‘Jersey Frank’ Darby becoming ASU deep threat alongside Harry, Williams

TEMPE, Ariz. — Former ASU head coach Todd Graham called him “Deep Threat.” Current head coach Herm Edwards refers to him as “Jersey Frank” and “Big Play Frank.”

Wide receiver N’Keal Harry calls him an “energizer bunny.”

On Saturday, the charge briefly went out before the battery came back on in full swing. Wide receiver Frank Darby said he was momentarily knocked unconscious by the targeting hit against him when he nearly caught the ball at the two-yard line with six seconds left in the Sun Devils’ 28-21 loss to San Diego State on Saturday.

“I see the helmet, and it just went like boom. Lights out. He hit me,” Darby said. “I can say that he like knocked me out a little bit, but soon as I hit the floor I woke up and I noticed I had the ball, so I’m thinking alright, we’ve gotta catch the score.”

The energizer bunny hopped right back up.

While the play hurt him physically and left pain in his jaw and neck — Darby said he didn’t have a concussion — it was clear the incomplete pass ruling hurt him more.

“I gave my all into that play,” he said. “When he just said it was an incomplete pass, the emotions that build into my body … It just was so much that I felt, I felt like I just let the team down because we really needed that win.”

He’ll have plenty of chances to pick them right back up. Darby appears to be set as the No. 3 receiver, behind Harry and Kyle Williams.

“I always wanted to be a starter, even though last year they had put Kyle in front of me,” Darby said. “I was cool … We’re gonna all eat. But this year, I told him I was coming for the start.”

On the final play of 11-on-11 drills early during Tuesday’s practice, quarterback Manny Wilkins threw a deep pass to Darby on a vertical route. It fell into his arms.

This time, there was no questioning if he maintained control.

Darby didn’t let go of the ball until he had ran into the end zone, jogged across the field and crossed the sideline.

It’s become relatively normal. A player near the line of scrimmage put his hands up to signal “touchdown,” but there wasn’t an exuberant reaction from the field.

“What we did last week in practice was throw the deep ball very, very well,” wide receivers coach Charlie Fisher said.  “As you practice is generally how you play and we hit Frank repeatedly in practice and it was almost, it was just a carbon copy in the game.”

Three games into 2018, Darby has already matched his career total of nine receptions. He is, incredibly, averaging fewer yards per catch — 19.0 this season as opposed to 26.0 last — despite accumulating 127 yards on just five catches Saturday against San Diego State.

If he remains consistent, this could open new doors for the Sun Devil offense.

Last season, Pro Football Focus ranked Wilkins as the most accurate Pac-12 quarterback on throws at least 20 yards down field, ahead of first-round NFL picks Sam Darnold and Josh Rosen.

Now in their third year on the team together, Darby and Wilkins appear to have taken a step forward with their connection.

The redshirt sophomore said he matured and worked directly with Wilkins more often during the offseason.

“He always trusted me going deep since my freshman year, but I guess he wanted me to mature more,” Darby said. “So I grew up and actually got my mind right and started actually working out with him over the summer going to catch balls, catch routes for him, all the little things so we could be great this year.”

Darby said he figured out how the schemes and proper techniques in football over the offseason.

Now, Fisher wants to see him take the next step.

“Frank has progressively gotten better and better,” he said. “We know he’s fast, we know he can run vertical routes. We’re just trying to get him to run all those other things that much more polished.”

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