At ASU's request, there will be no two-deep reporting.
Offensive report by Caleb:
Players were in full pads this morning as the cool morning opened UCLA week.
After the morning stretches on the near side field, the special teams got together on the far side field, where placekicker Dario Longhetto got his first attempts of the week. Tuesday did not treat Longhetto well, as his first three attempts from 35, 40, and 50 yards all missed. Two wide left, with the other being wide right. Longhetto would make up for the three as he drilled three straights from about 40-45 yards. As Longhetto is usually very consistent in practice, this was out of the ordinary for the senior specialist.
After the special teams period, the skilled position players got into their ball security segment while the offensive line got to work. This was the first time seeing the offensive line in a practice setting since the departure of starting left tackle Isaia Glass. Nonetheless, it was business as usual under the direction of Saga Tuitele.
After that period, the offense gathered for a team segment, which was very informational as there were a lot of installs involved. This period came and went before the offense broke into their respective position groups.
Much like the offensive line, the tight ends were working on their blocking schemes for the week. Bryce Pierre led a lot of the drills today, as his peers followed right behind him before the group went to catch balls on air. Ryan Morgan has seen more minutes since playing on the road at Washington. In practice, Morgan continues to make the most of his reps, running hard and making catches as he has been involved more over the last couple of weeks.
As the receivers came over for their time with the quarterbacks, Colorado transfer Jordyn Tyson was very involved as he began his final four-game appearances at with the Utah game. Slot Kaleb Black and receiver Troy Omeire were also very productive today.
Running backs worked on their own, as usual, under the direction of Shaun Aguano. The running backs were very loose as DeCarlos Brooks was back participating in position drills. The backs worked efficiently as after their time running routes, George Hart III kept the group loose dancing to the music at practice…a familiar sight.
On a quick note, all four scholarship quarterbacks (Jaden Rashada, Drew Pyne, Trenton Bourguet, and Jacob Conover) were dressed today, with some quarterbacks being more limited in the variety of drills than others. Bourguet, though, was a very active participant today.
After the individual portions, the team got into their second special teams period where, in a surprise development, punter Josh Carlson did punt today for the first time since playing against Cal. Punts today were not booming, but Carlson is back in action. Tomorrow may tell us more on who will assume the duties in Pasadena on Saturday.
A short team segment followed before some one-on-ones took place. In the one-on-ones, Andre Johnson has a nice catch down the sideline on a 50/50 ball. Besides Johnson, Melquan Stovall really showed up in the deep ball department, catching two touchdowns and beating his respective defender. Omeire, during this time, did have a hard time getting off the ball against Ro Torrence before snagging his first catch of the day.
Another team segment followed before seven-on-seven ensued. Seven one seven was like most days very efficient with nothing really “dialed up”. Morgan during this time did see some reps and continued to make plays besides the usual culprits of Elijhah Badger, Jalin Conyers, Stovall and Pierre.
Defensive report by Scott
The Sun Devil defense spent the majority of its session defending certain run plays and schemes, facing a very strong UCLA ground attack this weekend. Only a few runs made it to the second level under their watch, as defensive back run support was strong and linebackers filled gaps properly. Both the defensive backs and linebackers had keyed in on their run help in their individual drills, so the attention to that detail paid off in actual plays.
Another area the defense focused on was preventing the deep ball. Going up against a UCLA offense that can air it out, although the Bruins may have to start a third-string quarterback, defensive backs had a lot of weight on their shoulders. On top of their usual coverage and hands drills, ASU defenders practiced their run support and honed in on the decision-making process of when to cut off the coverage to help tackle.
Against the scout team, the group defended plenty of deep passes, as is customary with the UCLA offense. Keeping receivers in front and ball-tracking were highly emphasized and executed well. The defense also lined up against the scout team in the red zone to practice their patented bend-but-don’t-break identity. It was continued for the most part, especially against the run, as gaps were plugged quickly and tackles were finished. Defensive back Alphonso Taylor even had a forced fumble in this segment, and if that could lead to more red zone turnovers, it would be massive for a team that’s struggled in the takeaway department this season.
In the 1v1 segment against wide receivers, freshman DB Keith Abney stood out among the group with a pass breakup on a deep ball while consistently going step-for-step with his man.
The entire defense went through the “takeaway circuit” as usual, in which every position group rotated through stations that included edge strip sacks, ball punches, tip drill catches, pass deflections, and fumble recoveries. This kind of variety was especially important for Charlie Ragle, who hounded the players to make plays all morning.
“You’ll make plays if you do your job,” he said.
For Vince Amey’s defensive linemen, doing their job was physicality and fundamentals on the line.
“Strike and extend,” he repeated all morning.
Defensive linemen did their usual sled-pushing work, as well as winning blocks while single and double-teamed.
Linebackers did their usual work of play recognition and support, with an emphasis on gap fills between the linemen and general lateral movement.
In the 7v7 segment against the first-team offense, the defense was impressive. Incompletions were forced left and right on well-thrown balls of 10-15 yards, with DB Shamari Simmons even snagging an interception off such a play and Tre Brown adding a pass breakup.
