Following a Wednesday practice in which ASU head coach Kenny Dillingham was left underwhelmed by the offensive performance, the Sun Devils’ offensive coordinator Marcus Arroyo concurred with that assessment, knowing the unit failed to bring its ‘A-game’ to Mountain America Stadium.
“I think there's some things, we got to clean up,” Arroyo said. “I think tonight was not what we expected and below our standards on offense. We looked like we came out at night after a long day.
“So, it's going to be a good opportunity to get after these guys a little bit and let them know regardless of what time we’re practicing at we got to get up and go.”
Wednesday's session consisted of extensive 11-on-11 sequences. Although those reps were not live action and plays were not at full speed, they still carry a high level of energy. The back-and-forth drives consisted of more interceptions than touchdowns, including an interception returned for a touchdown by linebacker Zyrus Fiaseu.
Arroyo knows the quarterbacks are continuing to grow into the Sun Devil scheme, and until the true live-action scrimmages occur, the next one taking place this Saturday, he is not concerned about the performances of his signal callers.
“When these guys are still in gray jerseys, I've got such an asterisk next to everything when they're not live and with those quick whistles,” Arroyo noted. “But we've got to take care of the football number one, which we know that. I think overall these guys are understanding the scheme and getting a little better every day.
“The totality of the camp so far after 13 days has been, probably above where I expected with the that's all the stuff we do. It's still brand new to a lot of guys.”
With the current age of college football and the ease with which players change schools each year, Arroyo admits it creates an added layer of difficulty when large waves of new players have to mold into an existing system, creating challenges that take time to iron out.
“I think that's the new in college football, which is the free agency market,” Arroyo remarked. “All of a sudden, you get new waves of guys you've got to put right in. You think they've got traits that you really like. Then you've got to get out there and put them in the offense and see how fast they pick it up.”
Arroyo’s confidence in his players is what gives him clarity on the team's true cohesion aspect. This may stem from the work ethic he has seen from his quarterback, Sam Leavitt. At just 19 years old, the redshirt freshman impressed his offensive coordinator tremendously due to the high standards he placed upon himself.
“I'm incredibly proud about the way he comes out and works every day,” Arroyo said in regards to Leavitt. “I think that part in it as a quarterback is the number one pillar. He is a guy who's really detailed and likes to put in the extra time. You've got to have that as a quarterback it can't be the normal hours, you got to get extra work you got to put in and he does it. I'd be hard-pressed to find him not in the top 10 workers in the whole building.
“For a guy who played four games and only a couple years in college, he's really demanding of himself, really detailed.”
The high praise from the Arroyo doesn't stop with the quarterback room. The fine job Hines Ward has done as the wide receivers coach has not gone unnoticed by Arroyo, who is excited by the explosive talent of that group.
“There's been some real receivers those last places we've been at, and his group's really talented,” Arroyo commented. “They've been working their tail off, and Coach Ward's been awesome with them, teaching them details. I think just with more and more time and experience in the system with the (running) backs and timing; I'd be remiss to say that we don't have a really special group moving forward as we build this thing.”
Post-spring additions wide receiver Malik McClain and tight end Chamon Metayer have not wasted any time to make their presence known this month despite each of them not participating in the first few fall camp sessions. As a result, both have consistently earned first-team reps in preseason practices.
Arroyo has been delighted with that tandem’s performance, along with another post-spring transfer running back Alton McCaskill. Arroyo does not take for granted that a first-year player, regardless of their level of talent, will often be effective early in a new environment, no matter how much they relish the necessary platform to shine and change preconceived notions.
“Malik has an awesome camp, So I think both those guys are going to be guys, first here now and in the future, are going to be pretty special,” Arroyo stated. “At the tight end that you've got three or four different tapes at two different schools and you find a lot of things you really like, some things maybe that you're like, ‘What happened here?’ and you got to be able to dust that off a little bit give him a clean slate and see what he does in your offense.
“Those guys we mentioned, including Metayer, are just unbelievable additions to our offense.”
As the foundation of the 2024 Sun Devil offense continues to be established, with some rough edges that need to be smoothed out, Arroyo is cognizant of the ongoing course this group is taking and is excited to see how his players grow moving forward.
“You start to see now, the guys that are starting to move up in the ladder a little bit,” Arroyo explained. “That's really important. some guys, you've got to see where they flash and where they're panning out.”
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