With two weeks remaining before Arizona State takes the field against USC in the L.A. Coliseum on November 7th, ASU co-defensive coordinators Antonio Pierce and Marvin Lewis are starting to watch their defense take shape.
Ahead of the 2020 season, the duo inherited a Sun Devil defense which ranked fifth in the Pac-12 last year, allowing 22.4 points per contest. Former defensive coordinator Danny Gonzales’ 3-3-5 defense was scrapped in favor of a Lewis' and Pierce's 4-3-4 base look.
Nevertheless, one group that fell under particular scrutiny due to lackluster performance was the defensive line, which struggled to muster a formidable pass rush for the 2019 season duration. The Sun Devils finished with 26 sacks in conference play, finishing just ninth in the Pac-12.
The defensive line room has also seen a revolving door of coaches over the past several years. For example. senior defensive end Shannon Forman has now played for four different defensive line coaches across his four years in Tempe. Current defensive line coach Robert Rodriguez is looking to change that narrative concerning the shortcomings of this unit with an array of new techniques and teachings which have been difficult yet valuable for the group.
The all-seeing veteran Lewis, who traverses ASU’s football facilities on a golf cart as he recovers from knee surgery during practices praised the defensive line for their development and improvements over the past several weeks.
“As a whole, our guys have been working very hard,” Lewis said. “I’m pleased with the progress that they've made. It's been such an interesting time but since we've had the opportunity to play football in pads, (they have) continued to work harder at the techniques and the things we're asking them to do, and the proof will be when you get to go play against an opponent.”
Two standouts in the front four room who received praise from Lewis were junior Jermayne Lole and redshirt freshman Anthonie Cooper.
Lole, who started for the Sun Devils in Gonzales’ system, was one of the pass rushers who performed well in 2019, recording 72 tackles – the third most for a Sun Devil defensive lineman since 1990. Lole’s 37 defensive stops were the most among the nation’s interior defensive lineman.
“I think Jermayne last year showed that he has the ability to go out and make productive football plays in a game,” Lewis said of his veteran defensive tackle. “Now I think he comes into a new season, with an opportunity, with that confidence. So, it's exciting for him. He's had to work his way back as far as being away when the guys out of the building. Those bigger guys they have to work to get themselves back in shape and condition, and we were pleased with the way he's been able to do that as well.”
For Cooper, his 2019 was a redshirt year with limited in-game action, however, the local product from Millennium High School in Goodyear put in quality time on the scout team, working his way up to fight for a second-team job in 2020 at defensive end rather than tackle due to the scheme change. Cooper’s fire showed in spring ball and through the first two weeks of preseason practices.
“Anthonie didn't get an opportunity really to play last year in football games, but he practices tail off every day,” Lewis explained. “He was a guy who gave full speed effort every day against the offense, and he's really reaping the opportunity and taking full advantage of the opportunity he has ahead of him. I think he'll be part of our wave of linemen that play up front.”
While Lewis and Pierce’s defensive line awaits judgment against a proper opponent in USC, the outlook on the pair’s linebacker core is much different.
ASU boasts a trio of veteran linebackers featured in the new 4-3-4 scheme, with two of the three being named captains ahead of preseason practices in early October.
The two captains, junior Darien Butler, and redshirt junior Kyle Soelle, along with junior Merlin Robertson, make up what is possibly ASU’s most experienced group of starters aside from the secondary.
Butler, who was also a captain last year, led the team with 90 tackles in 2019. Robertson, who won Pac-12 Freshman of the Year in 2018, had a disappointing sophomore campaign in his second year in maroon and gold but has made improvements over the offseason to return to his best possible form. Butler and Robertson played against each other in high school, and both started for the Sun Devils in 2019.
Soelle, the other captain, was Pierce’s “fourth man” with former linebacker Khaylan Kearse-Thomas starting alongside Butler and Robertson. Now a starter, Soelle is a player who “does everything right” according to Pierce and his teammates and looks to prove it to the Sun Devil faithful in 2020.
Soelle’s ability to avoid mistakes and fill holes in the box earned the Scottsdale-native the starting job and a role as a captain. Lewis went as far as saying that Soelle is an extension of the coaching staff while on the field earlier in the preseason, and expanded on Soelle’s leadership on Friday.
“Well, I think Kyle is very versatile; I think he'll play any of the linebacker spots in all situations, and I think he's shown the versatility of that in the seven days or so we had in the spring,” Lewis said. “He's really kind of picked up where he left off. He's a guy who takes everything to heart. He's very conscientious he wants to be right. I’m really excited for him to continue to help mentor and be the leader of the defense.”
With Soelle, Butler, and Robertson occupying the three slots behind the defensive line, along with their subsequent leadership, the linebackers are the beating heart of the Sun Devil defense. However, while the trio has amassed a great deal of experience; they aren’t necessarily experienced in playing together.
With Kearse-Thomas in the mix as a starter, the trio hardly played any in-game snaps together in 2019. The group worked diligently in practice and spring ball to add to their on-field reps together to account for the lack of chemistry. While their on-field chemistry still may be growing, all three of the linebackers have a shared bond with their position coach and Lewis’ co-coordinator in Pierce.
“They talk my language; they see things through my eyes as well,” Pierce said of the trio during the first week of practice. “Very quickly, I can look at them with a hand signal or a gesture, and they know exactly what I’m talking about. It’s been good to watch the three of them grow together.”
In the two weeks since Pierce’s comment about the threesome of linebackers, the group has become even closer, gaining valuable chemistry with each other in the preseason. As the spearhead of the defense, the trio must mold into one unit to maximize their success, and in turn, the success of the entire defense.
“All in all, you know, they're very comfortable together, and they've done a nice job of communicating and their leadership and their ability to play physical, it's been impressive,” Lewis proclaimed. “I think that's the thing we are kind of looking forward to, as we play this season with those guys and their opportunity to continue to progress as far as the communication process of the defense.”
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