ASU football coaches striving for 'championship practices'
Heading into its first road game of the season, ASU has had to prepare for something it doesn't have a lot of experience with defending: the triple option offense.
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Heading into its first road game of the season, ASU has had to prepare for something it doesn't have a lot of experience with defending: the triple option offense.
Redshirt junior wide receiver Jaelen Strong looks to cut upfield in Thursday's season opener vs. Weber State. (Photo by Sean Logan) In just one half against Weber State on Thursday, redshirt junior wide receiver Jaelen Strong put up about two games worth of numbers for a lot of receivers in college football. Strong’s 146 yards on 10 catches in the first half outperformed Weber State’s entire total offense up to that point. The bulk of the Sun Devil offense in the first half went through Strong and junior running back D.J. Foster. 14 of redshirt senior quarterback Taylor Kelly’s 18 first half passes went to either Strong or Foster, along with 13 of the 20 backfield touches going to Foster. Strong says to expect more of the same during the season until opposing teams learn to stop it. “The offense will look like that if the defense doesn’t do anything about it, I can tell you that much,” Strong said. “And if they do try to do things like that you will see what we can do with other guys like Gary Chambers, Fred [Gammage], Cam [Smith], Ronald [Lewis], EJ (Ellis Jefferson).” Chambers, the redshirt junior from Glendale, caught his first career reception for an eight-yard touchdown in the first quarter and hauled in a 38-yard grab late in the second quarter on third down to preserve what would end up being a scoring drive. Strong would be held out of the second half and Foster would only carry the ball two more times, though one went for a spectacular 57-yard touchdown in the third quarter. Leading up to the season opener, head coach Todd Graham had been talking about how he wants his offense to be even faster than they were last season, and we were given a taste of that against Weber State. Despite possession being nearly 50-50 after the first half, ASU ran 18 more plays on offense than the Wildcats. However, Strong says the pace of the offense isn’t where it needs to be following the 45-14 win. “We shouldn’t expect to be at our fastest,” Strong said. “We probably won’t get the hang of everything until week three, week four. That’s when our schedule gets picked up so I’m fine with that.” Strong went on to say that even though he thought they had a good game offensively against Weber State, they left about 28 points on the field. ASU is now looking forward to perhaps its first real test of the season, apologies to Weber State, in a road game against New Mexico. Although the Lobos went just 3-9 last season and opened up this year’s campaign with a loss against UTEP, Strong says ASU has to take every game seriously. “We can’t take anyone lightly, regardless of where they are and where they come from,” Strong said. “They are a Mountain West team, and the Mountain West is known to compete, so we gotta get out there and compete.” Reach the reporter at hkossodo@asu.edu or follow him on Twitter @HKossodo
Every so often, a college football player with the audacity to play on both the offense and defense emerges and captures the national spotlight, and recently, they all seem to come from the Pac-12.
Following practice on Friday, ASU football head coach Todd Graham talked about the possibility of starting at least three freshmen on the defense next season, something he has not done during his time at ASU.
ASU football had no shortage of great performances from their star-studded offense last season. In no particular order, here are the three best outings a Sun Devil had last season for an offense that scored the second-most points in the Pac-12.
ASU track and field has had at least one national champion in an outdoor event every year since 2006.That trend continued in the NCAA Championships that took place in Eugene, Oregon. Junior Shelby Houlihan finished the 1,500-meter race in four minutes and 18.10 seconds to become the first Sun Devil to win that event. Houlihan finished more than a second ahead of second-place winner Cory McGee of Florida. With a title under her belt, Houlihan adds to her impressive résumé that includes school records in the 800 and 1,500. She was also an All-American for both cross country and indoor track this season. It was a much deserved accomplishment for Houlihan, who has been a star for ASU since her freshman year. She was the first student-athlete to be the Pac-12 Newcomer of the Year in both cross-country and track and field. Houlihan was not the only ASU athlete in the winner's circle. Redshirt junior Bryan McBride posted a lifetime best to beat Minnesota's Wally Ellenson on the high jump on his final try to take the title.McBride's jump of seven feet and 5.75 inches cemented him as the first Sun Devil winner of the high jump since Kyle Arney in 1977. McBride, much like Houlihan, has also enjoyed a very successful collegiate career. He finished sixth at the 2012 NCAA Indoor Championships and was a second-team All-American in the 2012 NCAA Outdoor Championships for the high jump.ASU track and field now has 33 women's outdoor titles while the men's program has 24. The program has also produced five NCAA team titles and 16 Olympic medalists. Despite the individual national championship winning performances, it was the host Oregon Ducks that won the men's team title with a meet record 88 points. Winning the women's team title was Texas A&M;, winners of eight national championships in the past six years. Up next for track and field is the USA Track and Field Senior Championships in Sacramento, California. The events will be held June 26-29. It will also be the last meet for the track and field team this season.Both Houlihan and McBride will be honored at Chase Field as the Arizona Diamondbacks face off against the Cleveland Indians Tuesday. Reach the reporter at hkossodo@asu.edu or on Twitter @HKossodo
