Ahead of Arizona State Football’s 2020 campaign, head coach Herm Edwards made a massive change to his coaching staff on both sides of the ball. On defense, linebackers coach and recruiting coordinator Antonio Pierce and special advisor to Sun Devil football Marvin Lewis joined forces to co-coordinate a new 4-3 base look. On offense, Edwards called upon the mastermind behind the prolific performances of Boise State in the Mountain West, offensive coordinator Zak Hill.
In December of 2019, Hill was handed the reins to the offense at Arizona State after four years in Idaho. With multiple returners, transfers and a surplus of recruits flooding into the program, the new Sun Devil offensive coordinator was like a kid in a candy store; however, Hill’s biggest source of excitement was the prospect of working with his new quarterback.
You see, Hill was a quarterback himself, breaking multiple records at Central Washington in the early 2000s. Before he took the role of offensive coordinator at any school, he was a quarterbacks coach. At Boise State, Hill worked with the 2018 Mountain West Offensive Player of the Year and all-time conference leader in passing yards, completions, and 300-yard passing performances, quarterback Brett Rypien. In 2019, Hill’s electric offensive style carried over to a different quarterback, freshman Hank Bachmeier. Against Florida State in the Broncos’ season opener, in his first collegiate contest, Bachmeier threw for 407 yards and a touchdown in the 36-31 win.
In Tempe, Hill doesn’t have a pure pocket passer like Rypien, nor does he have an inexperienced starter like Bachmeier. At ASU, Hill has a dual-threat sophomore who’s already cut his teeth against the best competition the Pac-12 has to offer, a California native named Jayden Daniels.
Daniels turned heads across the country in 2019 after breaking numerous school records and garnering a Pac-12 Honorable Mention for Freshman Offensive Player of the Year.
“He’s an elite player; his skill set is phenomenal,” Hill said of Daniels on Wednesday. “He’s a smart guy too, so he can handle the kind of (load of work) we are putting on him. I think he’s got the ability to extend plays and make things happen outside of the play.”
After an 11-month hiatus from college football and just a few weeks of full-team practice, Hill’s first test as ASU’s offensive shot-caller comes against what could possibly be the Sun Devils’ most formidable foe throughout this shortened six-game slate: Pac-12 South rival, USC.
“USC has got really good personnel, they’re long, they’re athletic, and they fly around, so it’s going to be a great challenge for us,” Hill described of the Trojans. “It doesn’t matter who you play; you have to be ready to adjust. It’s all about what you do in-game and how you adjust.”
Last year against the Trojans, ASU came out in the first quarter and was immediately put on the ropes. Trojan sophomore gunslinger Kedon Slovis shredded the Sun Devil secondary and ASU’s offense, led by current University of Pittsburgh quarterback and then-ASU backup Joey Yellen, who was filling in for an injured Daniels, was unable to muster a comeback out of the first quarter rut.
For ASU to succeed, a strong first quarter start is almost imperative, yet Hill believes that no matter how the first drive goes for the Sun Devils, their knowledge of assingments and preparation as a whole is far more vital than first-drive points.
“(A good start) is important, but it’s not everything,” Hill admitted. “Our guys need to understand that. Whether it’s three-and-out or we go down and score, there’s a lot of football to be played. Obviously, you want to start fast, and that’s part of what we are trying to get done. It goes with a lot of the preparation, knowing what (the offense) is going to get, and then just go out and execute, not making this thing bigger than it needs to be. (We have to) take it one play at a time and let the scoreboard take care of itself.”
Execution is key for the Sun Devils on Saturday as they shake out any first-game jitters and adapt to the challenges of playing in Hill’s new, complex scheme against a formidable opponent in USC, who is just as hungry to play as ASU.
“I think you're always trying to find as a coaching staff, as you’re game planning for each team, where you feel like you have advantages and where you feel like (USC) might have some advantages,” Hill explained. “(We are) trying to put a plan together that's going to be simple for our guys to execute but is also hard for the defense (to stop). So, with all the stuff that we that we put in at fall camp, and over the COVID period, we're trying to select the main things that we feel like we can execute and go play fast and go be physical.”
At spring practices, Hill’s offensive style, full of pre-snap shifts and motions in an effort to confuse opposing defenses looked to be just as confusing for its own players at certain points. Through two mock games across the past several weeks, Hill said that ASU’s offense has cleaned up its mistakes, but the prospect of staying entirely composed on Saturday is another issue.
Hill’s complex offense will face off against USC defensive coordinator Todd Orlando, who brings depth and diversity to the defensive side of the ball to counter offenses throughout the Pac-12. The Sun Devils have been watching USC film to acclimate to personnel but have also watched Orlando’s schemes from his time at the University of Texas in an effort to learn more about what they will see this weekend.
“You’re trying to put a game plan together that’s good for your personnel and what we do well and then try to find areas in the defense where we can attack their personnel, and that’s hard going into a game one,” Hill said. “You’re kind of guessing a little bit, and they’ve got guys moving around, they’ve got an intricate defense. They bring a lot of different fronts, coverages and bring a lot of different pressures, so it’s interesting to try to find those matchups.”
Some notable matchups to watch will be how USC defends ASU’s size. Starting freshman Z-receiver Johnny Wilson and starting senior tight end Curtis Hodges both stand 6-foot-7 and should prove to be a defensive challenge any time either of them (or both) are on the field.
Much like the glorious maroon and gold pitchfork ASU players don on their helmets and uniforms, Arizona State’s backfield is a three-pronged approach. Junior transfer Rachaad White won the starting job over freshmen Deamonte “Chip” Trayanum and Daniyel Ngata, however, all three backs are in contention to receive serious playing time across the next six weeks.
“I think all three of those backs have done a really good job,” Hill noted. “We plan on playing all three of them and see where it all goes. I mean, it's good competition in that room. And those guys come practice every single day, and they're focused; they’re determined, and they're competing against each other and trying to get more and more reps.”
With less than half a week remaining until the Sun Devil play their first football of 2020, there’s not much more Hill can do as a coordinator ahead of week one, as many questions will float about unanswered until the whistle blows in Los Angeles. Nevertheless, Hill has focused on building a relationship with Daniels, the keystone of ASU’s offense. Daniels is said to have integrated well with Hill’s schemes, and from here on out, it’s a matter of building trust, both with Hill and his system.
“I think the offense fits in with what he does well,” Hill explained. “I think the communication between him and I is building, but what’s going to really help build that trust is going to be in-game (experience). It’s going to take some more feeling each other out within a game and the highs, lows, and adversity because it’s one thing to do it on the practice field or on Zoom, but it’s in the heat of the battle when you earn trust.”
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