The struggles of a 1-5 ASU team have not been exclusive to only one team aspect, as the Sun Devils’ special teams unit was battling major issues with their punt game. On the other hand, its EDGE group has elevated Arizona State’s passing skills not only tenfold from last year but on pace to be the most productive it has been in years. I caught up with the position coach of both groups, Charlie Ragle, to give his assessment at the midseason mark.
DevilsDigest: Let's start with special teams. I know that the punting issues were there for most of the first half of the season. But, with a switch to Ian Hershey last week, there's better production there. One game sample and all, but how do you feel about Hershey’s performance against Colorado?
Charlie Ragle: “Before I get into that, I think it's only fair by Josh Carlson to mention that he had two stress fractures in his foot that that he was trying to pump through and that we weren't aware of. It's a testament to him trying to battle through that. We didn't get to see during games who he truly is when he's completely healthy. Guys yourself and guys (media) that were out there at practice could see what kind of punter he is. So that certainly hurt.
“So we made the switch because we had to, and I think for Ian to come in and in a short time short transition, I thought he had a really good game. There are certainly things that we've got to clean up, but he certainly brings some athleticism to the table, and I was very pleased with what he did there in the Colorado game.”
DevilsDigest: Look at the placekicking, Dario Longhetto was perfect until that blocked field goal from 52 yards out versus Colorado. Yet, examining his entire body through six games, what did you see from him in terms of both field goals and kickoffs?
Charlie Ragle: “I think that he's been excellent on the season for us. He is exactly what I thought he was going, a very reliable kicker. I’m not going to let the one tipped ball change that. You got to give credit to those guys (Colorado players); they got a great jump on it. We could have been a little bit better in protection. But as far as he goes, as a midseason grade, he certainly got an A, with his production both in kickoffs and field goals. There are a couple of kickoffs that we could place just a little bit better, but you're dialing in on the absolute most minute things. Those still matter for sure, don't get me wrong, but he has been exactly what I thought he would be, and I'm very proud of the season he's had thus far.”
DevilsDigest: I don't want to forget about long snapping and Slater Zellers. I know that he's somebody who came over here from Cal who is really highly regarded and is someone you’re obviously very familiar with. Has he also performed up to your expectations?
Charlie Ragle: “It's good that you do forget about him because he's doing a hell of a job. He and Dario have just been exactly what we needed, have been stable for our group, and have provided great leadership. He has performed at a really, really high level.”
DevilsDigest: If we look at both kick and punt return, and in today's world of college football, it seems as if it's harder than ever to get substantial return yards. Nonetheless, how do you assess the performance of your group in those two areas?
Charlie Ragle: “Currently, we're ranked number one in the conference in kick returns (ninth nationally), averaging over 26 yards. We've been so close to scoring on several returns; we were one block away here and there. At the halfway mark, I feel really good at where our kickoff return is. Before I get into the punt return stuff, going back to Dario and his kickoff placements and then the balls that we have covered, we’re self-scouting and looking at what we can adjust in the second half to give ourselves a better chance. We’re seventh in the country in kickoff defense and lead the conference. So, I feel pretty good about where those numbers are, and that's obviously given us some starting field position on the kick return.
“The punt return started the season a little bit slow. But in the last couple of games, we've had opportunities to create some returns. We're sitting right now eighth in the conference, averaging over seven yards per return, which doesn't seem like a lot. But when you look at the conference as a total, you're in the middle, and we want to push that thing to the upper 25 percent. We’ve had some explosive kick returns, which for me means over 40 yards, and now we need to get some explosive punt returns for over 20 yards, and we don’t have one yet.
“What I do like to see is that we've got the ball in our returners' hands, with the chance to create the explosive. We had two opportunities against Colorado, and we had two against Cal. We've got to get that explosion. In my mind, the scheme is working if those guys can get the ball, and they've got space of five, six yards or greater to do something with it. I really hope that we can enhance that over the second half in the punt return and continue the consistency from our kick return. But I think that when you look at our numbers, overall, we are in solid shape for a 1-5 football team right now.”
DevilsDigest: Generally, your group had done a great job preventing opponents from getting explosive punt returns. Last week against Colorado was the first and only one to date. Overall, though, even if you take that one return into consideration, have you been pleased in this area?
