The Sun Devils kick off their season Saturday night, hosting FCS Northern Arizona. We already previewed the Lumberjacks offense, which may end up giving Arizona State some trouble, but their defense leaves a bit more to be desired.
Adam Clark is the man in charge of Northern Arizona's defense, entering his second season as the defensive coordinator. He joined head coach Brian Wright last year after spending five seasons coordinating the defense at Angelo State. He also previously served eight years as the head coach for Western New Mexico.
Known to be a bit of a rising star in the FCS coaching world, Clark has built his coaching career on his ability to scheme up pressures out of a variety of different looks. His defensive scheme is often classified as a 3-3-5, but not in the way that Arizona State used to operate when Danny Gonzales was the defensive coordinator.
Clark's defenses thrive on hybrid players. He'll use three defensive linemen with their hands in the dirt, with either of his outside linebackers being capable of lining up on the line of scrimmage or playing off the ball. That allows Clark to consistently keep four rushers on the line of scrimmage without having to alternate personnel to match offensive substitutions.
Clark also makes heavy use of stunts on the defensive line, with edge rushers often looping around the interior linemen to create confusion after the snap for pass blockers. A longtime defensive line coach himself, Clark tends to rely on getting to the quarterback with just four rushers, rarely blitzing.
Having said that, Clark also makes extensive use of what is called simulated pressures. That is, a play where only four defenders rush the passer but it's not the same four who presented themselves as pass rushers before the snap.
In his first year with the Lumberjacks, Clark mostly did this by way of the double mug front. That look involves the two interior defensive linemen lining up over the guards, with two linebackers standing on either side of the center. This look shows six players (with potential for more) on the line of scrimmage, and forces the quarterback to adjust blocking schemes to account for who they think might be rushing.
Most of the time, Clark drops one or both of those linebackers into coverage, still rushing only four men but making the offense think really hard about who it might be. The uncertainty can lead to total breakdowns in pass protection (if the quarterback guesses wrong) or, at the very least, slowing down the quarterback to allow pass rushers more time to get to him.
It's a similar approach to what Arizona State's own Brian Ward used a lot last year, and it worked fairly well for the Lumberjacks in 2024. Northern Arizona held their opponent under 20 points in seven games, and limited the Arizona Wildcats to just 22 points in the second week of the season.
The secret sauce to beating a scheme like this, though, is getting the ball out quick. That's where Sam Leavitt excels, especially with star receiver Jordyn Tyson back in the fold after recovering from a season-ending injury last year. Leavitt also has the mobility and improvisation ability to keep plays alive if his first read gets taken away.
More than anything, though, the kind of scheme Clark utilizes for the Lumberjacks makes the defense more susceptible in the run game. Due to the defensive linemen looping and twisting around at the snap, it can leave gaping holes to run through, especially for gap schemes like the one Arizona State saw so much success with last year.
Expect a couple big runs in this one - whether it's Kyson Brown, Kanye Udoh, Raleek Brown, or all three - for that reason alone. The Sun Devils will also seek to test this secondary deep, thereby preventing Clark from loading the box to stop the run. Speedster Jaren Hamilton and the big-bodied Malik McClain make plenty of sense as deep shot recipients in that regard, while Tyson is always a threat.
Simply put, the Sun Devils have too much firepower for this defense. Clark will surely test Leavitt's football IQ - and he may be able to exploit Ben Coleman with this being his first career game at center - but there is a clear talent gap here.
The first quarter may resemble a boxing match, with each side sizing the other up, but offensive coordinator Marcus Arroyo has the tools to put on a show against this defense before too long.