After last week’s slim margin victory over New Mexico State, the Sun Devils will undoubtedly look to improve and remove any doubts or apprehension that may have arisen from that contest. The Aztecs though, coming off back to back 11-win seasons, will provide a formidable challenge in ASU’s quest. Our Joe Healey breaks down San Diego State and details who are they players and what are the trends we should look out for in Saturday’s night contest.
San Diego State Offense
After taking over as the starter late in the 2015 season, Christian Chapman enters his second full season as a starter after helping to guide San Diego State to an 11-3 record and the Mountain West Conference title in 2016.
The proverbial “game manager”, last year Chapman threw for 1,994 yards with 20 touchdowns and six interceptions at a completion rate of 61.0%. Not much of a factor in the run game, Chapman netted just 63 yards with zero scores in 2016.
In the season opener against UC-Davis, Chapman completed 16-of-21 passes for 220 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. He did not attempt a rush outside the two sacks he suffered.
The clear-cut focal point of the Aztec offense is running back Rashaad Penny, who even in the shadow of the FBS career rushing leader Donnel Pumphrey surpassed the 1,000-yard rushing mark in 2016 and appears on track for a monster year in 2017.
Playing alongside Pumphrey, Penny rushed for 1,018 yards and 11 touchdowns on just 136 carries, averaging 7.5 yards per carry. He also caught 15 passes for 224 yards with three scores and was his league’s most feared kick returner. With Pumphrey’s 349 carries and 27 receptions gone from the lineup, Penny has the formula in place to compile All-America caliber numbers.
In the opener, Penny tallied 197 yards on 21 carries with a pair of touchdowns. It is not out of the realm of possibility for Penny to follow Pumphrey’s shoes as a 2,000-yard rusher this year.
Just as Penny was able to shine even in a reserve role, so should Juwan Washington, who as a freshman last year behind Pumphrey and Penny still managed 441 rushing yards and six touchdowns on 8.0 yards per carry average.
Washington rushed for 66 yards with a touchdown on 14 carries in the season opener and should see a fair share of duty Saturday against ASU.
The two backs complement one another in style and size, with Penny as the larger back (5-11, 220) and Washington as the smaller change-of-pace carrier (5-7, 190).
SDSU figures to start fullback Nick Bowden, who caught 15 passes last year but recorded just one carry.
At wide receiver, Mikah Holder returns after leading the team with 581 yards on 27 catches with five touchdowns a year ago. He figures to see action along with a pair of tall redshirt freshmen in Tim Wilson (6-4, 205) and Isiah Macklin (6-5, 200). Fred Trevillion and special teams standout Quest Truxton also figure to see time at wide receiver.
In the opener, Holder caught three passes for 19 yards while Trevillion and Truxton each caught a pair of passes.
Expect San Diego State to give quite a few looks to its tight ends, as former walk-on Kahale Warring was the team leader last week with five catches for 74 yards and a touchdown. Darryl Richardson also caught a 21-yard touchdown, while David Wells caught 25 passes for 294 yards and four scores in 2016 and Parker Houston also is a regular in the lineup.
A major area of concern for the Aztec offense entering 2017 is its rebuilt offensive line, which features just one returning starter and has two redshirt freshmen on the first team.
From left to right, redshirt freshman Tyler Roemer starts at tackle with sophomore Daishawn Dixon beside him at guard and redshirt freshman Keith Ismael at center. Senior right guard Antonio Rosales brings 15 career starts into Saturday’s game, while junior Ryan Pope is in his first year as a starter.
Offense Summary
Similar to ASU, San Diego State enters Saturday’s games with its greatest offensive concerns hovering around its offensive line.
Without a doubt, SDSU will feature a very, very heavy dose of Penny with a few extra sides of Washington in the run game, but the Sun Devils cannot allow Chapman to play in a fashion greater than his normal.
In 14 games as a starter in 2016, he only had three games with 200 or more passing yards with a high of 283 against FCS opponent New Hampshire and in only five games did he attempt 20 or more passes.
However, ASU has all too often allowed average quarterbacks to have career days – an achievement the Sun Devils cannot permit Saturday given the immense rushing talent presented by San Diego State.
Chapman is highly likely to target his tight ends – perhaps two or three of them – with high frequency, while SDSU’s two projected starting receivers are both at least 6 feet 4 inches tall.
San Diego State Defense
San Diego State operates with three linemen, three linebackers and two “Warriors”, one “Aztec” and a pair of cornerbacks.
Up front, ends Noble Hall and Myles Cheatum work around tackle Sergio Phillips.
Hall and Phillips tie as the returning team leaders in sacks from last year (3.0), while Phillips totaled 42 tackles and a forced fumble and Hall added 26 tackles including 6.0 total stops for loss. Hall had a solid opener with four total tackles including two for loss. Cheatum posted four tackles in five games as a redshirt freshman last year.
At linebacker, Ronley Lakalaka and either Troy Cassidy or former Arizona Wildcat Ryan Dunn likely will start along with middle linebacker Jay Henderson.
Lakalaka is SDSU’s returning tackler from 2016 after posting 73 tackles including 3.0 for loss with two interceptions and one sack. Dunn posted 24 tackles, while Henderson chipped in 15 tackles including 3.0 for loss with 2.0 sacks and Cassidy collected 10 stops last year.
