When it comes to the Arizona State defense there are plenty aspects in need of repair, and following the 2016 campaign, the Sun Devils called upon a seasoned defensive coordinator to shore up this unit. With nearly 40 years of coaching experience, and perhaps on his last assignment in college football, Phil Bennett is facing a task that is certainly challenging, if not daunting. In an interview with DevilsDigest.com Bennett laid out his blueprint on confronting the task ahead of him and his overall approach to remedy the Sun Devil defense.

DevilsDigest: You’ve known ASU head coach Todd Graham for a while. How has that relationship influenced you to accept the defensive coordinator job here at Arizona State?

Phil Bennett: “Todd and I go back 25 years. I laugh when I tell people that it’s been a 25-year long interview process. Todd was a high school coach and I was a coordinator at Texas A&M. When we would talk I just thought that he had the ‘it’ factor and it doesn’t surprise me at all to see where he’s at. We’ve been friends and always tried to share ideas. We tried to stay on the cutting edge defending what’s going on with the tempo and the spread…defenses are sometimes an evil necessity. But we tried to stay on top of that.

“So, Todd and I remained friends. My son Sam came out here and became a GA. Everything worked out right.”

DevilsDigest: How much have you been able to follow ASU from afar and what was your perception of this program under Graham?

Phil Bennett: “I’m an early bird but I stayed up late and watched his games. Obviously, they had a great start (in 2016). I came to the UCLA game and they did a wonderful job on both sides of the ball. Unfortunately, we lost Brady (white) that night and Manny (Wilkins) was already hurt. I thought that for the team to have a good year they had to stay healthy. This was a transition year with a new quarterback, and defensively they lost Christian (Sam) in the first game of the year. You had a lot of guys in and out.

“I thought they had some games that they could have won. I remember the first drive against Washington State, I thought ‘wow’ but unfortunately, they weren’t able to finish. Obviously, you could see down the stretch that some confidence had waned and they didn’t have the sharpness they started the season with.”

DevilsDigest: As someone who followed Graham’s tenure here, you also saw the very successful defenses he had in 2012-14. In your opinion, was the difference between that stretch and the last two seasons merely personnel or was it also scheme?

Phil Bennett: “I never think it’s just one thing. Todd was very honest with me saying that he wanted to be very involved in the defense at the time and then he passed it off. There was a transition and they got lost in what they wanted to do. And let me tell you something – that’s easy to do in this business. Todd really wanted to get back to more four-man (front) stuff that he had done from the past and has learned from my system, and we shared a lot.

“What makes this fun is that I have a background with Keith (Patterson) and Shawn (Slocum) also. It’s been very beneficial for all of us.”

DevilsDigest: Ten or so years ago, you could generally say that the Pac-12 had the most explosive and innovative offenses in the country. Since then the Big-12, a conference you coached in for several years, has been incorporating more tempo and spread schemes making it similar to the Pac-12…

Phil Bennett: “And like you said, it is so true and that is that both conferences are very similar and that is what Todd saw me defending sideline to sideline. You use the word ‘innovative’ and we saw more spread in the Big-12 and then you have Kansas State which in this league (Pac-12) you have Stanford. So, both leagues are very comparable and very talented.”

DevilsDigest: As a first-year coordinator you want to put your stamp on the program, but you also don’t want to reinvent the wheel. Is that really a fine line to walk?

Phil Bennett: “Absolutely. I’m someone who believes in observing. I didn’t look a lot at the scheme last year, but what I looked at are just the players. How do you get your best 11 on the field and put them in a position to be successful? I know what Todd wants and we don’t want to lose our ability to be aggressive and dictate to the offense, but you want to limit explosion plays. You want to limit the number of plays that prevent you from getting off the field. You want to limit possessions.

“For six years at Baylor, we averaged 16-18 (explosive) possessions a game. Most in the country on defense. We judged ourselves in points per possession and yards per snap. And we you did that we were as good as anybody in the country. My last game at Baylor we played 94 snaps against Boise State. We only gave up 12 points and yards per snap was 3 point something yards. My point is that how you grade yourself is a little bit different.

“What I’m excited about is that Todd has done a good job keeping the play count down on defense. Like you said earlier, we don’t have to reinvent the wheel. We have to tighten up some things obviously in coverage, we want to be more calculated on our blitzes. Sometimes, and this isn’t a knock on anybody, plain coverage doesn’t hurt you on certain downs.”

DevilsDigest: Limiting explosive plays was quite honestly a sore subject here last year. Is that an aspect that is more tied into scheme or personnel?

Phil Bennett: “I know this is again painting more with the same brush, but it’s a combination of both. But I think that one of the things Todd and I agree on before I came here was that we need to see what we are capable of doing and make sure that we do it very well. Our biggest thing is just to make sure that we are better calculated on our pressures and having better matchups than we did last year. Obviously, there was a problem and I wouldn’t be here if there wasn’t. I think I can help do that.”

DevilsDigest: when it comes to terminology, this is another area that as a first-year coordinator you have to tread carefully around. How do you approach this?

Phil Bennett: “I wanted to get away from some of the terms that the kids struggled with the last couple of years. It’s a mindset. But I didn’t get too far away so a lot of the terminology is pretty similar. It’s the little things. We kept ‘Spur’ and we kept ‘Devil.’ I’m OK with that with what we are doing. But when we call formations it’s a little bit different.

“What it does for me is that I don’t want to have to get into a situation where we are making adjustments where I call something that I would call at Baylor. It’s crucial that the kids learn that this is what we do. If we do that we’ll be in good shape.”

