Arizona State head coach Todd Graham got his start on the defensive side of the ball in the Texas high school ranks. In his first year at ASU in 2013, the Sun Devils finished fourth in the Pac 12 in total defense and rushing defense. Last season, they slipped to seventh in total defense but more importantly ninth in rushing defense. They did get better as the season went on, limiting Stanford to just 76 yards, Notre Dame to 41 yards, Arizona to 125 yards, and Duke to 165 yards.

Christian Kirk and the receiving corps can stack up big plays against Arizona State's attacking defense Saturday night

The biggest change on that side of the ball between 2013 and 2014 was personnel losses as their base scheme remained the same (they lost nine of their top 12 tacklers and four of their top five in tackles for loss). As they gained experience and a better feel for their personnel, Arizona State generally played better defense down the stretch than they did earlier in the season. The feeling is that this improvement will carry over into 2015 due to all of the returnees on that side of the ball as they lost leading tackler Damarious Randall and virtually no one else from the 2014 unit.

The Sun Devils use a base three man front that can rotate between six and seven man looks depending on the personnel. The second and third levels employ hybrid players at linebacker and defensive back that are supposed to have the versatility to move from lineman to linebacker or from linebacker to defensive back roles. This is supposed to allow Arizona State to provide different looks and overcome some of the limitations in size that non-SEC programs often have.

Demetrius Cherry (6 foot 5, 300 pounds) has moved from off the bench to a starting role at nosetackle. When he plays with good pad level and uses his hands well, he can get underneath an offensive lineman and be effective. He’s strong and can get push on an offensive lineman. He’s not going to be someone who gets a lot of penetration or makes plays on his own. The Tiger (the under or three technique tackle) will be Tashon Smallwood who is just 6 foot 1 and 280 pounds. In watching him, I get the sense that he handfights too much with interior linemen as opposed to getting upfield.

Defensive ends JoJo Wicker and Edward Boateng will split time at the other spot up front (essentially a five technique end). They’re both about 265 to 275 pounds and Wicker is slated to start because he’s got much better burst than Boateng. However, like a lot of freshmen, he’s still learning the defense, improving his technique, and working on his stamina.

ASU has the Devil backer which is essentially a stand up, hybrid end/linebacker who is the pass rusher in the Sun Devil’s scheme. Senior Antonio Longino is slated to start and he’s really active (94 tackles last season) and quick off of the ball and is something of a work in progress in terms of footwork and shedding blocks. The Spur or drop backer is junior Laiu Moeakiola (6 foot 1, 215 pounds) who is essentially a nickel back in the same sense as Donovan Wilson. He’s very active and can cause problems for offenses with his ability to blitz and close on plays. He had 10.5 tackles for loss lasts season.

The inside backers are Salamo Fiso, D.J. Calhoun, and Christian Sam. All go about 6 feet or so and range from 225 to 240 pounds. Sam played with Kyler Murray on a couple of state title winning teams at Allen. He’s really good at reading blocks and slipping through untouched to make tackles. They are a very solid rotation as a whole. Sam has probably been the best of the three even though he’s not slated to be a starter.

Lloyd Carrington is ASU’s best cover corner and you’ll see him to the boundary side of the field. He’s a physical player who’s good at press coverage and in run support. He’s much better technically than he was at the start of his career. Kweishi Brown is about 210 pounds at the other corner and he’s similar in terms of his ability to be physical with receivers.

The boundary or strong safety is Jordan Simone who weighs 195 pounds. The former walk on was second on the team in tackles last season because of failures up front but he’s also plays a lot in the box and is very willing to stick his nose in there. Coverage is a different story for him (no pass break ups last season). Sophomore Armand Perry is the free safety and started last season as a freshman. He had his ups and down like most freshmen and he plays a key role as the last line of defense.

Thoughts

Arizona State is much more experienced this season as opposed to 2014 and only has two freshmen in its two deep on defense. They also got better over the course of last season with really just one major hiccup against the run down the stretch (Oregon State).

This is a defense that lacks a great deal of size because it’s hard to recruit that type of size on a consistent basis to a school outside of the SEC or the major population bases in other states such as California, Texas, and Florida. As a result, they play faster people and throw a variety of looks and blitzes at you. As a result, they make a lot of big plays (they ranked second in the Pac 12 in tackles for loss and were first in interceptions) but they also leave their corners in man coverage down the field with little safety help. As a result, they give up big plays (they were in the bottom half of the conference in plays over 20 yards allowed). Even so, they play pretty good defense in the red zone because their corners are good in man coverage and they stack the box against the run. In addition, when they get you in third and long, they send so many people from so many different angles…corners, safeties, linebackers…that they’re difficult to block.

This is a team that you’ve got to be patient with from an offensive standpoint because of their aggressiveness. They may give up some yardage but then they’ll hit you with a tackle for loss and put you in problematic down and distance situations. A&M has a size advantage and Arizona State has had trouble with West Coast offenses and zone read teams that ran right at them.

However, this game will be more than just pushing the Sun Devils around….Texas A&M’s offensive line has got to be able to pick up the right people and cut off penetration in order to make the offense go. Senior center Mike Matthews will play a big role in this regard. The line missed him very much in the spring and he’s got to be able to make the right calls and get A&M in the right protections. The left side of the line…Avery Gennesy at tackle and Keaton Sutherland/Jeremiah Stuckey at guard…will be making their first starts and you should look for ASU to attack them via overloads, blitzes, and stunts as often as possible. The right side of the line….Germain Ifedi and Joseph Cheek….are big guys who can get their hands on people and push them around or stalemate them in pass protection. A&M should definitely have an advantage here, particularly when Ifedi goes up against a freshman in Wicker.

Because the Sun Devils are so aggressive, A&M is going to get plenty of opportunities for big plays. Outside receivers Speedy Noil and Josh Reynolds will find themselves downfield in man situations multiple times throughout the game off of play action or the screen and go. They’ll be facing physical corners who are good at keeping people on the line. Christian Kirk and Ricky Seals-Jones will be working against linebackers and safeties who aren’t as adept in coverage as most of the people they’ll be facing in the SEC. The trick will be for them to recognize pressure and adjust their routes accordingly.

A&M quarterback Kyle Allen will face a lot of pressure Saturday night in terms of the blitzes and looks that he will get, particularly on third down. They will be times that all he can do is not make a bad play because the Sun Devils live off of negative plays and turnovers (they forced 27 of them last season). He may go multiple series in which a lot doesn’t happen. He’s going to have to make some snap throws to get the ball to Seals-Jones and Kirk and be able to hold it for longer throws to Reynolds and Noil. Freshman Kyler Murray could come and make ASU be more disciplined in terms of his ability to break down a defense scrambling. Then again, he could be overwhelmed by everything they’re throwing at him.

Questions

Can A&M do to Arizona State what they did to West Virginia in terms of the run game with their big backs if they don’t allow penetration (235 yards, 48 carries)? Arizona State’s defense is very hit and miss because they send a lot of people and put their back seven on islands in coverage and A&M’s offensive line has a couple of new starters and a new scheme.

Can Allen make plays down the field and not turn over the ball? There’s going to be times that he’s simply going to have to throw the ball away or take a sack because opportunities for big plays versus Arizona State are like cabs in New York….there’s always another one at the curb.

Overall, if A&M can cut off penetration in the run game, protect Allen, and give him lots of shots down the field to Noil, Kirk, and Reynolds, then the odds will eventually catch up to the Sun Devils.

