Interim head coach Shaun Aguano released a video on Friday, urging fans to come out to Sun Devil Stadium and support the Sun Devils the following evening against UCLA. For the most part, his message was well received. Many of the 51,000+ fans in attendance may have been there just because of Family Weekend at ASU, but Aguano hardly cares. The turnout, at least during the first half, was impressive, and the vast majority of the packed lower bowl was clad in maroon and gold. He is grateful that the extended “Ohana” showed out.
“I wanted to make sure that I thank the fans. It gave me chills walking out with our guys and seeing all of those fans,” Aguano said. “We are very appreciative of them because it’s a big deal for our players, our coaches, the administration, for everybody. Just to see that our stadium can be packed again.”
The ASU defense limped out of Sun Devil Stadium on Saturday after allowing 50 points on 571 yards of total offense. UCLA punted just twice and was able to gash the Sun Devils repeatedly on the ground. They scored on sustained drives as well as explosive plays. It didn’t matter who ended up with the ball for the Bruins; they found space.
“It was pretty bad. 82% conversion rate on third down. 14 explosives. They threw the ball three times in the second half,” Aguano listed. “I think our guys were trying to do more than they should. Not doing their job with the run fits, and they were not doing their job once they wrapped up.”
Verbally, it seems like an easy fix. Aguano and members of the defensive front say all the right things when it comes to being gap savvy and sticking to assignments. Execution on game day has been a different story all too often this season. Arizona State’s 180 rushing yards allowed per game is the fourth worst in the conference.
“We gotta clean all of that up, either put somebody else in the box or just make sure we do our jobs,” Aguano explained. “I think guys are trying to make plays instead of just doing their job.”
In his first two games under center, Trenton Bourguet was able to enjoy sitting in a relatively clean pocket. UCLA made sure that wasn’t the case on Saturday night. While they only sacked him twice, Bruin defenders were constantly in the ASU backfield, hurrying Bourguet on obvious passing downs. Whenever the Sun Devils got into a drop back down, the heat was coming. Bourguet is as smart as quarterbacks, so his ability to get off on his hot read and avoid negative plays was showcased. The dinks and dunks out of the backfield can work once or twice, but it’s no way to put together an efficient offense.
“I thought their linebackers were going to drop and turn their backs, so I wanted to make sure we were ready for that. It’s difficult for a quarterback when there are bullets flying at you in third and long situations when he’s waiting for the deeper cuts,” Aguano said. “So with the check downs, schematically we schemed that, but also the pressure was a factor. I’ll put my money on X (Valladay) with the ball in his hands.”
In two games as the play caller, Aguano’s offense has put up 78 combined points. Aside from a forgettable second quarter on Saturday night, Bourguet’s offense has looked strong with the interim head coach working the controls. Like any other element of his job, Aguano has had to learn on the fly when it comes to play calling at the major college football level.
“You have to play to your personnel and really focus on getting the ball to your playmakers,” he explained. “I need to make sure that our guys are in a rhythm; sometimes, I felt like I was too methodical. I knew that I was going to be aggressive no matter what on fourth downs; that’s just the way I call it. They understand that.”
Bourguet has been a lot of things, but he certainly has not been the problem. As he has every week, Aguano took time to praise the way his new starting signal caller stays poised during practice and in-game.
“He’s managed the game well, he’s taken what they have given us, and he’s also taking shots down the field.”
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Defensive coordinator Donnie Henderson looked like he was still angry about his unit’s performance when he sat down to address the media on Monday afternoon. In the past, he’s preached the importance of limiting explosive plays and getting off the field on third downs. Arizona State was abysmal in both of those categories on Saturday. As Aguano mentioned, the Bruins ripped off 14 explosive plays. On third downs, they were an astonishing 9-11.
“We didn’t stop the run, we didn’t fit the run, we gave up explosive plays in the run and the pass, so when it’s all said and done, we didn’t play well,” Henderson said bluntly. “Do what you’re supposed to do, try not to do too much. We got in trouble with missed tackles in the open field.”
Despite highlighting the large laundry list of shortcomings, Henderson doesn’t believe the awful defensive performance comes from a lack of preparation.
“Were we prepared? No doubt. I thought we had a great week of practice,” he said. “You can’t simulate the speed of another team’s motions and how they execute their stuff.”
UCLA converted on third downs with ease all night long. Even on third and longs, quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson was able to easily deliver to wide open receivers as the ASU secondary seemed to play too loose.
“They beat us on third and long; if you look at some of those drives they scored, there were three…” Henderson pivoted. “They were 9 of 11. We didn’t play well. I can’t sit here and make excuses. I won’t try to manufacture an excuse other than we didn’t play well.”
After a pair of fourth-quarter stops allowed ASU to get back into the ballgame, UCLA methodically drove down the field, mostly leaning on the run, and put the game away with an 82-yard touchdown drive in the waning minutes. An unsportsmanlike conduct penalty against safety Khoury Bethley allowed the Bruins to extend the drive. That’s what stood out most to Henderson.
“Those things come into play. And it’s hard to regroup after a penalty,” Henderson explained. “When you’re doing that, and you’re not executing on third downs, it’s not good. It’s like baseball; when you walk someone, bad things happen.”
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