During Tuesday’s practice, Arizona State defensive line coach Robert Rodriguez paced in front of three lines of players as they alternated strikes on the blocking dummies. As the group went through the drill, the energetic Rodriguez preached the importance of violent hands during contact, explosive hips, and keeping eyes up throughout the entire play. The battle against Oregon State was primed to be another ground game grinder; the box had to set the tone.
Four days later, ASU found themselves outmatched against the run during a frigid outing in Corvallis. BJ Baylor and the rest of the OSU backfield met the Sun Devils head-on to the tune of 46 rushing attempts in the 24-10 loss. Baylor himself shouldered a little under half of that workload, toting the ball on 20 attempts for 150 yards in his sixth game over the century mark this season.
“They did exactly what we thought they would do,” defensive coordinator Antonio Pierce said during a postgame press conference. “Duo [backfield], stretch-open, we worked it all week. You got to fit up, get off blocks, and really at the end of the day; you got to make tackles. That’s what it came down to.”
The Beavers generated 14 first downs and averaged 4.9 yards per carry in the first half, shoving the smashmouth football label down ASU’s throat as the visitors remained scoreless. OSU suffocated ASU with the clock from there, throwing for only 24 yards throughout the remainder of the game. Content to let time drain and pressure accumulate on a timid passing attack, the Beavers had zero issues in employing Jack Colletto as the wildcat quarterback on 4th-and-2 with more than 11 minutes left in the fourth quarter.
Their search for the dagger paid off. Colletto knifed through the right side of the line, converted the first down, and found himself running free. A blocker found his way into the secondary to wall off cornerback Chase Lucas, and Colletoo rumbled 47 yards to the end zone. Pierce grimaced, reflecting on the gut punch that all but took the wind out of ASU’s sails.
“That was their only play,” Pierce said. “You don’t expect him to run for 40 yards. That was unacceptable.”
ASU’s defense headed into the game missing key pieces of its veteran unit. Linebacker Darien Butler, safety Evan Fields, and 3-technique Shannon Forman did not play due to injury. On Thursday, a car accident in the parking lot of the football practice facility prevented defensive ends Stanly Lambert and Joe Moore, as well as backup safety T Lee, from making the trip to OSU. Although Kejuan Markham returned to the lineup, he was also forced out with an undisclosed issue and was replaced by Alijah Gammage.
Although health was a major pre-game concern, ASU’s players and coaching staff did not make excuses for the output on the field from the starter’s replacements.
“Guys should be stepping up,” defensive end Tyler Johnson said. “In practice, we get the reps; we go over everything together, we’re coached the same. Coach (Pierce) coaches everybody the same.”
Operating on eggshells with untested depth in the back half of the secondary, the Sun Devils spent most of the game in zone coverage. Multiple Beavers receivers caught balls in front of ASU’s defensive backs as they attacked generous cushions and open space underneath. Tre’Shaun Henderson faked out Jack Jones badly after catching a swing pass in the flat, sidestepping the typically stingy cornerback for OSU’s first and only passing touchdown of the game.
Johnson said the Sun Devils felt prepared to execute the game plan. The players trust and listen to their coaches, who in turn make sure there are no surprises. When the time comes to take the field, though, sometimes it all goes out the window. It’s a tendency Johnson can’t place his finger on.
“When we watch film, we mimic it in practice to see what it’s going to look like in a game. When we see it in a game, I’m not sure if it is us being surprised. I’m not sure if it’s a different play. It’s very frustrating at times. Our coaching staff does a really great job of getting us prepared.
“Sometimes, it may not look like it based on the score. But our coaches do a tremendous job getting us prepared, showing us what they need to show us, getting us ready. We go into a game with a lot of confidence.”
Many tabbed the Sun Devils to drop one of its back-to-back road game stretch. The Sun Devils were able to mount a fourth-quarter comeback against Washington last week and overcame a slow start. No heroics emerged at Reser Stadium as the gaps got larger in ASU’s defense, bleeding time, and possessions for the other side of the ball.
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