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An athletic BYU offensive line awaits the Sun Devils in Provo

ASU's DL coach Robert Rodriguez pleased with the level of chemistry and communication his group has exhibited so far
ASU's DL coach Robert Rodriguez pleased with the level of chemistry and communication his group has exhibited so far

With back-to-back wins over Pac-12 South foes it goes without saying that BYU has Arizona State's undivided attention ahead of their Saturday night matchup. But as impressive as the mere 26-17 Cougar win over the Utes last week, what was even more impressive was the manner in which Utah, always known as one of the most if not the most physical team in the Pac-12 was manhandled by their in-state rival.


Or were they?


“I don’t care how big you are, I don't care how physical you are,” said ASU's defensive line coach Robert Rodriguez, “you have to move your feet against them (BYU). These are big guys that run to the perimeter and make you have to move your feet and get in leverage. That’s hard. And they just stay on track; they move so well together. They sort things out well. And they are moving. So, people think, ‘oh, they out-physicaled Utah.’ They get running so fast to the sidelines those guys cut it back, and it’s a four-yard gain, and people in the stands say, ‘oh, they’re soft. They’re getting pushed around.’ They ain’t getting pushed around. They're getting run around. You watch the Utah game, and I have a lot of respect for how Utah coaches their defensive line. They do a great job. People think they just beat them up, and they were soft. They weren’t soft.


“You’re making these big guys that are used to having their feet in the ground; they have to move. You’re catching them when they're high-hipped and running to the sidelines. That’s why I always talk about good feet with my lineman. They get you moving so quickly, and they’re so disciplined, it is hard. And you have to set anchor points, and you have to be extremely diligent in your technique and in your leverage points. If you can’t set anchor points, these dudes will just wash you, find the seam, get vertical, one cut, and they’ll run you out of the gym.”


It's commonplace to see a BYU roster with the highest age average across college football, since the majority of their roster, has players who served a two-year LDS Mission prior to their four-year college career. Rodriguez quipped that the Cougars' offensive line “are all 27 years old.” But he also applauded the natural byproducts of maturity and chemistry that accompanies players at that age, and the fact that they are just as athletic as any front five out there.


“They play well together, and not to mention these guys play with tempo,” Rodriguez noted, “and these big boys get on the line and just do it again. They have great conditioning. They’re very disciplined. And they're very physical. Once they get running…they will get physical once they get you moving. It’s a great challenge for my guys.


“The last time we played a team like this, this size, was UCLA (in 2020). We did a hell of a job against UCLA. Two weeks later, we played Oregon State, I thought it wasn't as physically gifted as this group. But they played like this (BYU) group. They ran. They came off the ball, and they got inside. We struggled for two and a half quarters until we made the adjustments and were able to play well. So, it’s a challenge. We got guys this big that can play that outside zone scheme. And then again, they know how to cut. They know how to make you run, find that backside seam, and make you pay for that one guy who’s out of his gap.”

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When examining his own group, Rodriguez mentioned “outstanding” chemistry and a level of communication that has been good, but should still strive to reach higher levels. He did, however, mention one significant, if not negating, circumstance in-play.


“If we’re going to be the type of defense we want it to be, it (communication) has to be great,” ASU’s defensive line coach remarked. “There have been breakdowns in communication, and I think that’s natural, and we have to see it for what it is. It is year one in this defense. Even though there’s a lot of carryover from last year, there’s enough change to where this is different. There are some times where we’ve had breakdowns in communication. I don’t think it’s been terrible, but I think when we’re at our best is when we’ve streamlined it.


“You could tell in the second half of that last game (UNLV), we were on point. We communicated with each other, and the kids did a great job. We have not had issues with substitutions and things of that nature, and that’s going to be a constant struggle when you have this type of team with this many guys that can contribute. I think it’s been pretty good, considering that these kids are in year one of this defense. I think these kids have done a really good job, but it could be better, and I think it will be better.”


UNLV quarterback Doug Brumfield and the mobility he displayed last week, a trait that ASU was able to effectively reign in the second half of that game could ultimately prove to be a helpful preview of the Sun Devils can expect from another nimble signal caller, BYU’s Jaren Hall. Then again, Rodriguez points out that some of the basic facts regarding the line of scrimmage, no matter what level the game is played at, is still an obstacle to contend with when dealing with an agile quarterback.


“People need to understand this,” Rodriguez explained. “There are five offensive linemen. There are four defensive linemen. So there are six gaps, and there are four of us. We’ve got to not only rush and defeat our blocks, but we’ve got to eliminate those other two gaps wherever they are. That’s a challenge. You play Russell Wilson, even a player like Aaron Rodgers who understands how to step up and out…there are so many good runners at the college level who want to run the ball rather than throw.


