ASU’s search for explosive pass-rushers should start from within

In what’s become a frustrating season for the Arizona State football program, one of the biggest issues that have persisted throughout the season has been the defense’s ability to pressure the quarterback or lack thereof.

Right now, the Sun Devils' only true pass-rushing threat is redshirt sophomore linebacker, Tyler Johnson. The 6’5’’, 258-lb who prepped locally at Gilbert Highland, has tallied 19 tackles, 5.5 for loss, and added 2.5 sacks, 2 passes defended and a forced fumble.

Johnson is tied for the team lead in sacks, but everyone he’s tied with has played in every contest- Johnson has missed three. As a result, opponents have deployed extra men to block him, knowing that if they neutralize him then ASU’s pass-rush is nothing to worry about. Based on the results of the past three games, it’s worked.

“Honestly, it’s a compliment, because that just shows that they need more than one (blocker) to stop me,” Johnson commented. “That just gives me the opportunity and the chance to work on different pass moves, and different rush moves, and use my ability to do what I do.”

Even if Johnson sees some benefit in the way other teams are playing him, it has exposed the biggest weakness of this defense and one could make the case that it’s been the biggest factor in this defense being good but not great.

“We need to win one-on-one’s, and we haven’t been successful doing that in recent games,” Johnson added. “So, that has been my focus this week, whether I need to get the O-line’s hands off me and work with more speed upfield, or whatever the case may be, so that’s one thing that we all need to work on.”

With only three games left in the regular season, it’s the perfect point in the year to start playing younger, less experienced players more and more- of course, only if they’ve earned it- with an eye on future seasons, now that the team is simply playing for a bowl game.

This has already been evident as October progressed, and a perfect example is true freshmen defensive ends Amiri Johnson and Stephon Wright, who’ve played in four and three games, respectively, almost exclusively over the past five weeks.

“I’m excited about where they’re going to finish at the end of the season because those guys don’t have a lot of miles on them,” defensive line coach Jamar Cain said. “A lot of the young freshmen that played early in the season, so many other guys across the country and even on our team, they’re starting to get a little bit tired, the grind hits them because right now their seasons are over in high school.

“We’re putting Steph in our third-down package to get him some more reps, but those guys got to continue to get better, and a guy like (redshirt freshman defensive end) Mike Matus has to step up like he had all these high hopes and all of a sudden he’s kind of tanked the last four games, so he’s got to step up too.”

Cain admitted that this is something that arises every season, and is just part of the transition to playing in college from high school. That transition has apparently hit Wright’s family as well, based on a conversation Cain shared that he had with Wright’s mother.

“Stephon’s mom called me the other day like, ‘what are you going to do for Thanksgiving?’ He’s got to play football! That’s what he’s got to do, you know what I mean, it’s college football now,” Cain said. “Don’t ask me about any holidays, those guys got to go play, so that’s where we’re at with them…I haven’t had Thanksgiving since I got in this thing in ’04.”

Based on the team’s recent results, it’s hard to imagine that they’re in a festive mood anyways. But one more player who deserves to be mentioned with the young guys who have already been brought up is redshirt freshman linebacker, Stanley Lambert.

The 6’4’’, 225-lb native of San Antonio, Texas, only dressed for the opener this season after playing in the maximum four games allowed while still maintaining his redshirt in 2018. Early in this season, and even dating back to Fall camp, he could be seen working with Amiri Johnson- while both were injured- during practice on different pass-rushing techniques and movements while doing a variety of different drills, separate from the rest of the team.

This brings the number of potentially legitimate complements to Tyler Johnson on the current ASU roster to three, and while it’s hard to say if any of them will make their mark with what little is left of this season, it has Cain excited about the chance to work with them for a full offseason.

“I’m excited too about just getting some offseason work,” Cain said. “Not trying to look too far ahead, but just getting some offseason work and actually putting my fingerprint on these guys. Getting in Spring ball, going through that stuff, and then just getting into March through May and actually spending some time with them, watching film and actually being able to integrate all my stuff, because last year I just feel like I was trying to learn (the defense).”

In his first full season with the team, Cain has certainly been a positive impact on his group, even if their performance hasn’t quite been up to par. He also called senior transfer defensive lineman Roe Wilkins a “godsend” because of what he’s done to help mentor the younger players, a sentiment that Wright himself expressed too.

“Roe and (starting sophomore defensive end) Jermayne (Lole), they’ve been helping me a lot with little stuff,” Wright said, “Just like the way I’m standing, how big of a step I have to take, stuff like that. So, Roe and Jermayne really have been a big part in just helping me develop and come along and get closer to their level.”

Another interesting thing that surfaced in talking to Cain was that, in talking about the younger guys in his group in general, was that he feels that they’re overthinking things.

This is far from anything unusual with young players who are trying to adjust to the speed of the college game, but he said that sometimes it gets to the point where he tells guys to answer their own questions because they are smart enough to figure out some of the stuff they’re asking. Lole echoed a similar sentiment when asked about Amiri Johnson and Wright.

“You can’t be eager to where you’re just trying to do too much,” Lole explained, “you just got to let the game flow and let it come to you. So, that’s what I really told them. Just be patient, your time’s going to come, your play’s going to come.”

When that may be, no one can know for sure. One thing everyone within the unit knows though is how few guys they will lose from this season to next, which makes the prospect of where this defense can eventually go exciting for all involved.

“Oh yeah, not even just this side, like our offensive side of the ball too,” Lole responded when asked about his excitement about the young team going forward. “We’re not done with this season, but seasons to come will be real good for us, especially in the future, give it like two or three years when these young guys develop.”

“I think (the number of players that will return in the future) does give us excitement because this time next year, we’ll have some type of plan, something around our belly and we’ll just know what to expect,” Wright said. “I just think that we’ll be a good group in the future.”

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