ASU brought way more energy to practice. Can it translate to Texas Tech matchup?

TEMPE — A different Arizona State football team showed up to practice this week, but time will tell if that version will make the trip to Lubbock as opposed to the version that’s fallen short of its capabilities this season.

ASU head coach Kenny Dillingham vowed Monday to make “drastic changes” in how practice was run this week, because he still wasn’t seeing enough passion or energy after he relinquished play-calling duties to focus more on that area.

The Sun Devils hadn’t been going through the motions at practice before — Dillingham described it more like checking boxes — but the difference from this week to ones in the past made it feel that way.

“I felt like somewhere along the line, the things that win football games became things that we were checking boxes on,” Dillingham said Wednesday. “I think in the last few days, I feel like you could see a little more intent and more belief in the things that we’ve talked about in terms of what wins.”

How did ASU change practice ahead of Texas Tech matchup?

There were two big changes on Tuesday: practice went a lot shorter, and the chatter from staffers — with players eventually following along — was a lot louder.

The structure looked more different on Wednesday, as ASU went straight into team red-zone work right out of stretches, when the norm had been position drills up first.

“Hour and seven minutes, but it was real,” Dillingham said Tuesday. “That was what I’m trying to create: full-speed, game-day energy and passion every single day because we got to learn how to do it. We can’t just expect it on game day, and we haven’t gotten that done in practice.

“This is the first day that I felt like it was game day. Like, it felt real.”

Offensive coordinator Marcus Arroyo said the shortened length allowed players to “cut loose” and feel more free when bringing the higher level of energy.

The returns on players’ workloads were coming back with about the same totals as before, but in 40 minutes less time, according to Dillingham.

Support staffers pushed the pace and the players started bringing the energy themselves as it carried over into team-wide celebrations over plays made in 11-on-11 work.

Adrian “Boogie” Wilson had a takeaway that galvanized the defense, and quarterback Cutter Boley found Raiden Vines-Bright on a deep shot into the end zone that lit the offense up as two examples from Tuesday.

Boley and Vines-Bright connected for another deep shot on Wednesday, as the quarterback placed the ball about as well as he could have both times. It was met with the same reaction from their teammates.

The defense had the first statement of Wednesday, as the early red-zone period started with a throw from Boley getting tipped at the line and Owen Long intercepting it. Long and many other defenders made it all the way to the opposite end zone as they hyped up the takeaway.

The day before, Boley called it refreshing to feel the difference in energy. He said it couldn’t have happened without all the leaders on the team taking it as a challenge and bringing a different mentality to the field.

There have been times as recently as the Baylor week where Dillingham felt good about the preparation during the week but it hasn’t translated to a strong approach on game day.

What will it take to maintain it into Saturday as ASU departs for top-10 Texas Tech?

“Working hard and doing things right do not guarantee you success,” Dillingham said Wednesday. “You just got to put yourself in the best position to be successful and then try to go do it to the best of your ability.

“If you worry about the last time I practiced hard and had a great week of prep, it didn’t go my way and then you stop doing it, you’re not going to get better, right? I think these guys have prepped to a level where I have a lot of confidence in them.”

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