Arizona State’s D.J. Foster finds a new role

(Photo: Jannah Din/WCSN)

Last season D.J. Foster could be found in the backfield, hitting his turbo button and turning the corner to head up field, leaving defenders in the dust. But if you’re trying to find him in the backfield this season, well, good luck.

Through two games last season, the local product had 17 carries for 104 yards and two touchdowns. This year, the sophomore has just six carries for 32 yards and no end zone trips. His primary role, at least through two games, has been in the slot.

Foster has adapted well to his role, catching 11 balls, good for second on the team, for 98 yards. Not to be diminished, seven of his receptions came against Wisconsin. The team-oriented player that he is, Foster has accepted the bigger role as receiver.

“The team feels that I can help most and be most effective playing out of the slot position more this season,” Foster said.

The Sun Devils desperately need him to be a factor, too. Jaelen Strong is the clear number one, but a void remains across the field. Kevin Ozier, Rick Smith, Frederick Gammage and Alonzo Agwuenu have a combined 14 catches. Smith struggled against Wisconsin with dropped balls.

In order for Foster to put his stamp on the upcoming game against Stanford, he must emerge as the number two. I am not expecting our receivers to suddenly turn into phenoms over night. I do expect them to run solid routes and get open on third downs. If not, Stanford will key in on Foster and not give him one-on-one matchups against a linebacker or safety.

Offensively, Arizona State moved the ball well against a good Wisconsin defense. They racked up 468 yards of total offense and recorded 32 first downs.

In comes Stanford (think of them as a better version of the Badgers). The two teams have similar styles of play: smash-mouth football and tough defenses. Unlike the Badgers, Stanford does not lack experience in its secondary. The Cardinal are led by All-American and ball-hawking free safety Ed Reynolds.

Last season Reynolds picked off six passes, returning three of them for touchdowns. He wasted no time getting his first interception of this season in Stanford’s first game. If Foster does prove too much for the Stanford linebackers, look for Reynolds to come down from his safety position to play man-to-man coverage against Foster.

The Sun Devils are a more complete team with Foster at the slot position as he adds much-needed depth to the receiving corps. The move gives ASU their best chance at beating Stanford because it diversifies the play calling, forcing Stanford to respect both the run and pass.

The move to put redshirt junior Deantre Lewis back at running back allows the Sun Devils to play Foster at receiver.

Last season head coach Todd Graham converted Lewis to defensive back, where he played in nine games. Now back at his natural position, Lewis looks to regain his freshman form. In 2010, as only a true freshman, Lewis showed the coaching staff and Sun Devil fans his electrifying speed and playmaking abilities.

A random shooting while Lewis was visiting family back home left lingering effects, almost ending a promising career. Now fully healthy, Lewis adds an all-purpose dimension to the Sun Devils. In his freshman campaign, Lewis did it all, returning kicks and punts, running the ball and displaying great catching ability out of the backfield. In total, Lewis piled up 909 all-purpose yards to go along with six touchdowns.

The Sun Devils have a trio of running backs that can carry the rock, and at any moment break off a long run. This will force Stanford to prepare for all three backs. If ASU runs the ball effectively, Stanford will be forced to crowd the box, leaving one-on-one coverage on the outside. More importantly, this gives Foster space to operate from the slot position.

As great of an athlete as Stanford’s Reynolds is, you don’t want your last line of defense chasing a faster, quicker player around the field. If Stanford does sacrifice Reynolds, the Cardinal back-end coverage will be compromised, giving Chris Coyle and Strong ample opportunities to play one-on-one.

Foster still expects to get carries; he is too dynamic a player to only be a pass catcher.

“Oh yeah, I still expect to see carries on offense. They won’t be as much, but I have to take advantage of what opportunities I do get,” Foster said.

Saturday’s game marks the beginning of conference play for both teams. Stanford comes in as the No. 5 ranked team in the country, and ASU sits at No. 23. The game will be played at Stanford Stadium where the Sun Devils have lost five out of their last six trips to Palo Alto.

If the Sun Devils ever needed Foster to come up big, this is the game. ASU will need its entire arsenal to be firing on all cylinders to pull off the upset against the mighty Tree.

Foster said the key to beating Stanford is executing, discipline, and no turnovers. If the Sun Devils play as they did last week against Wisconsin, this will be a blow out. Stanford is simply too good of a team to be handed free points or extra possessions. Plus, ASU won’t have Badgers quarterback Joel Stave, the Wisconsin play callers, nor the refs to bail them out this time.

You can reach Sam Rabadi on Twitter @Sam_Rabadi or by email sgrabadi@asu.edu.