Anonymous Pac-12 coaches dish on ASU football’s 2015 defensive struggles
Jun 9, 2016, 5:50 PM
Oregon's Vernon Adams Jr. (3) gets off a pass as Arizona State's Ismael Murphy-Richardson (17) applies pressure during the first half of an NCAA college football game Thursday, Oct. 29, 2015, in Tempe, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
(AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
Arizona State coach Todd Graham is unabashed when it comes to his defensive philosophy.
The Sun Devils blitz, blitz and blitz again, and in Graham’s first three seasons his team found success because of it. Then 2015 happened.
Because Graham’s blitz-heavy scheme is the identity, the identity is what took on criticism. How did Arizona State lead the conference with 46 sacks but give up 88 plays of 20 yards or more, the most among Power 5 schools?
For a 2016 college football preview special, ESPN asked Graham’s Pac-12 peers what exactly went wrong for the Sun Devils in 2015, and anonymously, a few offensive coaches dished on why the defense was “exposed.”
“I think people are starting to figure them out,” one coach said. “All it takes is one coordinator to see something and make a change. Then another one notices what the change was and then another and then another. Before you know it, the entire league has figured you out and you have to start over.”
Graham and defensive coordinator Keith Patterson remain, but ASU is indeed starting over at several key positions on the coaching staff. Joe Seumalo enters his first year as the defensive line coach, while T.J. Rushing is another fresh face coaching defensive backs.
Maybe more importantly, the Sun Devils will be faced with replacing a number of players on defense. Most notably, Graham must fill positions vacated by cornerbacks Lloyd Carrington and Kweishi Brown, safety Jordan Simone, tackle Demetrius Cherry and Devilbacker Anthony Longino.
But because of the lack of production, there’s a reason Graham said it was “probably not a bad thing” that there are so many news faces in the ASU secondary heading into 2016.
Another anonymous Pac-12 offensive coach had a different take on the Sun Devils’ 2015 woes.
“It depends on which day you get them,” the coach told ESPN. “We’ve played them and they’ve sacked us a bunch and won. Another time we were able to hit big plays on them. When they have the right personnel, it can be completely destructive. But when they don’t, there are holes.”
Graham’s squad had several holes last season.
Arizona State’s top-rated incoming recruit, Davon Durant, never played for Graham after being charged in a domestic violence case. That forced ASU’s hand, uprooting Longino from his linebacker spot and into the Devilbacker position Durant was expected to fill.
ASU also struggled to fill the holes after pass-rusher Marcus Hardison graduated following the 2014 season and Damarious Randall, a cover corner perfect for a blitz-happy defense, went on to play as a rookie for the Green Bay Packers in 2015.
Fostering improvement for the young players coming into the 2016 season might alleviate those issues.
No matter what personnel combinations Graham comes up with and no matter the anonymous comments from Pac-12 coaches, one thing is certain: ASU won’t change its identity.
