Redshirt freshman quarterback Sam Leavitt has already seen this season the four most common defenses. This is why the bye week was an opportune time for the signal caller to reflect on his play against each of those alignments. According to ASU head Kenny Dillingham, having the extra time to execute the same plays in practice has already proven invaluable for the young quarterback.
“We kind of run the same things in two straight weeks,” Dillingham said. “You always run the same plays, but anytime you get to run the same plays versus multiple formations and get to see different things, the game slows down. So this week, I saw that from him (Leavitt).”
Running backs senior DeCarlos Brooks and sophomore Raleek Brown returned to practice after battling injuries that kept them out of the Texas Tech game. Having more availability of players in the backfield opens up the possibility of large chunk plays, which have been displayed in the passing game but not yet on the ground. Dillingham plans to utilize more backs this week and feels there’s no other choice but to get them on the field.
“We absolutely have to,” Dillingham admitted. “Our yards per carry still isn’t high enough overall as a team, especially in the last two weeks. We have to increase the yards per carry, and the biggest way to increase them is to have big plays. We still have not produced enough big plays in the running game; we’ve been very old school, getting five or six yards (per play). I think getting more running backs involved and keeping guys fresher is good.”
Kansas comes into Tempe on Saturday with the most turnovers on offense in the Big 12, 11, but has also forced seven turnovers on defense. Junior quarterback Jalon Daniels has thrown eight interceptions and has struggled through the first five weeks. Dillingham wants to carry on the turnover barrage into this week but is also prepared for the game to be more methodical and less turnover-heavy.
“Sometimes turnovers are a fluke,” Dillingham noted. “As I said in my press conference, we hope that continues. If those don’t happen, people are looking at this team as a 4-1 team. The turnovers could end any week, but I hope we continue that and take the ball away, and it’s critical for their football team right now.”
Senior receiver Jake Smith is beginning to get his legs back underneath him after not playing for over two seasons due to injury and being sidelined due to eligibility issues in the 2023 season. There have been multiple situations where an opportunity for Smith to make a big play or score was just out of reach, but Dillingham is confident the veteran is due for a breakout game.
“He hasn’t played in so long, so he just has to get more reps,” Dillingham expressed. “If you throw him that ball he couldn’t catch in Texas Tech 100 times, he’d catch it 95 or 98 times. Right now, he’s back to getting his feet wet, so I told him this is his game that he’s going to break out; I can feel it. He had a good week of practice, he was so close to having a huge play versus Tech, and he’s going to have a game-changing play this week.”
On the defense, junior cornerback Laterrence Welch and sophomore linebacker Tate Romney returned to practice this week after missing multiple games, and Saturday could mark Romney’s season debut. As one of the returning starters from 2023, the linebacker has the knowledge and wisdom to share with his teammates. Welch is a key part of the cornerback room and has an infectious personality that can elevate the liveliness level to a plane that was missing in the last three games.
“LT has unbelievable energy, and Tate’s got a veteran presence,” Dillingham commented. “We get a starter back and a guy who’s rotating with our corner position with great energy, so I think they both provide depth and great presence. One has great energy, and the other has a sort of calmness that helps us on the field.”
Offensive coordinator Marcus Arroyo had ample time to take a deep dive into the Jayhawk’s defense, a unit that doesn’t have a single freshman or sophomore in their starting lineup and just three freshmen on the defensive depth chart. They’re fundamentally sound and will provide a stout challenge for the young Leavitt.
“It’s a veteran group that’s been around a long time,” Arroyo recognized. “Their coaching staff has done a great job building a group that’s got some continuity, who’s played a lot of snaps together and has good communication. You can tell they know the defense really well. There are not a whole lot of guys running around during the snap and don’t seem like they can’t get lined up. You can tell when a team is turning on the tape and is playing hard.”
ASU has gone 15-19 in the red zone this season, turning the ball over on downs twice and missing a field goal. Dillingham and Arroyo have focused heavily on that aspect of the game in the past two weeks, doubling the amount of time they spent harping on the importance of converting in this region of the field.
“It’s always a big thought of mine,” Arroyo mentioned. “It’s such a critical piece of winning, and ours is a little skewed. We have about 13 plays of taking knees, which I’m trying to throw out, but there are still a bunch of plays in there with missed throws and missed blocks. Red zone scoring is a big deal, and I think our guys understand that we spent a lot of time working on it.”
Much of the narrative among ASU coaches and players revolved around the perception that Kansas’s 1-4 record is quite misleading when one views their film. Dillingham spoke on Monday about how just a few plays in the Jayhawks’ matchups ended up being the difference between a win and a loss. Defensive coordinator Brian Ward certainly shares that opinion and is prepared for the Jayhawks to come out plenty motivated with a high intensity that the Sun Devils will need to match, let alone overtake.
“All you have to do is watch their games,” Ward stated. “Against UNLV, they’re driving to go up 18 points at halftime and throw a pick. That’s a 14-point swing, and against Illinois, they have three turnovers. This team might be the best team we’ve played all year, and that’s the way we’re approaching this week.”
Daniels fits the classic mold of a dual-threat quarterback with his ability to scramble outside of the pocket and utilize his legs to keep plays alive. Therefore, it will be important for the defensive perimeter to keep him inside the hashes and contain him early before he can escape the pocket. The signal-caller has already collected 117 rushing yards, and Ward knows that slowing him down carries a formidable degree of difficulty.
“He’s able to keep plays alive,” Ward noted. “He’s very difficult to sack, and he’s one of those guys that has an innate ability to make a big play. Those types of quarterbacks are always the scariest. There are some quarterbacks that feel like they’re in the box and they just have to execute the offense, and then there are guys that improvise. His athletic ability and arm strength make him that scary.”
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