It was 65 degrees and sunny at the Kajikawa Practice Facility on Wednesday morning; Arizona State was in shells.
Attendance:
OL Dohnovan West returned to practice following his excused absence on Tuesday.
RB Rachaad White was also back at practice on Wednesday.
WR Johnny Wilson was at practice and dressed but took minimal reps and ran the sideline during routes-on-air.
TE Curtis Hodges was out of the non-contact jersey and fully practiced.
WR Bryan Thompson was a full participant and went first-team in routes-on-air.
WR Lonyatta Alexander Jr. was in a gold non-contact jersey.
First Team Offense – No 11-on-11 reps:
QB Jayden Daniels
RB DeaMonte Trayanum
WR Ricky Pearsall
WR Andre Johnson
TE Curtis Hodges
FB Case Hatch
OL left to right: Kellen Diesch, LaDarius Henderson, Dohnovan West, Henry Hattis and Ben Scott
Individual Drills:
Practice began with the quarterbacks and running backs paired up together in the center of the field, while the offensive linemen, tight ends, and wide receivers were all split up into their own groups.
The backs worked on handoffs from the single back formation but also incorporated some play-action looks as well. Daniels worked with Trayanum and White, while Bourguet repped with Daniyel Ngata and whichever of the two starters Daniels wasn’t working with. Daylin McLemore and Finn Collins also participated.
The wide receivers worked their normal quick catch drills to begin the day, emphasizing quick feet from the snap before catching the football. This was the only drill Wilson participated in throughout the short viewing period. Bryan Thompson, who was limited on Tuesday, was a full participant on Wednesday, going first in most of the routes-on-air sessions and catching all of the passes intended for him.
The offensive line began the day in their split three-on-three drills, divided into two groups of the left side and right side of the line. West, Henderson, and Diesch were the left side group, while Bell, Hattis, and Scott made the right side group. Run blocking and gap integrity were two strong points of the session.
During wide receiver routes-on-air, the running backs and holder/quarterback Ethan Long came over to work on blitz protection and pick up against a scout team look.
The tight ends did two drills during the individual period, one for blocking, one for receiving. The blocking drill started with a tight end on the line of scrimmage, then the ball would be snapped, and the player would pull hard to his right, make a cut, and then a kick block. Hatch shined in this drill.
To work on their pass-catching, the tight ends had their own routes-on-air session in the corner with interim tight ends coach Juston Wood, who was particularly lively on Wednesday. “Get in, get out!” he shouted during the route-running. He even was proud of some of his throws to the tight ends – “Dime!” he said after throwing a nice pass to Jalin Conyers. Hatch made a one-handed catch on his hip to end the session.
Defense
Based on what we have seen from practice and over the last seven games, here is the tentative two-deep as the team emerges from the bye week to face Washington State, its fifth conference opponent, on Saturday at 12:00 pm:
First-team defense
Left DE Michael Matus
3-technique Shannon Forman
Nose D.J. Davidson
Right DE Tyler Johnson
SAM Merlin Robertson
MIKE Kyle Soelle
WILL Darien Butler
S DeAndre Pierce
S Kejuan Markham
CB Jack Jones
CB Chase Lucas
Nickel CB: Jordan Clark
Second-team defense
Left DE Stanley Lambert / Joe Moore
3-technique Omarr Norman-Lott / BJ Green
Nose T.J. Pesefea / Corey Stephens
Right DE Anthonie Cooper / Gharin Stansbury
SAM Eric Gentry
MIKE Will Shaffer
WILL Caleb McCullough
S T Lee
S Willie Harts
CB Timarcus Davis
CB Isaiah Johnson
Nickel CB: Tommi Hill
When the Sun Devils line up in base 4-3 defense (three linebackers), Chase Lucas and Jack Jones play the left and right field cornerback positions. When the Sun Devils substitute for nickel personnel, Robertson typically comes off the field for a third cornerback, which has typically been Timarcus Davis. Before the bye week, the incoming third cornerback would take the outside corner position outside while Lucas assumed the slot corner role. If both starters stay, Jordan Clark is the likely choice to see first-team nickel action.
Attendance
Much like yesterday, cornerback Chase Lucas warmed up and practiced with the team.
Safety Evan Fields and R.J. Regan were not seen in the media viewing window but were in at practice.
Positional Drills
Both of the primary defensive units practiced with disrupting ball security in mind. Defensive line coach Robert Rodriguez lined up at quarterback while numerous pass rushers blitzed him off the edge. Each lineman targeted Rodriguez’s throwing arm during his windup and knocked the ball to the turf. When the players switched from the blindside to Rodriguez’s right, the coach instructed them to lead with their inside hand.
