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Sunday Walkabout

Morning Mates...

Today's Topic = Ready or Not

I guess we'll know within the next couple of weeks if the Devils will be a contender or pretender this season...nobody is anticipating a contender for anything other than a PAC bottom feeder, except a few crazies like me, who see big things on the Sun Devil horizon for this team...

NAU will be a good test since they are well thought off in the Big Sky Conference and have some gifted players on their team that include QB Case Cookus and receiver Emmanuel Butler, and then free wheeling Texas Tech comes to town with a great offense...

So, will the Devils play pretty vanilla against the Jacks to save stuff for the Red Raiders or will just about everything be on the table against the Jacks in order to be ready for Tech..??

I'm not worried about our offense at all, as I've mentioned many times before, but I am anxious to see how Manny does at QB and how Chip Lindsey calls games as OC...he did wonderful things at So Miss and has more talent in Tempe than he had in Miss but the competition is stronger here than there, so we'll see...

The Republic is calling D Richard and K Ballage "thunder and lighting" out of our backfield and that seems like an apt description to me, as they are both proven big time backs but will be running behind an inexperienced line...however, under Lindsey, I think they will excel and may well each reach 1,000 yards in rushing this year...

The RBs at So Miss, under Lindsey, didn't "rotate" they way they have at ASU under Mike Norvell and both will be used more to see who may have the "hot hand" during a game against a particular defense...I'm also anticipating seeing some new schematic wrinkles out of the backfield...

If I'm reading things correctly, N'Keal Harry has been very impressive at WR and will play a lot this year and C Smith looks like he may be close to being his old self that will add to our ability to stretch the field vertically...

Could Harry end up being another J Strong type receiver for us..??

Time will tell I guess...

Nobody is concerned about our front seven on defense but we'll find out about how our D-backer position and secondary play out in the next several weeks...I think we will be fine, knock on wood, as long as we don't have a lot of injuries back there...

Our D should be able to handle the Jacks but the Red Raiders are much more gifted than the Flagstaff crew...

I didn't realize that Zane Gonzales is only 16 FGs away from setting a new career NCAA record, which would be awesome, as long as we are doing better with our Red Zone offense that needs to score more TDs than settling for FGs this season...

The Red Zone is where I'm going to be really measuring Chip Lindsey, just like the measure of Patterson on defense, will be how many big plays we give up under his leadership...

Are those fair measures for each coordinator..??

Here is how the Republic sees the best units in the PAC...

QB - UCLA

RB - Stan and Oregon

WR/TE - USC

OL - USC

DL - Utah and Stan

LB - Wash and Stan

Secondary - Wash

Special Teams - Stan and Utah

So, how many degrees of separation are we from those units respectfully..??

I don't think we all that far removed from them and is why I think 10+ wins is not our of the question for the Sun Devils...

G'day Mates and Go Devils!!!

Jacob Connover

Keep an eye on this kid, a sophomore quarterback after Chandler High School who just dropped nearly 500 passing yards on nationally-ranked Corona Centennial in just his second career start (they lost 56-49). He's the latest in the line of Chandler quarterbacks, with each of the previous four (Brett Hundley, Darrel Garretson, Bryce Perkins and Mason Moran) winding up at Pac-12 programs.

He may not have ideal size (he's listed at 6-foot-1, 185 pounds), but he has a strong arm and throws a really pretty deep ball. Has some really nice touch on his throws and pocket awareness for someone his age.

I was out shooting his game tonight, so if I get a chance this week I might try to compile some of his best throws for you guys.

Other Chandler notes: WR Gunner Romney (yes, he's related to Mitt) was impressive yet again with nearly 250 receiving yards. UNLV commit Johnny Johnson nearly did this:

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Saturday's Practice Report: 8/27

LOCATION: Verde Dickey Dome

ATTIRE: Shells

MEDIA AVAILABILITY: About 15 minutes

GUESTS: None that I saw

TILLMAN JERSEY: None

EN VERDE (No contact): George Lea and Khaylan Thomas. Additionally, Mitchell Fraboni was on muscle beach. Did not see any of the other muscle beach guys at the usual spot. Additionally, Mark "Goose" Cosgrove was using a crutch and walking around.

EN VERDE PARTICIPANDO (Participating): George Lea

Saturday's practice was just a walkthrough of what the pregame routine will be. Position groups gathered and did there own run throughs, but we also saw a gathered team routine in the middle of the field before media availability ended.

