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ASU football working on fundamentals on the offensive line

Coach Herm Edwards wants heavily involved wide receivers and an offensive line that can take over any game

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ASU sophomore wide receiver N'Keal Harry (1) reaches for a ball in the second half of the Sun Devils' 30-20 loss to the Aztecs on Saturday, Sept. 9, 2017 at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Arizona.


As ASU football continues spring practice, tuesday was focused on fundamentals for the Sun Devil offense so it can develop the consistency it lacked last year, and so every position knows how it will be incorporated. 

“They have to be consistent because if you’re not consistent with the offensive line, your offense is in trouble,” head coach Herm Edwards said. “All great offenses are built through the offensive line.”

The offensive line has to find and solidify its play this season, which will be even more difficult as Sam Jones declared for the NFL Draft over the offseason.

“It’s really important to me,” junior offensive lineman Cohl Cabral said. “You’ve got to have a voice in the room, a voice on the team and Sam had a big role last year with being a leader for the whole team. It’s a big shoe to fill so it’s just doing what you can to get as many people in the right mindset. If enough guys make the right choices, they get everyone on the same page.”

Moreover, redshirt sophomore offensive lineman Marshal Nathe has medically retired due to a back injury. 

“The offensive line can take over a whole game — it changes the whole tempo of the game, the whole pace of the game …” Cabral said. “Just like last year when the offensive line just took over the game and just said 'forget the pass game, let’s just take it on the ground, run the clock out and just go to work.'”

ASU's offense is working to do that each game, as well as get fully accustomed to a slightly different system.

We’re still trying to find our identity right now,” junior wide receiver N’Keal Harry said. “It’s still the first couple weeks of spring ball. I think our identity wants to be the higher powered, faster offense with aggressive players on it.”

Harry is one of several veterans on the offense, and Edwards wants all of them heavily involved, especially receivers like Harry. 

“Our offense right now is an offense that has a lot of veterans over there, which helps us … ” Edwards said. “I’m real big on the running back has to be involved in our offense, whether it’s running the ball or catching the ball. We did a couple things today where the emphasis was covering forwards in back.”

This brings eminent changes for ASU’s wide receivers, but they working to prepare for them. 

“Us, as a receiver group, know the expectations are high and we’re ready for whatever is coming,” Harry said. 



Reach the reporter at pburnell@asu.edu or follow @paige_burnell on Twitter.   

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