Offensive report by Caleb:
Players were in full pads this morning as the cool morning opened UCLA week.
After the morning stretches on the near side field, the special teams got together on the far side field, where placekicker Dario Longhetto got his first attempts of the week. Tuesday did not treat Longhetto well, as his first three attempts from 35, 40, and 50 yards all missed. Two wide left, with the other being wide right. Longhetto would make up for the three as he drilled three straights from about 40-45 yards. As Longhetto is usually very consistent in practice, this was out of the ordinary for the senior specialist.
After the special teams period, the skilled position players got into their ball security segment while the offensive line got to work. This was the first time seeing the offensive line in a practice setting since the departure of starting left tackle Isaia Glass. Nonetheless, it was business as usual under the direction of Saga Tuitele.
After that period, the offense gathered for a team segment, which was very informational as there were a lot of installs involved. This period came and went before the offense broke into their respective position groups.
Much like the offensive line, the tight ends were working on their blocking schemes for the week. Bryce Pierre led a lot of the drills today, as his peers followed right behind him before the group went to catch balls on air. Ryan Morgan has seen more minutes since playing on the road at Washington. In practice, Morgan continues to make the most of his reps, running hard and making catches as he has been involved more over the last couple of weeks.
As the receivers came over for their time with the quarterbacks, Colorado transfer Jordyn Tyson was very involved as he began his final four-game appearances at with the Utah game. Slot Kaleb Black and receiver Troy Omeire were also very productive today.
Running backs worked on their own, as usual, under the direction of Shaun Aguano. The running backs were very loose as DeCarlos Brooks was back participating in position drills. The backs worked efficiently as after their time running routes, George Hart III kept the group loose dancing to the music at practice…a familiar sight.
On a quick note, all four scholarship quarterbacks (Jaden Rashada, Drew Pyne, Trenton Bourguet, and Jacob Conover) were dressed today, with some quarterbacks being more limited in the variety of drills than others. Bourguet, though, was a very active participant today.
After the individual portions, the team got into their second special teams period where, in a surprise development, punter Josh Carlson did punt today for the first time since playing against Cal. Punts today were not booming, but Carlson is back in action. Tomorrow may tell us more on who will assume the duties in Pasadena on Saturday.
A short team segment followed before some one-on-ones took place. In the one-on-ones, Andre Johnson has a nice catch down the sideline on a 50/50 ball. Besides Johnson, Melquan Stovall really showed up in the deep ball department, catching two touchdowns and beating his respective defender. Omeire, during this time, did have a hard time getting off the ball against Ro Torrence before snagging his first catch of the day.
Another team segment followed before seven-on-seven ensued. Seven one seven was like most days very efficient with nothing really “dialed up”. Morgan during this time did see some reps and continued to make plays besides the usual culprits of Elijhah Badger, Jalin Conyers, Stovall and Pierre.
Defensive report by Scott
The Sun Devil defense spent the majority of its session defending certain run plays and schemes, facing a very strong UCLA ground attack this weekend. Only a few runs made it to the second level under their watch, as defensive back run support was strong and linebackers filled gaps properly. Both the defensive backs and linebackers had keyed in on their run help in their individual drills, so the attention to that detail paid off in actual plays.
Another area the defense focused on was preventing the deep ball. Going up against a UCLA offense that can air it out, although the Bruins may have to start a third-string quarterback, defensive backs had a lot of weight on their shoulders. On top of their usual coverage and hands drills, ASU defenders practiced their run support and honed in on the decision-making process of when to cut off the coverage to help tackle.
Against the scout team, the group defended plenty of deep passes, as is customary with the UCLA offense. Keeping receivers in front and ball-tracking were highly emphasized and executed well. The defense also lined up against the scout team in the red zone to practice their patented bend-but-don’t-break identity. It was continued for the most part, especially against the run, as gaps were plugged quickly and tackles were finished. Defensive back Alphonso Taylor even had a forced fumble in this segment, and if that could lead to more red zone turnovers, it would be massive for a team that’s struggled in the takeaway department this season.
In the 1v1 segment against wide receivers, freshman DB Keith Abney stood out among the group with a pass breakup on a deep ball while consistently going step-for-step with his man.
The entire defense went through the “takeaway circuit” as usual, in which every position group rotated through stations that included edge strip sacks, ball punches, tip drill catches, pass deflections, and fumble recoveries. This kind of variety was especially important for Charlie Ragle, who hounded the players to make plays all morning.
“You’ll make plays if you do your job,” he said.
For Vince Amey’s defensive linemen, doing their job was physicality and fundamentals on the line.
“Strike and extend,” he repeated all morning.
Defensive linemen did their usual sled-pushing work, as well as winning blocks while single and double-teamed.
Linebackers did their usual work of play recognition and support, with an emphasis on gap fills between the linemen and general lateral movement.
In the 7v7 segment against the first-team offense, the defense was impressive. Incompletions were forced left and right on well-thrown balls of 10-15 yards, with DB Shamari Simmons even snagging an interception off such a play and Tre Brown adding a pass breakup.
