Walk into any Arizona State football practice, and a prevailing trend will shine through. More often than not, interim tight ends coach Juston Wood begins the first position group drills by working with his unit on blocking – and it shows. Whether it’s fullback Case Hatch or any of Arizona State’s three scholarship tight ends, Curtis Hodges, Jalin Conyers, or John Stivers, things remain the same.
The contributions to run-blocking that Arizona State’s tight ends provide to offensive coordinator Zak Hill’s offense help the Sun Devils to run the ball effectively.
“It’s fun,” Hodges said when asked of the pride he and the Sun Devil tight ends take in assisting in the run game. “You can’t really explain it. You get to pancake somebody, and then they have to look at you and listen to you the rest of the game. We take care of business, and every day we try to get better at something, and the run game is something we always try to get better at.”
When the pancake blocks happen for Hodges, he makes sure to chat about them with the Sun Devil offensive linemen.
“There was a play where me and (left tackle) Kellen (Diesch) had got off on somebody,” Hodges explained, “and he got up and shoved me to the ground. We were like, ‘He got hella mad, so mad just because we pancaked him.’”
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Despite the contributions of the tight ends, Arizona State’s run game success wouldn’t happen without superb offensive line play. After rushing for 177 yards Saturday against UCLA, the Sun Devils extended their streak of games with 150-plus rushing yards to 10 games.
“We’ve played together so long, and we know so much about each other and what we need to do to complement each other,” said junior guard LaDarius Henderson, who was named Pac-12 Offensive Lineman of the Week following his performance at the Rose Bowl. “One of our strengths is just intelligence, the pre-snap stuff, that’s really good for us.”
According to PFF, Diesch and right tackle Ben Scott are the highest-graded offensive tackles in the Pac-12 through five weeks. Henderson has allowed just one quarterback pressure this season, a mark that is tied for second-best in the Pac-12 and third nationally among FBS guards.
At center, preseason All-American candidate Dohnovan West has allowed just two pressures which are tied for fewest among all Pac-12 centers. Each of those impressive marks makes up a line that did not allow the Bruins to sack junior quarterback Jayden Daniels.
“I’m so grateful to have (Pac-12 Offensive Lineman of the Week),” Henderson said. “I’d love to have it – or one of my boys to have it every week. I love to see ASU there every week. But I kind of look at it as it can be poison at times. I’m already focused on next week.”
With three seasons in Tempe under his belt, Henderson told reporters Tuesday at times, his experience surprises himself.
“We have come a long way from what we were when we got here,” Henderson said of the trio of West, Scott, and himself – all in their third season in the program. “It’s crazy because we were literally just talking about this today. (Offensive line) coach (Mike) Cavanaugh said, “Old guys come here,’ and I’m like, ‘He’s talking to me, I’m only 19.’
“We are old guys, and we are the experienced guys, but sometimes I’m like, ‘dang, I’m not even 20.’”
In the passing game, Hodges’s success under Hill has been noticeable in comparison to his first three seasons in Tempe. Before the former Boise State offensive coordinator arrived with an offense predicated on 12 personnel and tight end heavy packages, the 6-foot-7 Sun Devil was limited to just 13 catches in three years. In the old Arizona State offense, Hodges produced 10 yards per reception.
“I’ve always been a pretty skilled receiver and been able to run routes and get open and find separation,” Hodges claimed. Under Hill, the fifth-year Sun Devil has averaged 25.3 yards per reception on 11 catches. “The biggest part for me is showing coaches that I can be consistent throughout an entire year – or a whole week because there were times when I wasn’t able to practice for a day.”
In his second year working with Hill, the Sun Devils rely upon Hodges more frequently than in previous iterations of the ASU offensive game plan. Aside from a productionless showing against UNLV, Hodges has had a chunk play in each of the other four Sun Devil outings – with a catch of 26 yards or greater in each game. Nearly half of Hodges career production (180 of his career 407 yards receiving) has come through the first five games of 2021, and the production should continue as Daniels continues to acclimate himself into Hill’s scheme.
“We need those big plays in every game,” Hodges said Tuesday after he contributed a 48-yard reception to Arizona State’s 11-play, 96-yard touchdown drive, which punctuated its 42-23 victory over No. 20 UCLA. “I saw a coverage that I liked, and I knew that if I got vertical and I crossed the field that I would find an open zone. I just tried to get there as fast as I can.
“That whole game was fun, but that drive was a great feeling knowing that was the nail in the coffin for them.”
The vertical passing game Hodges contributed to Saturday is growing, he says as the weeks progress and each receiving option shows what they are capable of. Against the Bruins, the Sun Devils averaged over 22 yards per reception as a team.
“He’s just learning to trust our guys,” Hodges said of Daniels, who’s completing over 72 percent of his passes this year, a mark that is in the top 10 of all passers nationwide. “He’s giving us an opportunity to go make a play on the ball. That’s all we ask for, so I think he’s doing a great job.”
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