In the ASU offense, being in the right place at the right time is beneficial. The ball can be spread to so many different targets that it is hard to consistently put up numbers as a wide receiver.
However, in the past three weeks, nobody has done it better than redshirt junior T.J. Simpson.
“He is probably playing better than any receiver we have right now, particularly in the last few weeks,” ASU coach Dennis Erickson said. “He’s made a lot of big plays for us.
After catching just six passes in the first six weeks of the season, including none in back-to-back weeks against Oregon and Oregon State, Simpson has 18 catches for 272 yards the past three games.
Simpson had career highs last week against Southern California in both receptions and receiving yards.
“It has been real exciting,” Simpson said. “I’m just happy to help the team out. Threet is finding me when I’m open and I’m making plays.”
Erickson sees a much more mature player now, than in prior years.
“He’s grown a lot in the last three years,” Erickson said. “He’s finally taking advantage of his speed and he’s catching the ball much better. He’s really been working on that.”
Simpson blames his slow start on the mindset that he brought to ASU.
“I just think it was just my mindset coming in,” Simpson said. “When you first come in you aren’t really taking it that serious, you might be on scout team your first year, you might not play that much your second year, your third year. Now that I’m in this position I feel like I’m helping the team in many ways.”
Mental toughness tested
It is only a natural human reaction to get frustrated if you get close to something so many times and not have anything to show for it.
The Sun Devils have been as close as you can get to taking many big wins in 2010, but haven’t come away with a victory.
So, naturally, ASU’s mental toughness and ability to move forward and compete will be tested again this week.
Simpson expects the Sun Devils to bounce back and play hard, which they have done all season, with the exception of the California game.
“If you play this game, you have to be competitive, you can’t just lay down for people,” Simpson said. “The game of football you have to come every day and be able to grind and be ready to go through adversity and be able to bounce back on your feet as fast as you can.”
Simpson thinks one big win over a quality opponent is what they need to shake their struggles.
“We’ve been close in a lot of games; we just need to get over the hump,” Simpson said. “I feel like we’ve been so close and we can taste victory, we just need a ‘W’ really bad.”
Injury update
Freshman running back Kyle Middlebrooks missed practice Tuesday with a sprained ankle that he suffered on the last kickoff return of the game Saturday.
Despite not being able to practice, Middlebrooks was fully dressed in pads and working with the trainers. Erickson said that Middlebrooks is questionable for this Saturday.
Junior defensive end James Brooks, who suffered a concussion and missed the second half against USC, returned to practice but was held out of contact.
Senior linebacker Gerald Munns suffered a hip pointer injury last week, but practiced. Also returning to practice was junior defensive tackle Bo Moos, who missed the USC game with a sprained MCL.
Erickson expects Brooks, Munns and Moos all to play against Stanford.
Reach the reporter at andrew.gruman@asu.edu
