ASU Football: Defense needs to work on “execution” in loss to Utah

(Photo via Rebecca Striffler/WCSN)

The Herm Edwards-era concluded for Arizona State Football after the school’s athletic director, Ray Anderson announced last weekend that the program would be parting ways with the five-year coach.

A fresh start under interim head coach Shaun Aguano has now begun. The stage was set up perfectly for the age of Aguano to motivate a desperate fan base, who was ready to move on from his newly-departed predecessor.

A nationally televised Pac-12 conference opener against an AP top-25 opponent — in this case No. 13 Utah — at home is where any new head coach would likely prefer to make their first impression, and the passion that Aguano spoke with in his introductory press conference seemed to create the feeling that his debut had the potential to provide a storybook ending.

However, Saturday night proved that this isn’t Hollywood, It’s Tempe, home of a football team that still possesses weaknesses from Edwards’ tenure. But Aguano didn’t anticipate a blockbuster breakout right out of the gate, with his focus on establishing himself as the program’s new leader.

“I didn’t think this would be four days and a miracle was going to happen,” Aguano said. “It is a process, and it’s going to take time. These kids have been through a lot. I’m going to make sure I’m their rock for them.”

Even under a new coach, it was the same Sun Devils who blew ample opportunities with costly errors in their 34-13 loss to the Utes. Penalties were a recurring theme during Edwards’ reign, and they made an appearance early for the former Chandler High School football coach. A personal foul by senior cornerback Timarcus Davis gifted Utah a free 15 yards on its second drive of the game, leading to a next-play touchdown for the Utes.

“Ultimately, I think it was just execution,” senior safety Khoury Bethley said. “All we can do is learn from it and tighten up our coverage. At the end of the day, we have to execute and get off the field.”

The Sun Devils’ defense cleaned up on some areas that needed improving, forcing the Utes into consistent third-and-longs but failing to get off the field at times due to its errant miscues.

ASU still tied its season high in points allowed with 34. Utah junior quarterback Cameron Rising, who is one of the nation’s quarterbacks, finished with an efficient two-touchdown, 260-yard passing performance.

Regardless of Rising’s performance, ASU’s secondary wasn’t as sharp as it perhaps needed to be. The Utes abused the flats against the Sun Devils, generating an abundance of yards after the catch. The Sun Devils weren’t aided by the absence of some of their top defensive backs, including redshirt sophomore Ed Wood, redshirt junior Kejuan Markham and senior Keon Markham.

ASU was forced to start redshirt freshman corner Isaiah Johnson for the first time in his career opposite of Davis.

“It always hurts when the more experienced guy isn’t there,” Aguano said. “Whenever you’re not with those starters, it makes it tough. I thought they played well, and we’ll see what happens.”

It didn’t negate those defensive mistakes that have been a continuous thorn in ASU’s side this season.

But it wasn’t all doom and gloom for the Sun Devils.

Last week against Eastern Michigan, ASU’s run defense was picked apart, allowing an eye-popping 305 yards. However, against a ranked Utah team, they held their own in the first half allowing less than 80 yards with multiple short third-down run stops.

But once the game fell out of balance, there wasn’t much ASU could do to stop any facet of the Utes offensive explosion. ASU allowed 120-plus rushing yards in the second half to put a damper on the outstanding first half performance in the trenches. Senior defensive lineman Nesta Jade Silvera mentioned the excitement for the game after a strong week of practice and how disappointed he felt that the team couldn’t translate it onto the field.

“We stacked three good days of practice, a fourth one if you count Friday, and we didn’t capitalize on a great week of practice,” Silvera said. “I think we’re going to come back to work tomorrow.”

Adjustments against up-tempo offenses were another positive takeaway for the Sun Devils. A point of emphasis for ASU was to show resistance against the no-huddle style offenses that burned them each of the last two weeks.

“That up-tempo, it gets tough,” Aguano said. “You’re keeping defensive linemen on the field without substitution. Then, asking them to make plays over and over again. We have to understand that it is a pretty good football team, and tonight they were better than we were.”

The Sun Devils’ defense, whether under Edwards or Aguano, needs to improve on all three levels of the game to stay competitive in their high-profile conference games. Despite the loss, morale remains high, and many of ASU’s players seem to believe that Saturday was only the beginning of a long process that will eventually lead to wins.

“I love these guys with all my heart,” Aguano said. “There will be no quit from me and no quit from our staff. We’ll keep working. I’m happy and very honored to be a part of this staff and the head coach of these kids. We’ll make sure we take care of our business next week.”