DevilsDigest: You mention the ‘Spur’ and ‘Devil’ linebacker role names staying. What else will remain or change from last year?

Phil Bennett: “We’ll have a field and boundary corner. A cover (field) safety and a down (strong) safety. One of the reasons for that is to line up fast. Obviously, that’s a big issue in today’s college football. You want to get the call and get lined up and that was an issue here last year. Get the call and play.”

DevilsDigest: No coach wants to be pigeonholed into a certain system, and be labeled as a 4-3 or 3-4 guy. But would it be fair to say that you’re more of a 4-2-5 coach?

Phil Bennett: “Probably so. But I’m also a guy that will play some 3-4. We’ll play faster on the field, we’ll play nickel. Our base packages will be similar to a 4-2-5, a 3-4, and nickel.”

DevilsDigest: The hybrid defensive end/linebacker Devilbacker role was one of the most unique aspects Todd Graham brought with him when he first ran the ASU defense. As someone who followed the program during the last few years you know that once Carl Bradford departed, it’s been generally hard to adequately fill that role. Some would claim that the struggles at Devilbacker have significantly affected the defense in the last two years. How do you view that role? Do you want to have the hybrid player or would you rather have a more traditional defensive end?

Phil Bennett: “I recruited Koron Crump when I was at Baylor. We called that a ‘Buck’ linebacker at Baylor. He’s ideal at ‘Devil.’ He can rush and he can drop. He’s an athletic player. That position has to be multi-talented and he’s a lot like Carl Bradford. What we did that was a little different is that we used a ‘posse’ third down package that made the ‘Buck’ a rusher and then we put a nickel in.

“So one of the things you will see is maximizing what Koron can do. That’s a very important position, but another position I’m looking at is the ‘Spur.’ That’s a position that blitzes, covers and does a lot of things. I think Crump can fulfill what we want at ‘Devil’ and I think A.J. (Latu) will do well too. Devilbacker is a position we feel has to be upgraded. Last year we had to patch things and probably had him (Crump) thinking too much.”

DevilsDigest: Unlike the offensive side of the ball which went through a complete overhaul of coaches, the defensive side has been more stable in comparison. How much does that help you as a new coordinator at ASU?

Phil Bennett: “No question it helps a lot. Keith and I go back 25 years, same time as Todd. I’ve known Shawn since he was 10 years old – I babysat him. So there’s a great familiarity here and both of them are great coaches. That’s very beneficial.

“I’m sensitive to Keith, I know what he went through. Keith is a hell of a coach and right now he has been unbelievable.”

DevilsDigest: When it comes to the defensive struggles of last year, there was an issue as to who was really calling the plays on Saturdays. Some who follow the program may have the same question going into this season. Is this a defense that Phil Bennett will be the game planner and play caller on the sidelines?

Phil Bennett: “It will be. I will be on the sidelines signaling the plays. Now, let me give respect to Todd too – he’s a talented defensive coach and didn’t get here if he wasn’t. He’s a smart coach and we have shared ideas for years. But will I run the defense? Yes. Will Todd be involved? Absolutely. I want him to be involved. But I will call it, I will run it.

“That was the deal when I got here. People who know me, know me.”

DevilsDigest: When you’ll be sitting here on April 15th after spring practice ends, what are the boxes you want to see checked off in terms of your goals for the defense?

Phil Bennett: “The number one thing, if you ever going to be a great defense – you have to play fast. The key to playing fast is knowledge. I have a sign in every room: knowledge is power.

“Number two is technique. Fundamentals are crucial. A great example is against USC right before halftime. It’s 14-6 (in favor of USC). Offense had shown flashes, defense is playing well and Ronald Jones I think ends up going for 60 yards and it was a missed tackle. That’s the fundamentals of the game, playing fast, taking angles, teaching warping up and tackling.

“It’s being alignment to assignment. Most times I can look at an alignment at pre-snap and tell you if you have a chance to stop it or not. Offenses today are so in tune looking for angles, and for distribution deficiency. My defensive package is a check package, and our kids have to learn how to lineup. You can’t put the cart in front of the horse. You have to line up first, and then you can start doing some things. If you can lineup in this league – you can win.

“Not to be critical of last year, but there were some matchups, some techniques, that I looked at and said ‘I don’t like that.’ One of the things I was proud of is leading the Big-12 in pass efficiency with two freshmen corners. We kept things in front of us and got off the field. I want to find a way to maximize the abilities of the guys on the field. The worst thing in the world and I’m not saying I haven’t done it, is putting a kid in a position that he isn’t capable of doing.”

DevilsDigest: With 39 years of coaching experience, you probably encountered every challenge known to a football coach. Yet, from the outside looking in people may think that you’re taking on a very deterring task trying to turn around the worst pass defense in the country in the last two years. As someone that’s going to be in the trenches everyday trying to fix this unit, what’s your perception of accomplishing this feat?

Phil Bennett: “You know what, maybe I’m just crazy (smiles). We did it at Baylor and we ended up winning ten games a year. I’m a half-glass full guy. I see some potential here, but we will be a work in progress. I think there a lot of things that I looked at and said ‘that’s not an ability issue, that’s a technique issue.’

“People tell me ‘you’re 62 years old – you don’t have to do this.’ I did have other job offers. But I like a challenge and I think I can help. My deal is that when we kick off on the 31st against New Mexico State I meant our first unit to be outstanding and build our second group. Like I said earlier, find the way to put the best players on the field.”