The team ran 7-on-7s, but then did a quick team session with just one or two quick walkthrough plays. Here's what I saw for that quick 11-on-11, which featured the first team, but not a full second team:

First-team offense: QB Manny Wilkins, RBs Demario Richard/Kalen Ballage, WRs Cam Smith/Tim White (slot)/N'Keal Harry, TE Kody Kohl, LT Evan Goodman, LG Sam Jones, C Stephon McCray, RG Quinn Bailey, RT Zach Robertson

First-team defense: DEVIL Koron Crump, D-line (rotated through, so multiple guys got in): Tashon Smallwood, JoJo Wicker, Ami Latu, Renell Wren, George Lea, Tramel Topps, LBs Christian Sam/DJ Calhoun, Kareem Orr (BC), Gump Hayes (FC), Chad Adams (Bandit), Armand Perry (Field safety)

There wasn't enough time for a full second team, so a few second-teamers just rotated in. More in the notes below...

Notes and observations:
-On 7-on-7s, Bryson Echols and Robbie Robinson were part of the corners rotating in.
-During 11-on-11s, the offense rotated in second-team receivers Jalen Harvey and Fred Gammage, with Raymond Epps at TE.
-I only saw Manny Wilkins running through the pregame routine with the offense, granted the walk throughs were going pretty quickly. Probably not something to read too much into, but worth noting nonetheless.
-Zane Gonzalez kicked the extra point after the quick team sessions, but both kickers were working the pregame routine reps.

Let me know if there are any questions or concerns!
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Getting To Know You

We've touched on it before but I wanted to bring it up again as we start essentially a "new season". What are some of you guys affiliations to ASU? Many are alums I'm sure. Did some of you relocate to the valley and "adopt" the Sun Devils? What makes you part of the Sun Devil faithful?

For me I'm a New Yorker who has indeed "adopted" the Sun Devils over the last few years. Being able to interview several of the Sun Devils that we talk about on a regular basis has been a true blessing for me and I hope to interact with you guys for a long time.

Friday's practice report

Location: Kajikawa practice fields
Visitors: none
Availability: 20 minutes
Tillman jersey: none
Attire: Pads
En Verde: George Lea and two others (couldn't see who)

Friday's practice started off normally with the defense working on pursuit and tackle circuits. I saw Kyle Williams still in a white jersey so it will be interesting to watch any developments with him as the season rolls along.

Wide receivers practiced blocking and centers continued to hone their technique with former ASU center Nick Kelly.

I noticed Steve Miller was out of the walking boot he had on yesterday so it must not have been anything major.

The team didn't run a team session today so quarterback developments are in the dark for the day.

#ThursdayThrowdown

What up Devil Junkies??? Checkin in with y'all and Im curious about what some of y'all think about a topic that we kind of discussed on the Devils Junkie podcast. "Does it matter if a recruit is from Arizona or somewhere else?" I stated that I think that it does matter. Don't get me wrong I don't think that one kid necessarily plays "harder", but there is a certain pride that I think that a kid from Arizona takes when he plays in his backyard. That Az kid isn't just reppin his school he's reppin where he is from. He's reppin where his friends are from. He's defending HIS turf. This is part of why I love the Chandler boys being here, and all these recent Saguaro kids committing. I know that not ALL local kids pan out, but some out of staters disappoint also. So it's a gamble either way.

Please understand I love seeing whoever from wherever do well in a Sun Devil uniform. BUT if I have MY choice between comparable players? I'd rather have the local kids. Also I'm not talking about losing a kid like Christian Kirk. That was purely his decision. Im talking about missing on a kid like Hundley from Chandler, or Neal from Chaparral years back. I feel like if we would have recruited those kids better or at all then maybe we would have got them. I'm thankful that CTG seems to understand the importance of local recruiting.

Forks Up!

Just Chilly

ASU basketball target Jordan Usher

Usher, who is one of ASU's primary 2017 targets, had a great summer and is expected to vault into the top-100 according to Rivals national basketball analyst Eric Bossi. (The Rivals 150 will be updated within the next two weeks.)

According to Bossi, it's looking like a two-team race between ASU and USC. Usher is visiting the Trojans this weekend -- and is scheduled to visit Tempe at the end of September.

