Sun Devil secondary facing tough test against Cougars
Mike Leach may have departed Pullman, taking the Air Raid offense with him to Mississippi State, but Washington State still likes to throw the ball.
When the Cougars (4-4, 3-2) head to Tempe for a 12:20 p.m. showdown Saturday against Arizona State (5-2, 3-1), the Sun Devil secondary needs to be prepared.
The back end of the defense has traditionally been a strong suit with a combined 150 starts by players there, but it’s a unit that has been vulnerable in recent weeks, giving up 247 yards through the air to Utah in the crucial 35-21 South Division loss and 356 the previous game against Stanford although the Sun Devils did win the latter.
Despite giving up a lot of yards in recent games, the Sun Devils still rank third in the Pac-12 in passing defense, allowing 190.7 per game.
While ASU has given up some yards, it has avoided giving up the backbreaking big plays. It is the only team in the country not to allow an opponent play of more than 40 yards this season. The Sun Devils also have the second-fewest 30-plus yard plays allowed with just six.
That’s been a point of emphasis, according to interim defensive backs coach Donnie Henderson, who moved from a consultant to coaching role when position coach Chris Hawkins was put on administrative leave amid the NCAA investigation into alleged recruiting violations.
“You don’t want the ball to go over your head,” Henderson said. “But besides that, it’s got to be technique-based on the coverage call. You got coverage, you got to play leverage, you got to play technique, you got to have great eyes and if I can work on those things for the next five games, I think we’ll be a lot better.”
Part of the reason for ASU’s drop off in recent games is the absence of its veterans.
Senior corner Chase Lucas, who has 44 career starts under his belt, sustained a back injury in a hard collision at the goal line in the first quarter of the Stanford game and did not play against Utah.
The Chandler High School product returned to practice this week and is expected for Saturday’s game. Veteran Timarcus Davis started when Lucas was sidelined.
Senior safety Evan Fields, who has 26 career starts, has missed two of the last
three games and will be game-day decision according to head coach Herm Edwards. Sophomore Kejuan Markham has started in his place
The mainstay in the unit has been senior Jack Jones, who has faith in his younger teammates but also knows the growth process.
“We have a lot of great young talent, prodigies,” Jones said. “I feel like they’re going to be special in the next couple of years. They just have to stick to the program.”
Jones was asked what his words of encouragement were for his younger teammates.
“You got to keep your head down and keep working,” he said. “I was that young dude. What every young dude coming out of high school is expecting is to play right away but most of the times that’s not the case. It’s a shot at your ego, but you have to keep your head down and keep working. That’s the best thing you can do for yourself and for your team.
The catalyst of the Cougars passing game is sophomore quarterback Jayden de Laura (1,733 yards, 15 touchdowns, 6 interceptions), who became the first true freshman to start a season opener at the position for the program when he did so last season. That’s an accomplishment given that the program has turned out the likes of Drew Bledsoe, Ryan Leaf and Jack Thompson.
De Laura’s top targets are senior Calvin Jackson (41 catches, 528 yards, four touchdowns) and junior Travell Harris (51 catches, 525 yards, five touchdowns), who rank fourth and fifth in the Pac-12 respectively in yards per game.
Versatile running back Max Borghi is also used in the passing game.
“They’ve got two really great slot receivers,” ASU safety DeAndre Pierce said.