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Just past the midpoint of the semester, many students have midterms that just passed or are on the horizon. That's no different for the ASU football team, though it is getting graded on its performance on the field through the first six games of the season.
I'm going to grade each position group, but, like the "cool professor" I am, I also let the players grade themselves.
Quarterback
Taylor Kelly: 3 starts, 42-of-68 (62 percent), 625 yards 6 TDs, 0 INTs
Mike Bercovici: 3 starts, 101-of-163 (62 percent), 1,322 yards, 10 TDs, 2 INTs
Webeck's grade: A
Bercovici's grade: B
"Me and Taylor, right now, we're at a B-level," Bercovici said. "When we win that Rose Bowl (and) national championship, it'll be A, A-plus."
Running back
D.J. Foster: 97 rushes, 612 yards (6.3 per carry), six TDs, 28 receptions, 372 yards, 2 TDs
Deantre Lewis: 28 rushes, 134 yards (4.8 per carry), 1 TD, 3 receptions, 21 yards
Demario Richard: 19 rushes, 110 yards (5.8 per carry), 1 TD, 3 receptions, 47 yards
Kalen Ballage: 28 rushes, 91 yards (3.2 per carry), 3 TDs, 6 receptions, 64 yards, 1 TD
Webeck's grade: B-plus
Richard's grade: A
"We knocked down Stanford with great pass pro(tection)," Richard said. "We've had great pass pro(tection) all year. The rest of the stuff comes easy."
Wide receiver/tight end
Jaelen Strong: 49 receptions, 689 yards, 6 TDs
Cam Smith: 21 receptions, 307 yards, 3 TDs
Ellis Jefferson: 10 receptions, 137 yards, 2 TDs
Kody Kohl: 7 receptions, 71 yards, 1 TD
De'Marieya Nelson: 6 receptions, 86 yards
Gary Chambers: 5 receptions, 99 yards, 1 TD
Fred Gammage: 4 receptions, 39 yards
Webeck's grade: B-minus
Nelson's grade: "I'm not going to say A, because we need to work harder than that, but I'm not going to say F, because we're better than that."
"I think people didn't have high expectations of us," Nelson said. "Us as a group, I feel like we're dominating."
Offensive line
Sacks allowed: 11 (1.83 per game)
Tackles for loss allowed: 35 (5.83 per game)
Webeck's grade: A-minus
I didn't get a chance to talk to any offensive linemen to get their grade, unfortunately. However, this group has performed well, especially if the Stanford game is taken out of the equation. ASU was in the top-20 nationally in both categories before the game, but the Cardinal was consistently in the backfield and those stats ballooned.
This is an experienced group, and it's been among the best in the Pac-12. Similar to the tough test it faced against Stanford, Washington should present another challenge this week.
Defensive line
Marcus Hardison: 19 tackles (9 solo), 4 TFL, 2 sacks, 1 forced fumble
Jaxon Hood: 8 tackles (3 solo), 2.5 TFL, 1 pass defended
Demetrius Cherry: 8 tackles (5 solo)
Ami Latu: 6 tackles (3 solo), 1.5 TFL
Edmond Boateng: 6 tackles (4 solo), 3 TFL, 1 sack
Tashon Smallwood: 4 tackles (2 solo), 1 QB hurry
Webeck's grade: C
Cherry's grade: B-plus
"I think we still can get better," Cherry said. "We've still got room to be better. But we've been playing real good, and I feel comfortable with what we've got going on."
Linebackers
Salamo Fiso: 35 tackles (22 solo), 3 TFL, 1 sack
Antonio Longino: 35 tackles (22 solo), 3 TFL, 1 sack, 1 pass defended, 1 QB hurry, 1 forced fumble
Laiu Moeakiola: 29 tackles (16 solo), 5 TFL, 2 sacks, 1 pass defended, 1 fumble recovered
DJ Calhoun: 27 tackles (14 solo), 4 TFL, 1 sack, 2 passes defended, 1 fumble recovery
Christian Sam: 11 tackles (8 solo), 1 TFL, 1 sack, 1 interception, 2 passes defended
Alani Latu: 9 tackles (6 solo)
Webeck's grade: B
Moeakiola's grade: "I don't know, man. I feel like we've done pretty good so far."
"We're just trying to be the anchor point for this defense," Moeakiola said. "Our kids are just trying to improve day-by-day. As far as letter grade? Feel like we're improving. I'll tell you Week 15."
Secondary
Damarious Randall: 58 tackles (52 solo), 6 TFL, 1 sack, 2 passes defended, 2 forced fumbles
Jordan Simone: 50 tackles (37 solo), 3 TFL, 1 interception, 1 pass defended, 1 forced fumble
Armand Perry: 22 tackles (15 solo), 1.5 TFL, 0.5 sacks
Kweishi Brown: 20 tackles (17 solo), 6 passes defended
Lloyd Carrington: 20 tackles (16 solo), 2 TFL, 1 sack, 2 passes defended
James Johnson: 9 tackles (8 solo), 2 TFL, 2 passes defended
Solomon Means: 6 tackles (2 solo)
Webeck's grade: A-minus
Simone's grade: B
"We played to our potential Saturday against Stanford," Simone said. "We gave up too many vertical lines early in the year, but I think we're starting to reach our potential."
Sun Devils' GPA
Webeck: 3.2 (about a B-plus)
Players: 3.0, disregarding players who did not give definite grades.
Reach the reporter at ewebeck@asu.edu or follow him on Twitter @EvanWebeck
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