Rodriguez’s group then jogged over the blocking dummies situated at the south of the Kajikawa complex and ran his group through a brief but amped session. “Get ‘em down faster, BJ,” Rodriguez said to the freshman 3-technique regarding his two-step roll into the dummy. “Punch, extend, give us a chance to get off.”
One player who was noticeably energized was freshman defensive end Gharin Stansbury, who Rodriguez specifically instructed the day before. Stansbury attacked the workout and struck his dummy with vigor, prompting Rodriguez to look around in incredulity and exclaim, “who’s this guy?”
Another lineman that showed improvement was Jordan Banks, who made the transition from linebacker to the trenches in fall camp. Banks’ technique was near flawless after initially struggling to master the exercise’s proper method of attack. The group, along with Rodriguez, was animated to see the progress.
Next, Rodriguez had his group work out of the cages and tested the defensive line’s eye discipline with a ball attached to a rod. Rodriguez shouted verbiage and commands, but the players were only allowed to move when the ball was pulled away from them. After two rounds, the defensive line practiced speed rushes out of the cages. After one particular rep left defensive end, Michael Matus stooped to fiddle with the brace on his knee. “I hate this damn thing,” Matus muttered to nobody in particular.
Linebackers coach Chris Claiborne began to practice with a north-south tackling sled exercise. After the routine was completed, Claiborne instructed two linebackers at a time to engage a ball carrier, with the inside linebacker making the tackle while the outside linebacker stripped the football. Claiborne did not hesitate to correct the tackling form of Will Shaffer after a rep that failed to impact the ball carrier’s momentum.
Claiborne then coached his players through route concept work, saying, “you don’t them to cross across your face.” Since Washington State does not roster any tight ends, ASU will be expecting lots of five-wide formations this weekend. That means the linebackers will need to provide a presence off the line and not lose sight of opponents entering and exiting their airspace.
“Our job underneath is to reroute,” Claiborne said.
The defensive backs began the day with backpedal exercise and ball skill work. A similar fade route drill ran during the week before the Stanford game was observed taking place on the right sideline. Donnie Henderson’s group spent the rest of the practice drilling route concepts as a unit.
As always, we will answer any questions you may have on Wednesday’s practice.
Attendance:
OL Dohnovan West returned to practice following his excused absence on Tuesday.
RB Rachaad White was also back at practice on Wednesday.
WR Johnny Wilson was at practice and dressed but took minimal reps and ran the sideline during routes-on-air.
TE Curtis Hodges was out of the non-contact jersey and fully practiced.
WR Bryan Thompson was a full participant and went first-team in routes-on-air.
WR Lonyatta Alexander Jr. was in a gold non-contact jersey.
First Team Offense – No 11-on-11 reps:
QB Jayden Daniels
RB DeaMonte Trayanum
WR Ricky Pearsall
WR Andre Johnson
TE Curtis Hodges
FB Case Hatch
OL left to right: Kellen Diesch, LaDarius Henderson, Dohnovan West, Henry Hattis and Ben Scott
Individual Drills:
Practice began with the quarterbacks and running backs paired up together in the center of the field, while the offensive linemen, tight ends, and wide receivers were all split up into their own groups.
The backs worked on handoffs from the single back formation but also incorporated some play-action looks as well. Daniels worked with Trayanum and White, while Bourguet repped with Daniyel Ngata and whichever of the two starters Daniels wasn’t working with. Daylin McLemore and Finn Collins also participated.
The wide receivers worked their normal quick catch drills to begin the day, emphasizing quick feet from the snap before catching the football. This was the only drill Wilson participated in throughout the short viewing period. Bryan Thompson, who was limited on Tuesday, was a full participant on Wednesday, going first in most of the routes-on-air sessions and catching all of the passes intended for him.
The offensive line began the day in their split three-on-three drills, divided into two groups of the left side and right side of the line. West, Henderson, and Diesch were the left side group, while Bell, Hattis, and Scott made the right side group. Run blocking and gap integrity were two strong points of the session.
During wide receiver routes-on-air, the running backs and holder/quarterback Ethan Long came over to work on blitz protection and pick up against a scout team look.
The tight ends did two drills during the individual period, one for blocking, one for receiving. The blocking drill started with a tight end on the line of scrimmage, then the ball would be snapped, and the player would pull hard to his right, make a cut, and then a kick block. Hatch shined in this drill.
