The Sun Devils' recent success has taken the Big 12 by storm. The College Football Playoff Committee recently ranked their next opponent, Kansas State, as the No. 16 team in the country, leaving head coach Kenny Dillingham and his program an opportunity to march into enemy territory and steal a game.
Linebacker head coach A.J. Cooper has been with Dillingham in both despair last season and a new hopefulness in 2024 and credits that to the players that have shown up this season and brought a winning mentality along with returners from last year.
“It’s completely different this year,” Cooper said. “The vision that Coach Dillingham laid out and the young men that have come in and bought into that has been really fun to be around. We’re going to continue to focus on the process, and I think that’s what this group is doing a good job of whether we win or lose. They come back Monday through Friday focusing on the process, not the result.”
The Sun Devils got their first special teams touchdown of the year last week against UCF, courtesy of a blocked punt by freshman linebacker Martell Hughes returned by redshirt freshman safety Montana Warren. In a linebacker room that features a plethora of veterans, Hughes is a glimpse of what the future could look like for Cooper and his group.
“Getting here in spring let him get his feet wet,” Cooper recalled. “Everybody sees the football part, but a lot of it is getting comfortable on campus and being away from home. He got comfortable really quick, and you see that. He’s a long guy and I think Coach Ward has designed some things really well to get him on the field, but he’s also earned it, too.”
Cooper at times has more starting-caliber linebackers in his room than he knows what to do with. With Hughes’ outbreak and redshirt sophomore Tate Romney's return from injury, it only adds to the good problem Cooper has. It not only benefits the team and group in games but also brings out the best in each other in practice and off the field.
“It’s a credit to them for buying into it,” Cooper stated. “Not many people do that, so it’s a great problem to have to try to get guys to feel the game and have a flow of it. I think that’s helped protect our team and defense when injuries have occurred, and it creates competition. The best motivator is competition, so the more of it you have, the more the group will push each other.”
Cooper has some old ties with the Wildcats’ staff, as he worked with current Kansas State head coach Chris Klieman at North Dakota State. Cooper was the defensive ends coach from 2009-2012 and the special teams coordinator in 2013, while Klieman was the defensive backs coach in 2011 and the defensive coordinator from 2012-2013.
Cooper also knows to be cautious about playing too much into the narrative, as he had a similar situation last year against Washington State. He was also a member of the Cougars staff from 2020-2022, but Cooper and the Sun Devils came out with a win over them.
“It can be an advantage or disadvantage because you start overthinking things,” Cooper expressed. “I drew a lot on when we played Washington State last year in how you handle game planning in situations like this. They’ve been one of the best teams in the Big 12 for the past couple of years, so as we continue to build here, I’m excited to see what we’re made of.”
After stepping in for the injured redshirt sophomore Javan Robinson in the two weeks before the UCF game, junior cornerback Laterrence Welch had his play of the year last week with a pick-six 45 seconds before halftime that swung the momentum in ASU’s favor. Cornerback coach Bryan Carrington has seen his growth firsthand over the course of the season and has yet to be disappointed.
“He’s a guy that just loves football,” Carrington voiced. “To see him get the opportunities in the game in limited action and have success out there is tremendous for us. The cornerback unit itself has caught a pick in four consecutive weeks, so we’re trying to make that a fifth consecutive week. LT has kind of helped us save the day two weeks in a row now.”
Behind the trio of Welch, Robinson, and sophomore Keith Abney, Carrington has an abundance of young talent. There are currently seven true freshmen and four redshirt freshmen waiting patiently for their opportunity to make a difference on the defensive side, and Carrington has seen intangibles from them as people and football players that leave him feeling confident for the coming years.
“I think we have good humans in the building,” Carrington mentioned. “Even guys that aren’t playing on Saturday are still growing from a football knowledge standpoint, and they’re still building camaraderie. I feel like that young freshman group, even though they’re not lighting up the box score, the future is bright for those guys.”
