ASU’s first half of the season showed football really is as simple as tackling and blocking

TEMPE — It’s been a Jekyll and Hyde kind of season for Arizona State football, as the fundamentals have been glaringly absent in its tougher matchups.

ASU has not tackled or blocked like a competitive team — or like the previous two groups of Sun Devils — would. That’s led to an average margin of defeat of 30.7 points in losses to then-No. 10 Texas A&M, then-No. 10 Texas Tech and Baylor.

“We got to block better. We got to tackle better. We got to coach the fundamentals of the game better,” head coach Kenny Dillingham said Monday. “That’s where I look at and say, ‘Man, where have we missed to where the fundamentals that we’ve prided ourselves on are not showing up?’

“We have to coach the fundamentals from a ground level better this year because clearly we haven’t done that at a high enough rate like we have in years past.”

The run defense that’s been a hallmark of ASU under defensive coordinator Brian Ward has been far below its established standard. It’s gone from first in the Big 12 in 2024 to third in 2025 to 13th through half of this season.

In ASU’s losses to Baylor and Texas Tech, opposing lead running backs feasted to averages of 14 and 15 yards per carry, respectively. In its past two wins against Kansas and Hawaii, those numbers were down to 4.9 and 4.7 yards, respectively.

Part of that is Baylor and Texas Tech being better than Kansas and Hawaii, but ASU has previously been a team that would show up for war against teams it was “worse than” on paper. That mindset hasn’t shown up on Saturdays this season.

On the other side of the ball, the offensive line needs to find a five-man unit that can play well together.

The number of combinations used so far this season has reached double-digits after Saturday’s experiment with Tana Alo-Tupuola moving to right guard and Wade Helton taking his place at center as the two returned from missed time.

It didn’t pay off in the moment, but that doesn’t take away what the two have done well in other parts of their ASU careers.

Jalen Klemm has abysmal numbers this season (11 pressures allowed for the most among Sun Devils, per PFF) at right tackle, and freshman Filiva’a “Suka” Lokotui left Saturday’s game with an apparent injury right as he had been emerging as an option to take that spot.

Left guard Maki Stewart has been ASU’s most consistent lineman, and Champ Westbrooks appears to have nailed down the left tackle spot, despite being the most penalized Sun Devil offensive lineman (five total, three accepted).

“Eventually (for) our guys, it’s just got to click,” Dillingham said. “There’s not going to be, like, people changing roles or changing spots, like the guys are there. Let’s go get better together and improve upon it.”

ASU’s fundamental issues compounded by lack of response to haymakers

ASU’s loss to Texas Tech started with a wild 7.5 minutes, including:

• Forced a fourth-and-1 to set up a potential three-and-out
• Gave up the fourth-down conversion on a wild play where a Texas Tech offensive lineman yanked quarterback Will Hammond across the line
• Allowed the Red Raiders to get deep into the red zone with little resistance
• Punched out a fumble as Texas Tech neared the goal line
• Cutter Boley threw a pick-six three plays later, which foreboded his halftime benching

In their chance to respond, the Sun Devils did the following:

• Delay of game on first play back on the field
• Couldn’t pick up a first down on third-and-1 or fourth-and-1; turnover on downs
• Allowed a touchdown in two plays
• Personal foul on kick return to start the following series at first-and-22
• Three-and-out on a series that included another delay of game

ASU had gone from a self-inflicted error making it a 7-0 deficit after 7:30 to it being a 21-0 deficit with 3:17 left in the first quarter. Any energy that remained from the strong week of practice was all but down the drain.

“These guys do fight, but we’re just not playing our best football after we get hit,” Dillingham said. “So we got to learn how to get hit and still play good football, and that’s just not happening.

“Nobody wants to hear this, but, like, there’s not as much to fix as people think. We’re very, very close. … The fourth-and-1 at the start of the game, like, we’re there. Everybody thought it was a stop, and then look at the result of that.”

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