To work on their pass-catching, the tight ends had their own routes-on-air session in the corner with interim tight ends coach Juston Wood, who was particularly lively on Wednesday. “Get in, get out!” he shouted during the route-running. He even was proud of some of his throws to the tight ends – “Dime!” he said after throwing a nice pass to Jalin Conyers. Hatch made a one-handed catch on his hip to end the session.
Defense
Based on what we have seen from practice and over the last seven games, here is the tentative two-deep as the team emerges from the bye week to face Washington State, its fifth conference opponent, on Saturday at 12:00 pm:
First-team defense
Left DE Michael Matus
3-technique Shannon Forman
Nose D.J. Davidson
Right DE Tyler Johnson
SAM Merlin Robertson
MIKE Kyle Soelle
WILL Darien Butler
S DeAndre Pierce
S Kejuan Markham
CB Jack Jones
CB Chase Lucas
Nickel CB: Jordan Clark
Second-team defense
Left DE Stanley Lambert / Joe Moore
3-technique Omarr Norman-Lott / BJ Green
Nose T.J. Pesefea / Corey Stephens
Right DE Anthonie Cooper / Gharin Stansbury
SAM Eric Gentry
MIKE Will Shaffer
WILL Caleb McCullough
S T Lee
S Willie Harts
CB Timarcus Davis
CB Isaiah Johnson
Nickel CB: Tommi Hill
When the Sun Devils line up in base 4-3 defense (three linebackers), Chase Lucas and Jack Jones play the left and right field cornerback positions. When the Sun Devils substitute for nickel personnel, Robertson typically comes off the field for a third cornerback, which has typically been Timarcus Davis. Before the bye week, the incoming third cornerback would take the outside corner position outside while Lucas assumed the slot corner role. If both starters stay, Jordan Clark is the likely choice to see first-team nickel action.
Attendance
Much like yesterday, cornerback Chase Lucas warmed up and practiced with the team.
Safety Evan Fields and R.J. Regan were not seen in the media viewing window but were in at practice.
Positional Drills
Both of the primary defensive units practiced with disrupting ball security in mind. Defensive line coach Robert Rodriguez lined up at quarterback while numerous pass rushers blitzed him off the edge. Each lineman targeted Rodriguez’s throwing arm during his windup and knocked the ball to the turf. When the players switched from the blindside to Rodriguez’s right, the coach instructed them to lead with their inside hand.
Rodriguez’s group then jogged over the blocking dummies situated at the south of the Kajikawa complex and ran his group through a brief but amped session. “Get ‘em down faster, BJ,” Rodriguez said to the freshman 3-technique regarding his two-step roll into the dummy. “Punch, extend, give us a chance to get off.”
One player who was noticeably energized was freshman defensive end Gharin Stansbury, who Rodriguez specifically instructed the day before. Stansbury attacked the workout and struck his dummy with vigor, prompting Rodriguez to look around in incredulity and exclaim, “who’s this guy?”
Another lineman that showed improvement was Jordan Banks, who made the transition from linebacker to the trenches in fall camp. Banks’ technique was near flawless after initially struggling to master the exercise’s proper method of attack. The group, along with Rodriguez, was animated to see the progress.
Next, Rodriguez had his group work out of the cages and tested the defensive line’s eye discipline with a ball attached to a rod. Rodriguez shouted verbiage and commands, but the players were only allowed to move when the ball was pulled away from them. After two rounds, the defensive line practiced speed rushes out of the cages. After one particular rep left defensive end, Michael Matus stooped to fiddle with the brace on his knee. “I hate this damn thing,” Matus muttered to nobody in particular.
Linebackers coach Chris Claiborne began to practice with a north-south tackling sled exercise. After the routine was completed, Claiborne instructed two linebackers at a time to engage a ball carrier, with the inside linebacker making the tackle while the outside linebacker stripped the football. Claiborne did not hesitate to correct the tackling form of Will Shaffer after a rep that failed to impact the ball carrier’s momentum.
Claiborne then coached his players through route concept work, saying, “you don’t them to cross across your face.” Since Washington State does not roster any tight ends, ASU will be expecting lots of five-wide formations this weekend. That means the linebackers will need to provide a presence off the line and not lose sight of opponents entering and exiting their airspace.
“Our job underneath is to reroute,” Claiborne said.
The defensive backs began the day with backpedal exercise and ball skill work. A similar fade route drill ran during the week before the Stanford game was observed taking place on the right sideline. Donnie Henderson’s group spent the rest of the practice drilling route concepts as a unit.
As always, we will answer any questions you may have on Wednesday’s practice.
