons with a 1-7 mark in the Mid-American Conference last season but its uptempo offense will pose a challenge for a young ASU defense.

While the Golden Flashes look to have stagnated in the win column, they did lose five games by less than a touchdown.

"That’s the uniqueness of football," Edwards said. "No matter what conference you play in, when you feel like you’re the underdog, you get up for teams. You just do. You feel like, maybe I was under-recruited, whatever it may be. Players use all kinds of things to motivate them and I think when you feel like you are the superior team, which we do not feel like by any stretch of the imagination, you got to be on your guard."

Last season, Edwards debuted as a college football coach to modest expectations. His team was predicted to place sixth – last – in the Pac-12 South, and ASU finished second with its biggest win of the season over eventual division champion Utah.

This year, even Edwards isn't quite sure what he will see out of his young team.

"It is the first game and we have a lot of guys that have never played a college-football game," Edwards said. "We don't know how they're going to react. That's the fun thing. You don't know what to expect."

The most notable newcomer is Daniels, a native of San Bernardino, Calif. Both Edwards and offensive coordinator Rob Likens have tried to calm the expectations of the public while saying the youngster has a chance to be a special player.

Daniels may be the rookie, but he'll have an abundance of veterans around him on whom he can rely. He has the Pac-12's top running back in Eno Benjamin, as well as an all-senior offensive line for starters.

All three starting wide receivers are veterans, also.

While Kent State might present a challenge with its offense led by junior quarterback Woody Barnett, its defense is still a work in progress after giving up an average of 409 yards per game last year.

“When in doubt, just turn around and hand it off to Eno Benjamin. That kid is a get-out-of-jail-free card," Likens said of what he has stressed to his rookie quarterback. "You don’t have to feel the pressure and the world is not on your shoulders and so we have a good run game, we work on our run game, it’s not a secret. If we were to put a pyramid up of how we designed our offense, the bottom of that pyramid is the run game. That’s the base foundation so just trust in the base foundation."

Edwards has said he likes the demeanor of his quarterback who always seems calm, poised and under-control. It's one reason Edwards says he has established a good rapport with his quarterback because he has prided himself on exhibiting the same characteristics.

Daniels, who started 53 varsity games in high school, is ready for the challenge and singles out Benjamin and senior left tackle Cohl Cabral as the most stabilizing factors on offense.

"I got trust in them and they got trust in me," he said. "They have been through their first game. I know it will be a little nerve-racking but I know after the first play, things will settle down."

Reach the reporter at Michelle.Gardner@Gannett.com or 602 444-4783. Follow her on Twitter @MGardnerSports.

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