Senior safety Damarious Randall and junior defensive tackle Jaxon Hood are the only returning starters from last season on the defense. Naturally, with that many new faces on that side of the ball, there will be a lot of opportunities for a breakout season from a number of these defenders. Here are a few players to look out for who will make a name for themselves on the Sun Devil defense. Redshirt junior cornerback Lloyd Carrington Carrington played in all 14 games last season but only started twice, playing behind two seniors in Robert Nelson and Osahon Irabor for much of the year. The transfer from Pitt finished his sophomore season with 25 tackles, two passes defended, one interception and a forced fumble.Although his numbers don’t necessarily jump out of the page, Carrington has the ideal size you look for in a cornerback at 6-foot-1 and 185 pounds, as well as the instincts required for the position.Carrington will most likely be the top corner with redshirt sophomore Rashad Wadood intending to transfer from ASU, which leaves questions on who will be lining up alongside Carrington at the boundary corner position.Randall is the leader of that secondary, but given the inexperience of the rest of that position group, the Sun Devils need Carrington to have a big year if they have any hopes of stopping the pass. Senior defensive end Marcus Hardison Hardison came to ASU after his sophomore season at Dodge City Community College in Kansas rated as a four-star prospect and the No. 5 overall junior college prospect in the country by ESPN.He played at multiple spots along the defensive line but often had to be a backup to Will Sutton, Hood and Gannon Conway. Hardison finished the season with five tackles and one sack in 13 games played. With Hood and Hardison now starting alongside each other on the defensive line, Hardison will look more like the player who accumulated 97 tackles and seven sacks in his two junior college seasons. Even with Sutton gone to the NFL, somehow the Sun Devils got bigger on the defensive line and the 6-foot-5 Hardison is an intimidating run stopping presence. Redshirt sophomore linebacker Viliami “Laiu” Moeakiola Moeakiola is a versatile linebacker who entered training camp last season as a safety. Laiu has shown that he can play both in run coverage as well as defending the pass, finishing last season with 21 tackles and one pass defended in 10 games played. In his first start of the season against Sacramento State, Moeakiola recorded three tackles, two of which were solo tackles, and broke up a pass. Against Utah, he would get the starting nod again but this time as a Spur linebacker, the position he will likely play for the Sun Devils this season.Moeakiola also didn’t shy away from the bright lights; he had his biggest games against big-name opponents. He recorded four solo tackles in ASU’s statement win over Wisconsin, had five tackles at Stanford and another four against USC in back-to-back-to-back weeks. With that in mind, Moeakiola seems primed and ready to face the challenge of being a starting linebacker.Reach the reporter at hkossodo@asu.edu or follow him on Twitter @HKossodo
As ASU football prepares for its third season under head coach Todd Graham, Sun Devil fans already know the impact redshirt senior quarterback Taylor Kelly and redshirt junior wide receiver Jaelen Strong will have on the offense. But here are three of ASU’s weapons that are primed to have breakout seasons for an offense that was the second highest-scoring in the Pac-12 last season. Junior running back D.J. Foster Foster served backup duty behind Marion Grice last season, but even then he was ready to carry the load for the Sun Devils. There is a chance he could become an even better player than Grice, who was drafted in the 6th round of the NFL draft. Foster rushed for 501 yards on 93 attempts and ran in for six touchdowns last season, and most of those numbers came in the final three games of the season after Grice injured his leg. When ASU gave Foster the starting job those last three weeks, he delivered and then some. In his first start against UA, Foster rushed for 124 yards and two touchdowns. The next week against Stanford in the Pac-12 Championship Game, Foster scored ASU’s only two touchdowns of the game, including a career-high 51-yard touchdown scamper. In the Holiday Bowl against Texas Tech, Foster averaged 6.6 yards per carry as he rushed for 132 yards and another touchdown. As the de facto starter for ASU next season, Foster will have the ball in his hands all season and will get to showcase his dual threat ability as a rusher and a receiver.Last season Foster was second on the team in catches, with 63, and in receiving yards, with 653. Foster, whose aforementioned 51 yard run against Stanford was the longest on the team last year, also had the longest reception for the Sun Devils with a 74-yard touchdown grab against USC. Redshirt senior tight end De’Marieya Nelson It was hard for Nelson to find reps as a tight end playing behind Chris Coyle, so coach Graham tried to use Nelson in any way he could. Nelson, a talented athlete at 6-foot-3 and 230 pounds, made big plays