Two weeks ago, Shaun Aguano worked under Glenn Thomas on the offensive staff, coexisting under Herm Edwards. Now Thomas answers to Aguano. The chemistry among the coaching staff doesn’t get nearly as much attention as that of the players, but it matters nonetheless.
“We obviously had a prior relationship before… what had happened, just in our offensive room,” Thomas said. “We’re still in the evolution process. It’s been fun to see, and he has a unique insight into the offensive side of the ball. It’s something we continue to try and pick apart to figure out what’s best for us.
"I think Shaun’s done a fantastic job; everybody’s confident about what he’s doing and where we’re going.”
USC is known for its prolific offense under first-year head coach Lincoln Riley. Their defense does not provide a much more pleasant prospect for opponents, either. Thomas and the entire offseason staff have been focusing on simplifying the defense for his key offensive pieces.
“I think they do a lot of great things. You talk about pressure, and you talk about turnovers,” Thomas said. “They can really turn the ball over; I think they lead the country maybe in turnovers, a lot of interceptions. They’re athletic and big; they have a lot of guys up front who are definitely productive. They don’t necessarily do a whole lot, but what they do, they do it well. It's a nice challenge, and our guys are excited for it.”
Each time Thomas has spoken with the media since the regular season got underway, he’s had to answer for his team’s lack of third-down production. This past week, the inability to convert on third down was largely due to the distance. ASU was consistently faced with third and long after suffering negative plays early on in multiple series. In order to get better at third and manageable, the Sun Devils have to make sure they stay ahead of the chains on early downs.
“I think off the top of my head, last week we had five 3rd-and-11+ plays; we just can’t beat ourselves in those instances,” Thomas said. “Whether it be quarterback pressures, penalties, to try to overcome that is tough. When we have gotten to 3rd-and-3 or 3rd-and-4 obviously, we have to convert those because percentage-wise, that’s when you should be ahead of the chains.”
Turnovers haven’t been the biggest problem for the ASU offense, but that title has been a tough one to earn so far. Thomas described the random nature of interceptions, discussing the importance of avoiding tipped balls that can lead to picks.
“The whole offense has talked about it, and it’s probably more attributed to tipped balls rather than throwing into coverage,” Thomas said. “That’s been a conversation with the receivers, saying if the ball gets tipped up in the air, bad things are going to happen. If it hits your hands, catch the ball.”
The Utah defensive front had its way with Arizona State’s offensive line early and often on Saturday night. The constant pressure created a chain reaction for the ASU offense, with a number of broken plays and uncomfortable downs for Emory Jones. As Thomas points out, the protection did improve as the game wore on. He also noted that slow starts can’t continue to be a reality if ASU is to compete with the best defenses in the Pac-12.
“I thought we did a better job in protection as the game went on, with four sacks in the first half and then one in the second half,” Thomas said. “As the game went on, we adjusted offensively to what they were doing schematically. Obviously, we have to start the game off faster to keep that protection and keep the quarterback in a clean pocket.”
Thomas is perched up in the coaches' box during games, but he’s still able to converse with his quarterback between drives. Jones has endured some criticism this week following his forgettable performance against the Utes; much like Aguano said on Monday, Thomas’s confidence in the Florida transfer signal-caller is unwavering.
“During the game, when I’ve been able to talk to him between series, I’ve been pleased with what he sees, conversations we’ve had back and forth, and how he’s learned from that,” he said. “Not only postgame, but during the game, he’s aware of things. I think it’s a sign of his maturity and how he’s growing as a quarterback.”
Even in the bleakest of times, offensive guard Ladarius Henderson finds a way to shed light on the positive. Without dwelling on film from the Eastern Michigan or Utah loss, he discussed how the offensive line as a unit can get better off the field.
“This has been a good week of preparation, I do like the way our practices have been going, but we didn’t get the results last week,” Henderson said. “I don’t talk about the tape, but one thing we’ve been really hitting hard on as the O-line is watching film together. If everybody has an idea of what is coming, it’ll be better.”
Henderson talked about the shocking effect of the up-tempo, always moving style of Shaun Aguano’s practices. He left a puddle of his sweat in the media room chair for Kyle Soelle, who used that unpleasant experience as proof of the up tempo style that keeps the entire team running from the first whistle to last. After a week in this system, Henderson says the group is getting used to it.
“Any time you do something new, it’s hard initially. Just running everywhere on the field, that’s something every football team in the world should be doing,” he said. “Honestly, that’s something we need, and I’m glad he implemented it. It’s a small detail that makes a team more conditioned and more disciplined.”
He stopped a student manager as he walked by the interview to accept a smoothie. As it turns out, getting replenished after a Shaun Aguano practice is not a luxury but rather a necessity.
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