“The challenge of Hall this week and Brumfield last week, those are guys that want to throw and can, and so the challenge is always defeating your blocks and playing with the type of leverage and length that’s going to deter him from getting out. Can you keep him in every single time? No. But you need to make it as difficult as possible, and we didn’t do that a couple of times, and we paid the price. You can definitely grow as a defensive line in experience learning from what we made mistakes. I can tell them all day, but when they feel it, they go out there and make a mistake and pay the price for, trust me, it resonates a lot more. That’s what happened last week. As you saw in the second half, we did a much better job of containing him, of playing with leverage. It’s a feat to keep a guy like that in the pocket with a four-man rush. It’s an accomplishment, and so the second half was an accomplishment for our defense.”


With 3-technique defensive tackle, Jermayne Lole ruled out for the season, due to a triceps injury suffered in fall camp, there was natural concern as to how the Sun Devils’ front four could or would handle this loss. Its position coach said that he saw a noticeable improvement with how they handled this predicament between week one and week two.


“I think they’ve done a good job. I think there is a much higher level that we need to get to,” Rodriguez stated. “The first week, I was disappointed with the way our tackles played inside. I was disappointed with how we played against the run and how we finished. I think we keep getting into it real late with our pass rush. That needs to start earlier. This last week though, I was very proud of the way we played the run. I thought those guys inside took those challenges on themselves, played our technique, were technique-sound, and I thought it made a huge difference in the outcome.


“No matter what I tell you, it’s always going to be tough without Jermayne. That’s what happens when you lose a great player. That’s why we coach every single one of those guys. Every one of those guys in that room is being prepared for an opportunity just like that. When we take the field, the expectations and standards are the same. Sometimes you’re not going to get the splash plays, but in terms of being assignment sound, we should play at a high level, and our teammates should depend on us. I thought that wasn’t the case enough in the first game, and I thought in this second game we did a much better job.”


One player who has been trying to fill the void at that role that was occupied by Lole, is freshman walk-on BJ Green, who has been a pleasant surprise in fall camp and has been able to stand out during this short 2021 season. Rodriguez said that he’s certainly excited about Greens development and potential, but that he also has to make sure he does right by him in how he utilizes him in any given game.


“The worst thing I can do to that kid is expose him to the elements,” Rodriguez said. “Sometimes it can be frustrating because he’s been so productive. But within those reps, there have been some mistakes. Luckily, he has not been exposed to those things. I think that kid’s future is bright. You guys are now seeing what I saw in him when we brought him in here. The worst thing you can do for a young kid is giving them too much to eat on their plate and bend their stinger. I’ve got a lot of momentum with that kid, and he’s doing everything right. You’ve just got to be very smart in how you feed those kids and put them out in the elements.


“You put them out there to take on power sweeps and double teams; I don’t think that’s really the best thing I can do for him at this point. When I put him out there in situations where I know he can be at his best, which is what we’ve been able to do so far. I think it’s better for everybody. It keeps people fresh and also allows that kid to put his best foot forward. I understand the energy and enthusiasm about him; I have it too. My responsibility to the team and to him is to be very careful about how much I just put him out there. It’s still a big man’s game inside, and I want to put him in a position to be successful. Continuing to feel the tempo of the game and try to get him in situations where he can do what he’s great at. I got to be smart about that. That’s the burden we have. He’s going to be good.”



Rodriguez said that a quarterback such as Hall is anything but a drop-back passer, who usually has heavy protections, which naturally have contributed to the overall lack of pressure, defenses have been able to apply on him as evident in the one sack BYU has yielded in its first two games. Nonetheless, affecting Hall and the passing game can be demonstrated in other ways than just sacks that can still disrupt the Cougars’ aerial game.


Yet, regardless of the protection presented by the opponent, Rodriguez said that he would stick with the normal alignment of Michael Matus at left defensive end and Tyler Johnson at right defensive end. This is a configuration that mirrors the base end and an open end from the NFL, where Rodriguez coached with the Minnesota Vikings.


“The left end takes place as your base end, usually, as your run stopper,” Rodriguez explained, “and he’s also typically going to be your power rusher. The majority of quarterbacks that we play are right-handed, and so left ends hate it because the quarterback can see you. They know when to escape, which is why the blind side is so important. So right ends can typically work with a little bit more speed, have a little more height and width to their rushes because the quarterback can’t see them. So they don’t have to always depend on being power rushers. They can take more risks and still be able to come right back down to the level of the quarterback.


“It just has more to do with the type of rusher you want on that side and is he typically more of a run stopper. And also, the type of pressure you’re trying to create and the face of the quarterback. Tyler, for the most part, we’ve trained him on both sides. That’s how we did it last year. Matus was pretty much left-handed. Now, he’s a sharp guy. Where it always comes through, it’s like throwing right-handed and left-handed. This is why right tackles in the NFL can sometimes struggle on the left side and vice versa. When Matus moves over to the right, there’s a little bit of a clunky

-ness to him. He’s such a rhythm guy; he’s a better rusher on the left. Tyler’s a little bit of a rusher off the left than he is from the right, but he’s a better rusher off the left, believe it or not.


“So that’s why when we go with him and (Travez) Moore, who is right-handed, there’s no doubt about it. Moore likes to go on both sides but is a better rusher off the right side and can get a little bit high. I want that to the right side, to the blindside. So they’ve both looked good, and they’ve improved.”


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