on the offense, defense and special teams. The junior college transfer out of San Joaquin Delta College had seven catches for 107 yards and two touchdowns last season, but also had a two-touchdown rushing performance against UA as a goal line back. Nelson also had 16 tackles and a pair of forced fumbles playing as a defensive end and was a star on special teams.With Coyle now suiting up for the Houston Texans, Nelson will now be able to focus on his skills solely as a tight end. This should end up favorably for Nelson as ASU figures to be a pass-happy offense once again this season with Taylor Kelly under center. Sophomore wide receiver Cameron Smith Smith is lightning in a bottle. The wideout from Coppell High School in Texas runs a 4.4 40-yard dash and looked to be a big play receiver for the Sun Devils last season. Unfortunately, he was hampered by a lingering hamstring issue that caused him to miss part of training camp and the first two games of the season. Smith suited up for 11 games and had flashes of that big play ability, including a 30-yard grab against Stanford and a 47-yard catch against Colorado. With Smith fully healthy and participating in practice, Sun Devil fans will hopefully get to see more of those home run plays next season. Reach the reporter at hkossodo@asu.edu or follow him on Twitter @HKossodo
ASU volleyball released its schedule for the 2014 season on June 16, which features 14 matches against opponents that were in the 2013 NCAA Championships. The Sun Devils play their first three games on the road against San Diego State, Hawaii and Ohio in the Chevron Rainbow Wahine Invitational. It won’t be until their fourth game on Sept. 4, an exhibition match against Canada’s Mount Royal University, that they play in front of their home crowd. ASU’s first home tournament will be the Residence Inn Challenge on Sept. 5-7 against Idaho State, Iowa and UAB. The Sun Devils will have to play back-to-back games for this tournament Sept. 5 against UAB and Idaho State. ASU will then travel again for the Comfort Inn and Suites Invitational on Sept. 12-13 against Louisville, Northern Illinois and Morehead State. The last non-conference tournament, the Residence Inn Invitational, is played on Sept. 19-20 at home for the Sun Devils as they face off against Colorado State, North Carolina Central and Pepperdine. The Sun Devils begin Pac-12 play with a lengthy road trip. First will be a match against UA in Tucson on Sept. 24, then two days later they will travel to USC to play the Trojans. ASU will also play Colorado and Utah before going back to Tempe for its Pac-12 home opener against California. The final game of the regular season will be played at Wells Fargo Arena with a Territorial Cup Series matchup against UA on Nov. 28. ASU volleyball has been very successful of late, reaching the NCAA Tournament for the second straight year. Pac-12 Networks have certainly taken notice of the program’s success, as the Sun Devils will have 13 televised matches in the upcoming season. Notable games that will be featured on Pac-12 Networks include the regular season finale against UA as well as Club Night against Washington on Oct. 17. Reach the reporter at hkossodo@asu.edu or on Twitter @HKossodo
The NFL draft on May 8 was an exciting time for ASU fans as three Sun Devils were drafted and six more were signed as undrafted free agents shortly after. It also served as a reminder of the kind of talent and leadership ASU football will need to replace next year as it looks to defend their Pac-12 South crown. Where that turnover in talent and leadership was felt the most is on the defensive side of the ball. Defensive tackle Will Sutton, drafted in the 3rd round by the Chicago Bears, and linebacker Carl Bradford, 4th round to the Green Bay Packers, were leaders in the locker room and standouts on the field. Seven other defensive starters from last season are also no longer on the team.
ASU’s season has come to a close after its second loss in the Cal Poly regional against Sacramento State, falling 5-4. Entering the ninth inning down 5-2, the Sun Devils scored two runs in the inning and had a great chance to tie the game with a runner on third and two outs remaining but couldn’t close it out.
The Sun Devils played some of the best defense fans have seen all season but couldn't generate enough offense to beat Pepperdine in the first game of the Cal Poly regional in San Luis Obispo, California.
Pac-12 university presidents have introduced a huge development in the continuing debate about the current NCAA model.
The Sun Devils are now winners of eight straight as they take the first game of their three game series at Washington State.
The Packard Stadium era has come to a fitting end as the Sun Devils beat Abilene Christian 4-2 to record their seventh straight victory.
ASU baseball followed up its victory over Utah in the first game of the three game series with another win on Saturday, and more importantly, senior night.
The second day of the Pac-12 Men's and Women's Championships was not the best for ASU golf as they shot their highest scores of the tournament so far.
One team played one round of golf, the other played one and a half.
ASU men's golf notched its fifth top-three finish of the season on Tuesday as the Sun Devils took third in the Redhawk Invitational in Seattle. UCLA (9-under 835) won the event, and the Washington (6-under 838) finished in second.
Throughout the offseason, the "big three" quarterbacks, Blake Bortles, Teddy Bridgewater and Johnny Manziel, have played Chutes and Ladders on every expert's draft boards.
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