Carrington went from a part of a coaching staff at a national runner-up in 2021 in TCU to a 3-9 team last year with the Sun Devils, but is right back to the success he is familiar with. With ASU being projected to finish last in the Big 12 media preseason polls, Carrington felt the best thing the team did was stay ready, and now they have the chance to capitalize on a potential road to a Big 12 championship.
“The message has been we have to make games important,” Carrington explained. “We made this game important because we’re 7-2 heading into this week against the No. 16 team in the country. You never know when it’s your time, and right now, this could be our time. So what we are willing to do at this stage of the game to give ourselves an opportunity to compete for a championship is the message to the team.”
The offensive line, along with senior running back Cam Skattebo, has been largely credited for his 1,001 rushing yards this season, but the tight ends have also been right there to assist in setting the edges for the backs to take. Tight end coach Jason Mohns has been at the nucleus of the energy the tight ends have brought, ensuring they’ve been impactful in both aspects of the offense.
“I think the tight ends will be an important piece of the run game and pass game this week,” Mohns commented. “For us, we just want to continue to build on the success we’ve had and our ability to run the game. Obviously, we’re fired up about Skat and what he’s done this season, and we just want to continue to have a lunch pail mentality.”
The best air attack threat thus far in the season has been junior Chamon Metayer. Outside of Metayer’s 209 receiving yards, the rest of the tight end room has combined for 20 total yards. He not only makes a difference in the passing game but also seems to be their top pass blocker as well.
“Once he got healthy I thought he brought a spark to our room,” Mohns added. “I think he’s been consistent throughout the season, and it’s a matter of us realizing that he’s a weapon and making sure we have a plan to get him some touches. He’s an every-down tight end because he’s physical in the run game, but I also think it makes our offense better when the ball is in his hands.”
In terms of the scheming ahead of the Kansas State game, teams nine games through the season have a general idea of what to plan and what to expect. ASU’s identity has been to run the football, and they’ll likely continue that trend each game they go into. From the film that the staff has seen, Mohn has a broad understanding of what Kansas State does and vice versa.
“We just gotta do what we do well,” Mohns expressed. “We’ll get into the sets and do the things that take advantage of what they do. They’re a good football team, and they’ll have a plan for us, so I think at this point, you gotta line up and execute at a high level.”
In two of its final three games, ASU will play ranked opponents Kansas State and No. 6 BYU the following week. The Sun Devils have prevailed in their lone game against a ranked opponent, beating then-No.16 Utah 27-19 on October 11th. Receiver coach Hines Ward accepts the difficult end to the season, especially considering the mood heading into the season.
“We have a tough remaining schedule, but I love it,” Ward said. “I love challenges, nobody expected us to do anything, and it’s kind of an ‘us against the world’ mentality. Each and every day, we get better out here, and I look forward to that opportunity to see what the guys are going to do.”
Redshirt freshman quarterback Sam Leavitt and redshirt sophomore receiver Jordyn Tyson established a noticeable on-field chemistry early in the season and have only gotten better. Of Leavitt’s 1,631 passing yards, 657 of them have gone to Tyson, the most on the team. Ward has seen the relationship grow all season long, and it’s far from peaking.
“They put a lot of work into it,” Ward noted. “Sam has all the confidence in the world when he throws that ball up, Jordan is gonna get it. Having a quarterback and wide receiver on the same page definitely makes it challenging for a lot of defensive backs. There’s a lot of trust that goes into that relationship, and it’s starting to show.”
Behind Tyson, Skattebo and Metayer are second and third on the team with 404 and 209 yards. The next receiver on the list is redshirt senior Xavier Guillory with 178 yards, as the receiving core outside of Tyson has struggled all season to get open and make plays down the field. Still, Ward believes in his group and their ability to step up when they need to.
“All the guys have stepped up,” Ward recognized. “You have to deal with some injuries over the course of the season, so different guys have different opportunities. It’s going to take all the guys in the receiver core room to help complement, but we’re still plugging away and getting better. Whoever’s number is called, I’m expecting them to go out there and make a play.”
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