Cassidy posted three tackles last week against UC-Davis, while Lakalaka added two tackles and the team’s lone sack of the game.
Though SDSU loses two-time defending Mountain West Conference Defensive Player of the Year Damontae Kazee to the NFL, the Aztecs continue to boast a few high-level playmakers that can make ASU pay if dared.
The starting lineup figures to feature Ron Smith and Kameron Kelly at cornerback, Tariq Thompson and Trey Lomax at the two “Warrior” positions and Parker Baldwin at “Aztec”.
Last season, Smith posted 57 tackles and three interceptions while Kelly added 38 tackles and five interceptions. Baldwin ranked third on the team with 66 tackles and also had two interceptions, Lomax tallied 33 tackles and one pick and Thompson is a true freshman in a starting role.
Lomax, Smith, and Thompson tied for the team-high with four tackles last week while Smith and Thompson also each notched an interception.
Defense Summary
With just five returning players with more than seven career starts, there is general inexperience among the Aztec defense but also a host of credible playmakers. San Diego State’s defense should not present a massive threat to ASU’s offensive line – though that likely was said with even greater confidence a week ago against New Mexico State.
If the line can hold up, the Sun Devils should be able to move the ball but SDSU can create havoc with its players in the secondary if many balls are left up for grabs.
San Diego State Special Teams
San Diego State brings significant special teams proficiency to Tempe, with John Baron as the standout in the kicking game. Last season, Baron was a Lou Groza Award semifinalist and the First-Team All-Mountain West kicker after connecting on 21-of-23 attempts. Last week he made his lone field goal attempt.
The Aztecs also feature spectacular returns specialists starting with Penny, the MWC Special Teams Player of the Year in 2016. Last year, he averaged 31.2 yards on kick returns with two touchdowns, while Juwan Washington averaged 29.3 yards with a touchdown of his own.
Without a doubt, ASU must emphasize precision in its kick coverage, which will be greatly boosted if freshman kicker Brandon Ruiz can place kickoffs in the end zone much more often than not.
On punt returns, Quest Truxton is back after averaging 9.0 yards with a long run of 41 yards.
First-year punter Brandon Heicklen averaged 37.0 yards on three punts last week.
Overall Summary
After a concerning opener that resulted in a six-point win over New Mexico State, ASU enters Saturday with the task of eliminating concerns that the 2017 season could quickly slip away.
The Sun Devils should have a certain talent advantage, but the Aztecs undoubtedly will not enter Sun Devil Stadium with any measure of fear as one of only six FBS teams to have won at least 11 games in each of the past two seasons.
ASU will have to work to limit the production of Rashaad Penny, while at the same time not allowing Chapman to have a performance greater than usual as the Sun Devil pass defense has been prone to allow against average quarterbacks.
On offense, Arizona State will need marked improvement from its offensive line and use its distinct athletic advantage to outperform the San Diego State defense with measures of simplicity and not by frequently challenging the ball hawks in the Aztec secondary.
Saturday will tell if ASU is ripe for the picking or prime to exorcise the demons that surfaced in its underwhelming week one victory.
Keys to a Sun Devil Victory
Hold the Line(s): After a horrendous outing in the season opener, ASU’s offensive line will look to redeem itself against a San Diego State defense that has little-proven talent in terms of generating quarterback pressure as no individual player returning from last year had more than 3.0 sacks in 2016. When ASU is on defense, the line will have to attack the Aztec offensive line that has four new starters in 2017 as an attempt to limit highly dangerous rusher Rashaad Penny.
Turnover and Penalty Edge: A bright spot of ASU’s opening week win was that it had a 2-0 turnover edge over New Mexico State and committed just one penalty. Meanwhile, against UC-Davis the Aztecs committed a whopping 10 penalties and though SDSU forced three turnovers, it also lost two. ASU finishing with edges in these two categories likely will result in a Sun Devil victory.
Poise by Manny: San Diego State has playmakers in its secondary and if ASU quarterback Manny Wilkins makes poor decisions, the Aztec defensive backs can make him pay. It will be imperative Saturday for Wilkins to maintain poise in the pocket and make appropriate decisions.
Familiar Faces
· SDSU assistant coach Hunkie Cooper played for the Arizona Rattlers from 1993-2005
· SDSU CB Kyree Woods attended Chandler (Ariz.) HS, as did ASU’s N’Keal Harry, Jordan Hoyt, Chase Lucas and Tyler McClure
· SDSU OL Antonio Rosales attended Tucson (Ariz.) Magnet HS
· SDSU DL Jon’Darius Gardner attended Mesa (Ariz.) Community College
· SDSU LB Randy Ricks attended Arizona Western College
· SDSU WR Chaz Collins was on the Arizona State football team in 2016 as a walk-on
· SDSU K John Baron attended Temecula (Calif.) Chaparral HS, as did ASU Malik Lawal and Mason Walter
· SDSU WR Jerry Chaney, S Darren Hall, and CB Tayari Venable attended Rancho Cucamonga (Calif.) HS, as did ASU’s Alani Latu
· SDSU DL Damon Moore attended Novato (Calif.) San Marin HS, as did ASU’s Manny Wilkins
