Missouri @ Arizona State preview

THE STORY: They’re calling this “Black Out Night” in Tempe, Ariz., as fans of No. 23 Arizona State are encouraged to wear black and the team will debut its new all-black uniforms and helmets. Both schools won their season openers, albeit in different fashion. The Sun Devils racked up 517 yards of offense in a 48-14 rout of UC-Davis, while No. 19 Missouri had only 291 total yards in a lackluster 17-6 victory over Miami (Ohio). These two schools have met five times in their history, with the Tigers leading the all-time series 3-2, but they haven’t faced each other since a 30-9 home victory for Missouri in 1990.

TV: ESPN Line: Arizona State -8

ABOUT MISSOURI (1-0): Quarterback James Franklin threw one touchdown and ran for another in his first career start, but the sophomore failed to get the Tigers’ offense into any sort of rhythm and threw an interception that led to Miami’s only points. Instead the defense was responsible for the victory, forcing two turnovers and holding the RedHawks to 2.1 yards per carry. It’s the second time in the last three games the Tigers will play in Sun Devil Stadium; they lost to Iowa in the Insight Bowl there last year.

ABOUT ARIZONA STATE (1-0): The Sun Devils are picked to finish second in the Pac-12 South but have a legitimate shot at competing in the conference’s inaugural championship game given that USC is still banned from postseason play. With 300 yards passing and 217 on the ground in the opener against UC-Davis, Arizona State had a balanced attack and led 41-0 after three quarters. Brock Osweiler, the tallest quarterback in the FBS at 6-8, threw for 262 yards in his first career home start.

EXTRA POINTS
1. Missouri has won five road openers in a row — all by double digits — but has never won six consecutive road openers.

2. Arizona State last hosted a non-conference BCS school in 2008, a 27-10 loss to No. 3 Georgia.

3. The Tigers have won 22 consecutive non-conference regular-season games.

PREDICTION: Arizona State 31, Missouri 21. -- In a tough Friday night atmosphere, the Tigers won’t be able to score quite enough points to keep up with the Sun Devils’ fast-paced attack.