Charlie Ragle: “We've given up one in six games, and hopefully, that's the last one. I was just watching it again, right now, before you called. If you freeze it, we've got five guys fitted up on it, ready to go, and we just lose the leverage. It makes you sick, and I couldn't stop thinking about it on Sunday. We've been really, really good in our coverage fits, and it's something that we take great pride in. So, taking that one punt return out of it, I've most definitely been pleased with that. We've got just to continue to play at that level over the back half of the season.”
DevilsDigest: Let's move to the EDGE group. Even looking at the defense as a whole, even with a 1-5 record, there are still a lot of good things you can say about the defense. And that’s not common at all with other teams that have that mark. The pass rush is where that high level of performance is the most noticeable. Posting 18 sacks in six games is more than just a respectable number. In your opinion, how well has this position played?
Charlie Ragle: “I think you got to look at it and say, ‘That's a dominant group.’ Those guys have played tremendous football in the first half of the season. I think we've got some guys that, when you can create one-on-one matchups with them, they're a problem for people to block. BJ Green has just been a dominant force in there, whether he's inside or on the edge. Prince Dorbah has had a heck of a first half of the season. Clayton Smith has gone through some injuries, but when he's healthy, and he is getting healthier, he is the same problem for offenses. And then you have Michael Matus, who is just a model of consistency. So, those four guys have been lights out for us at that EDGE spot, and they've caused teams problems.”
DevilsDigest: As it is, did you feel pretty confident when the season began that this unit would produce at this level, or has it been a pleasant surprise along the way?
Charlie Ragle: “I would be lying sitting here and saying that I didn't know we had that kind of talent; I knew we had a chance to be pretty good. I think the biggest thing I'm most proud of up to this point is just the buy-in from these guys into Coach Ward's defense, and they're fun to coach. They're really a good group of guys. There are not a lot of egos in that room. Of course, they all want to be good and want to represent themselves to a degree, too. But they've bought into the scheme, they bought into Coach Dillingham and Coach Ward, and when you have that, and you can coach them and get on them, and they do want to get better, that’s a great thing. And when they screw up, they show remorse.
“They're just really fun to coach and work with, and it’s been a breath of fresh air working with them. And the exciting thing is that they continue to grow the relationship with the coaches; we can potentially get all these guys back next year, and what that can hold for the future defensively. I think it's very, very promising.”
DevilsDigest: You bring up a good point about the team psyche. Fans always ask me about that team element, not only on defense but on the entire team. Do you feel that from that standpoint, even now after losing five in a row, the vibe is as good as it can be for a team that's going through a rough year?
Charlie Ragle: “Well, look at how they played. You wouldn't have thought that after the game against Fresno State (a 29-0 loss), and all the injuries and all the things that happened, they would respond as they did playing well against USC, how they went to Cal on the road first road game and had a real chance to win that game. And then to come back home after a very tough loss and, again, be in a position to win the game against Colorado.
“The guys keep on showing up, and they keep on battling. And that answers your question. It shows that these guys still care. It matters to them because they've got a lot of pride and they want to win. When you've got that attitude as a team, you've got a chance to win every week that you step on the field.”
DevilsDigest: During this bye week, what does your to-do list look like for both special teams and the Edge unit?
Charlie Ragle: “Get as many people healthy as possible. That's the biggest thing because it really revolves around the personnel. We have to be smart about how we practice, which we're going to do. Then we've got to look at every snap, make our cut-ups, and see from a special team standpoint what we need to do better. You look at our punt game, and other than the first blemish where we had the block in the first game and then the one big return last week, we've been pretty good in terms of location but not in terms of length of punts. We go through that and make sure that we understand our coverage lanes and our leverage and touch on those things.
"Same thing with kickoff; it's just continuing to enhance the process of what we've been doing week to week, understanding our fits and our leverage. And then, in the return game, what can we do to help ourselves to generate better returns? What can we do to clean up where we're so close to scoring on a kickoff return? If you look at the very first kick return against Colorado, they kick the ball kind of funky shortens in the middle of the field. If we could have held that block towards the sideline a little longer, we're going to score. So, what can we do on leverage angles? How can we give ourselves better chances to hit that big return? All those will be the key things that we look at.
“And then when you talk about the defensive side, it's really about looking at some fundamental stuff. We made some cut-ups on how we play certain things in the run game today. We were looking at all of our guys in one-on-one pass rush situations; what are their best moves? What can we show it as, ‘Hey, this is your go-to move. Here's a great counter; here are a couple of things you need to work on.’ So whether it’s special teams or edge plays, really dial into the details, polish up what's working, and then see if we can add one or two new things to help us enhance our game a little bit more.”
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