Wide receiver Cameron Smith catches a remote pass from quarterback Taylor Kelly. ASU beat Washington State 52-31 at Sun Devil Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 22, 2014. (Photo by Mario Mendez)
After it was revealed Tuesday that junior wide receiver Cam Smith would sit out the 2015 season with a knee injury, many wondered where senior quarterback Mike Bercovici would be throwing the ball.
Those who were concerned are not the other members of the Sun Devil wide receiver group.
Despite the loss of two of ASU's three leading pass catchers from a season ago, the position group remains confident that it will be able to carry the load.
Redshirt senior Gary Chambers, the veteran of the unit who had 10 catches last season, said that he has tried to impart his knowledge on the younger players to try to get everyone on the same page.
"When you're younger, it's a lot of information to take in and me being able to know the whole offense, I just have to continue trying to instill everything I know into them," Chambers said. "Just repetition, repetition, repetition... I try to coach them up in the meeting room, try to coach them up on the field. Try to make things easier and point out small different things that they can just lock on to."
Redshirt freshman Jalen Harvey has been able to make a push during practice and credits Bercovici, Chambers and redshirt junior Fred Gammage on his improvement.
"Before we started spring, after workouts we'd always come to the bubble and throw, just getting our timing right," Harvey said. "Fred Gammage and Gary Chambers helped me a lot going out there. Instead of me asking them the plays every time I run out there, they tell me in every meeting that every time we get to the stadium, you've got to concentrate. As long as I'm concentrating, the ball is going to be thrown and I'm going to catch the ball."
Redshirt junior Eric Lauderdale, who sat out a season ago after transferring, said he is much more prepared to be a part of the offense than he was in the fall because of increased study and more practice reps.
"My mindset changed last year when I had to redshirt," Lauderdale said. "I told myself I'd get in the film room, get stronger, know what I got to do and get confident. I feel like, since I've come out here in the spring, I feel like I've been doing well."
Harvey, Lauderdale and Chambers all agreed that the group's mindset entering the year has not and should not change because of Smith's injury, saying that it's all about individual output.
In practice, each receiver got a number of chances to catch the ball and they made the most of the reps, showing off their skills to the crowd.
After a disappointing 2014, in which many believed Lauderdale would become the second banana to Jaelen Strong, he has shown improvement in the offseason, appearing quicker in drills. Lauderdale said his improvement is a result of studying and becoming more comfortable with the system.
"Honestly it's more knowing what to do," Lauderdale said. "Because if you don't know what to do, then you're not going to come off the ball as fast, you're going to hesitate a lot."
In the end, Chambers said that while the loss of Smith hurts, the rest of the receivers know their roles and they need to be able to fill them.
"Not at all, our mindset always stays the same," Chambers said. "We all are supposed to come out here and perform at a high level. It's really unfortunate that he's down. He's a big part of our team. He's here with us in spirit for sure... but we all know what we need to be able to come out here and do and now it's just a matter of doing it."
Additional Practice Notes:
– Coach Todd Graham revealed after practice that freshman Nick Ralston will remain at fullback, the position he played in high school, instead of moving to linebacker as was projected. Ralston has been practicing on offense for the entirety of the spring so far.
– Former ASU defensive lineman Marcus Hardison was in attendance as well as incoming freshman quarterback Bryce Perkins.
Reach the reporter at mtonis@asu.edu or follow @Tonis_The_Tiger on Twitter.
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