ASU’s Jalen Thompson is quietly putting together a top pass-rushing season nationally

TEMPE — Jalen Thompson has been a major bright spot for an Arizona State defense that hasn’t had many over the past three games.

Only 10 defensive ends in the country have more total pressures than Thompson’s 25, and only two of those 10 players have played six games like Thompson, instead of seven.

Thompson has a higher win rate (21.3%) than five of the 10 defensive ends with more pressures, ranking sixth at the position among others with his pass-rush usage (148 snaps) or higher, per Pro Football Focus.

Thompson’s 25 pressures are by far the most of any Sun Devil, with defensive tackle C.J. Fite coming in second with 10.

“When we get the opportunity to do it, he’s hard to handle,” defensive coordinator Brian Ward said. “He’s heavy-handed. He understands what the offensive linemen are trying to do. He studies film. He’s a guy that’s just incredibly well prepared, and we’d just like to utilize him more by getting people more into those situations by stopping the run.”

The one thing that’s missing from Thompson’s statistical profile is the sacks, tied for second on ASU with two.

While he’s behind the production of a top NFL draft prospect like Texas’ Colin Simmons (FBS-leading 10.5 sacks on 26 pressures), he’s been more productive at generating pressures than other prospects like Oregon’s Matayo Uiagalelei, Michigan’s John Henry Daley and Clemson’s Will Heldt.

For an ASU defense that has allowed 101 combined points to the last two Big 12 offenses it has faced (subtracting the pick-six thrown by Cutter Boley), how can what Thompson is doing spread across the rest of the group?

“He’s just consistent. You know what you’re going to get out of him,” head coach Kenny Dillingham said. “I think that’s any time you play defense, it’s about consistency.

“The difference between defense and offense is the only way a defense can survive off explosives is if those explosives are turnovers, and we’re not creating those at a high rate, which means we have to be consistent. And we’re not consistent right now with our run fits, we’re not consistent right now in coverage and we just got to get tied in at a higher rate these last six weeks.”

After Texas Tech averaged seven yards per carry for 260 rushing yards last week against ASU, that consistency in the run game will be especially important against Kansas State, which leads the Big 12 in yards per carry (6.2) and is second in rushing yards per game (239.8).

The Sun Devils definitely need a bounce-back game when it comes to their tackling effort.

Thompson’s pass-rush threat against Kansas State’s mobile Avery Johnson at quarterback — with an emphasis on keeping him contained — is another key to the matchup.

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