As it turns out, there does not appear to be a quarterback controversy in Tempe. Interim head coach Shaun Aguano wasted no time announcing on Monday that Emory Jones, who suffered a concussion in the Washington game on Oct. 8th, is healthy, ready to go, and will remain the starter. This after backup quarterback Trenton Bourguet led Arizona State to an upset victory over Washington last week, which spurred speculation during the bye week that Bourguet would take over the offense. According to Aguano, Jones’s injury will not be enough to keep him off the field beyond what was medically necessary.
“My philosophy is we are never going to penalize a player for an injury, so it’s Emory’s job, ” Aguano explained. “Emory is fully cleared, and he is back. We’re going to handle it exactly the same way we prepare for all the games. We’ll see how it all plays out.”
Some coaches in these situations may elect to develop an offensive game plan that features both signal callers sharing snaps. Aguano stated that he has never been a fan of that strategy and thus won’t employ it this weekend at Stanford.
“The continuity of the game doesn’t bode well in my experience when splitting reps or splitting series,” the interim head coach said. “Now, if somebody is not getting the job done, I’m here to win football games, and I can make a decision really quick.”
Aguano did take time to praise Bourguet’s performance in the win over the Huskies once again. The backup QB has been the center of attention in this program for the last nine days, and rightfully so. His 182-yard, three-touchdown performance didn’t catch anyone in the building off guard, as he is a player that has been quite known for his high preparedness level day in and day out as if he’s the starter. Aguano doesn’t expect that approach to change any time soon.
“He’s here watching film at 6:30 every morning as if he is the starter,” Aguano noted. “I'm not sure if anyone knows this, but he wants to be a collegiate coach. Nobody was surprised at what he did, and that’s why you didn’t see anybody’s heads down when he was warming up. They rallied around him. For him to come in with limited reps and do what he did was really extraordinary.”
At the very least, Bourguet, a graduate of Marana High School, showed fans that ASU has a more than reliable option at backup quarterback if Emory Jones falters or is injured again during the final six games. The fact that he’s an Arizona native is icing on the cake for Aguano, who has preached the importance of recruiting the state’s best players since taking over for Herm Edwards a month ago.
Bourguet’s triumph under center marked the first time since 2002 that an in-state product quarterbacked the Sun Devils to a victory (Scottsdale Desert Mountain's Chad Christensen). Aguano remarked that there have been a number of quarterbacks hailing from the Grand Canyon state that have found success at the collegiate level, just not at this University. He echoed a common sentiment of his young tenure, stating that there are elite quarterbacks in Arizona.
“I’ve always been of the philosophy that you build your team around elite quarterbacks,” Aguano commented. “We need to have an elite quarterback play at Arizona State. For him (Bourguet) to do that speaks volumes for what Arizona football is about.”
Aguano traveled during the bye week to watch his daughter, who is a volleyball player at VCU, but naturally made sure to catch the entire Stanford-Notre Dame game from his hotel room on Saturday. A week after dropping a heartbreaking loss at the hands of Oregon State, Stanford went into South Bend and pulled off a 16-14 upset win over the Irish. The Cardinal come home to host ASU with momentum on their even in the midst of a disappointing 2-4 campaign.
“(Head) Coach Shaw does a great job with the type of athletes that he’s had. We want to make sure we take the game to them and not play this game of who’s going to attack first,” Aguano remarked. “They played good team football on defense and did a great job getting in your face on third down. That’s something they weren’t doing before (the Notre Dame game).
Prior to beating Notre Dame, Stanford lost 11 straight games when facing FBS opponents, yet Aguano noted the team has a number of strengths that should present challenges for ASU. Aguano finished up his press conference by stating that the Cardinal “kind of took it to Notre Dame.”
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The need to self-scout is one that Arizona State coaches have highlighted. This is especially true for defensive coordinator Donnie Henderson, whose unit has allowed a combined 121 points during ASU’s three-game stretch facing ranked opponents.
“After self-scouting we do see that there are parts of our game that we need to increase,” Henderson reflected. “And part of that is pressure. We have to bring a little bit more pressure than we have. But at the same time, we’re not going to go overboard trying to be something that we’re not. That’s just not me.”
The Sun Devil defense has been solid in man coverage, with a finally healthy secondary flexing its muscles, especially in the victory over Washington. Henderson explained that man coverage has been a big part of the strategy.
“You get a little nervous because they always seem to find that one guy who’s not on top of his guy,” Henderson said with a nervous grin. “As long as you’re taking your guy, you’ve got a chance. But you do always have to worry about that one break down that can hurt you.”
Henderson’s commitment to sticking to a defensive identity stays true no matter what the down and distance, he continued.
“Just because it’s third down doesn’t mean you have to blitz all the time; it doesn’t mean you have to play man,” he said. “I’m inclined to make sure that going forward; we have enough ammo in there to make sure that we’re capable of changing it up a little bit.”
Henderson said that he and Aguano have largely been on the same page since the former running backs coach took over. ASU won’t play scared under Aguano, and his aggressive nature when it comes to schemes and decision-making has earned him even more respect among his peers.
"Shaun’s aggressive," Henderson noted. "He tells me all the time to be aggressive. You can appreciate that as a play caller. Let’s not sit back and be scared.
