Uncharacteristically bad defense from Arizona State in the second half of its loss to Utah may have marred the perception of defensive coordinator Antonio Pierce’s defense. The loss sent the Sun Devils into the bye week on a down note but didn’t make them forget the impressiveness of the unit’s resumé through seven games.
“It’s always hard if you go into a bye week on a loss because you’ve got to hear about it for two weeks instead of one, but going into the bye week, there’s definitely a lot to adjust,” redshirt junior defensive end Michael Matus said. “We played a bad half of football. That’s really what it boils down to.”
After leading 21-7 at the break in Salt Lake City, the Utes outscored the Sun Devils 28-0 in the second half. For the first time this season, an ASU opponent rushed for more than 200 yards as the Utes dominated in the trenches in the second half.
“They ran the ball. That’s really what we’ve worked on. Making sure we stop the run,” said Matus of ASU’s bye week focus and priority ahead of the final five games of Pac-12 play. “That was the goal from the beginning of the season, and we need to make sure that we follow through.”
Despite the 35 points allowed to the Utes, the Sun Devils’ defensive numbers remain impressive in comparison to their Pac-12 peers. The ASU defense ranks 22nd in scoring defense nationally, allowing 18.9 points per game. Of all Pac-12 schools, only Arizona State and Washington (19.7 points per game) are among the 30 teams in Division 1, allowing fewer than 20 points per game this year.
As the Sun Devils prepare to come off the bye against Washington State, they’ll do so against the run-and-shoot offense installed by the now-departed Cougar head coach Nick Rolovich. With many of the holdover players from the Mike Leach era in Pullman, the quick passing game increases the burden of responsibility on Arizona State’s secondary.
“I have full trust in our DBs,” senior cornerback Jack Jones told reporters Tuesday. After missing most of the past two contests with a back contusion, captain Chase Lucas is expected to return to the ASU secondary this Saturday. “If you ask me, I think we have the number one defensive back room in the country. So, it’s no question I think we can compete against anybody in the country.”
The matchup this weekend for Arizona State’s secondary features two of the top five receivers in yards per game in the conference. Calvin Jackson Jr. and Travell Harris are among the Pac-12’s best at catching the ball and do-it-all running back Max Borghi also provides a threat out of the backfield as a pass-catcher.
“They’ve got two really great slot receivers,” said safety DeAndre Pierce. “They try to get them the ball a lot, and they’ve got good concepts to try to really create space for them and get them in the open field in one-on-one matchups.
“It’s on the DBs this week. We’ve got to cover. We’ve got to lock onto our guys, and everybody just has to do their job.”
Both the defensive line and secondary of the Sun Devil defense have been tested by injuries throughout this year. Matus, who missed Arizona State’s win over Stanford with a knee injury – and dressed but was limited in participation against Utah – said he is feeling better after the week off. On Monday, head coach Herm Edwards said that he expected Lucas to play and safety Evan Fields to be a game-time decision.
Arizona State’s pass rush has generated three sacks per game, a mark that ranks 16th nationally, but will be challenged this week by a WSU passing concept that is predicated on getting the ball out of the quarterback’s hands quickly. Matus said that mentality for WSU QB Jayden de Laura means he and the defensive line must remain patient.
“It’s always hard, especially with teams that get the ball out quick because sometimes it’s just hard to get there. The goal is to just be relentless in the pass rush,” said Matus, who has eight tackles and 0.5 sacks so far this year. “Your sacks might not come in the first and second quarter, but they might start pump-faking in the third and fourth quarter, and that’s where you start making the money.
“You’ve just got to be relentless. Keep going, keep pushing, and keep playing harder than them and not give up. They might be getting the ball out quick, but eventually, they are going to have to pump-fake.”
During the bye week, Arizona State’s Pac-12 South competition helped the Sun Devils in their pursuit of a division crown. The division went 0-5 – with four of the losses coming against conference opponents – and Utah and UCLA’s losses to Oregon State and Oregon kept ASU in the thick of the division race. As much as help as those results provide help to the Sun Devils, a second-half mentality of controlling the controllable is taking over.
“We just need to focus on ourselves. Play our best football,” said the former Boise State safety. “We can’t be worried about what other teams are doing or even what other teams around the conference are doing. We have to play our best football because at the end of the day we still control our destiny as far as how great we can play. As long as we go out there and we win games and play up to our potential, we’ve just got to let the rest of it fall into place.”
Jones said that he’s battled nicks and bruises as well and doesn’t feel like he’s shown his best abilities, despite two interceptions and a forced fumble in the first seven games. Just as he said, he can improve the senior DB also shared his belief that the defense can sharpen during the closing portion of 2021.
“We good, not great,” Jones said, “but like AP be saying, ‘good is the enemy of great.’ We just are chasing to be great. We’re right there; we’ve just got to keep going.
“I think these final five games are either going to make or break us. We’re either going to be really good, really great in these next five games, or we’re going to play really bad. We’re not going to stay the same.”
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