ASU Football: What We Learned
By Mike Slifer
In contemplating ASU’s 58-23 victory over New Mexico on Saturday, most folks will probably say “that sounds about right” and then move on.
Coaches and players can’t do that. Every game presents opportunities to improve. Mistakes are caught on film. And don’t forget, this game got very interesting in the second quarter. After ASU jumped out to a 22-0 lead, both New Mexico and ASU relaxed. The Lobos settled down and executed well, while the Sun Devils apparently got happy with themselves and stopped executing on defense.
So, while a 35 point victory on the road sounds really impressive, there are still some things for ASU fans to be concerned about.
1) The Offense Looked Sloppy at Times.
There were some silly penalties by the offense, which is uncharacteristic of this team lately. There were some dropped passes, including one by Jaelon Strong. A botched hand-off led to a turnover. Again, there were some misreads and misfires by QB Taylor Kelly. And many of Kelly’s ‘big runs’ were the result of a broken play. While it’s nice to have an athletic QB who can turn a bad situation into a good one, it should make the coaches uneasy that this ranked team had to resort to that in order to move the chains. For a team with high hopes and an experienced and talented offense, they should do a better job of picking up blitzes and getting open.
The offense needs to sharpen up before playing PAC-12 opponents.
2) The Defense Lost Their Focus For a Quarter
It had been discussed all week about how ASU had to prepare for the unorthodox triple option offense. It would have been reasonable to expect some miscues from this young defense while they figured out how to stop New Mexico’s attack. But they looked ready. They stuffed the Lobos immediately and looked to be in total control. But the second quarter exposed them a little bit. First, New Mexico threw in a wrinkle by lining up in a more conventional “trips” formation. On that play, the ASU defense looked lost and gave up a big play. And they obviously relaxed with their assignments and keys because they let New Mexico gash them running the option.
According to coach Graham, no adjustments were necessary. They just needed to do their jobs better, especially the linebackers. They did. And the ASU defense pitched a shutout in the second half.
3) Still Waiting for Special Teams to Improve
To be fair, the wind in New Mexico’s stadium was a big factor for the special teams. Kicker Alex Garoutte used it to his advantage early by booming kickoffs out of the end zone for touchbacks. And it looked like the wind took place kicker Zane Gonzalez’s 44 yard attempt and pushed it into the left upright. The wind may or may not have affected punter Matt Haack’s efforts as well. But one of his punts looked like a legitimate shank. But the wind didn’t have anything to do with two extra points being blocked.
If ASU wants to contend in the PAC-12, these special teams issues need to get fixed.
Overall, this game was probably just what ASU needed. The wind, the 2nd quarter adversity on defense, the miscues…they all lead to humility and learning. You can bet that coach Graham and his staff will be correcting mistakes. Being humbled and learning while still winning big is a luxury that is earned. This ASU team will be better for the way this game unfolded and fans can expect that their Sun Devils will be sharper when they go to Boulder next week.