Thursday's practice report

Location: Kajkawa practice fields
Attire: Shells
Guests: none
TIllman jersey: none
Media availability: One period (maybe 15 minutes)
En Verde: Khaylan Thomas, George Lea
On the beach: Tyson Rising, Mitchell Fraboni, Grant Martinez, Marshall Nathe (Note: I saw Steve Miller in a walking boot on his left foot.)

The one team period the media was allowed to observe (aside from the ever-exciting stretch period) was the team two-minute drill 11-on-11. A couple of observations, Manny Wilkins ran with the first team and Brady White with the second team but White ran the offense a little better and moved the ball far more effectively than Wilkins today from what the media could see.

Here's how the teams looked:

First team offense: QB: Manny Wilkins. RB: Kalen Ballage, WRs: N'Keal Harry, Tim White, Cam Smith. TE: Kody Kohl. LT: Evan Goodman. LG: Sam Jones. C: Stephon McCray. RG: Quinn Bailey. RT: Zach Robertson.

First team defense: DL: Ami Latu, Tashon Smallwood, Koron Crump, Jojo Wicker. LBs: DJ Calhoun, Christian Sam. CBs (appeared to be a nickel package): Robbie Robinson, Kareem Orr, Gump Hayes. S: Armand Perry, Chad Adams.

Second team offense: QB: Brady White. RB: Nick Ralston. WR: Fred Gammage, Ellis Jeffrson, Jalen Harvey. TE: Raymond Epps. LT: LG: C: AJ McCollum. RG: Tyler McClure. RT:

Second team defense: DL: Edmond Boateng, Renell Wren, Corey Smith. LBs: AJ Latu, Carlos Mendoza. CBs: Chase Lucas, Bryson Echols. S: Kyle Williams, Tyler Whiley. (missing some numbers as it was hard to see the defense from the media's vantage point)

This was the only period media was allowed to see. Luckily, it was an informative session but, alas, that was all, making today's report rather short.
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ASU Cancels Open House!!!

Bummer. Please make sure you get the word out.
I would rather they get things ironed out before opening day.


Dear Sun Devil Football Ticket Holder,

We are excited for you to be the first fans to enjoy the Sun Devil Stadium Reinvention when you join us for the season opener against NAU on Sept. 3.

If you’re half as eager as we are for the season to start, you will understand that Phase II of the Reinvention has been on a tight schedule since construction began the night of ASU’s 2015 Territorial Cup win last November. Construction crews have been working around the clock for the past nine months to make sure the stadium will be ready.

And it will be.

The next eight days are crucial for construction crews to put the final touches on the project, and unfortunately it is in the best interests of safety and keeping the construction schedule on track to cancel our Open House event this Saturday, Aug. 27.

Our two highest priorities are the safety of our fans and ensuring Sun Devil Stadium is ready for next Saturday night. The construction crew is completing the finishing details, so an Open House at this time would hinder both of these objectives.

Sun Devil Athletics was given the option of holding the Open House and restricting access for our fans to the south end of the stadium, however we didn’t feel this was a fair option for you. Our fans deserve an opportunity to see the stadium and the enhanced gameday experience in its entirety.

With hopes of doing just that, we are opening the stadium on Sept. 3 at 6:00 p.m., two hours before kickoff and 30 minutes earlier than the normally scheduled 90 minutes for all ticket holders, to afford you an opportunity to find your seats and orient yourself in the new space.

Fans who are interested in supporting the Reinvention Campaign are encouraged to contact the Sun Devil Club at 480-727-7700 to receive a tour of the newly created premium level for a look at our club seating options.

We are very sorry for this inconvenience. Thank you for your support and patience as we work through the final week of Phase II of the Reinvention, and we look forward to you experiencing the reinvented stadium and cheering on Sun Devil Football next Saturday.

Go Devils!

Online and Streaming Questions and Answers

Good day Sun Devils!

I always post the TV, Radio, and Streaming info every game day, but I wanted to share a link to the forum I ABSOLUTELY RELY on during the season for streaming information on other games.

StreamHub (formerly Wiziwig):
http://www.stream-hd.net/forum/forumdisplay.php?19-NCAA

Please be sure to show these guys tons of love. FL420 is the moderator and he is good peeps. The members do some fantastic work and provide one heck of a service.

ENJOY
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