ASU Football: Improved Wilkins ready to carry hot start into conference play

(Photo: Nicholas Badders/WCSN)

During the preseason, Arizona State football’s detractors pointed to the quarterback position as a glaring weak spot on the roster. Through three games, redshirt junior Manny Wilkins has quieted that narrative, shining as one of the few bright spots in the Sun Devils 1-2 start.

As coach Todd Graham has made clear this week though, non-conference season is over. The “real” schedule begins now, for his quarterback too.

Wilkins’ 924 yards, 7 touchdowns, and zero interceptions this season has solidified his role as ASU’s starting quarterback after winning the preseason battle for the spot over sophomore transfer Blake Barnett. He is disappointed with the team’s back-to-back losses, despite playing some of the best football of his career.

“There is no regret in anything. You have those moments to learn from them,” Wilkins said, highlighting the team’s failed comeback against Texas Tech. “They are really good teaching points. Obviously, we don’t want to have teaching points and lose a football game, but that’s the only positive way you can look at it and grow from it.”

Oregon comes to Tempe this Saturday, the first of six games against teams either in the AP Top 25 or receiving votes in the poll. The tests only get tougher for the veteran quarterback moving forward.

“From last year, Manny is a lot more mature,” sophomore receiver Kyle Williams said. “He’s stepped up his leadership role, I think he takes pride in his job. He’s done a great job in camp and this season just taking care of the ball and making sure he doesn’t put our receivers in jeopardy.”

Taking care of the ball has been Wilkins’ biggest improvement this fall. He threw at least one interception in eight of his nine full games last year; defenses had chances to come away with more than just 9 picks too.

Through three games this year, not one of his 101 throws has come too close to being taken away.

“I always tell (Manny), you are the offensive coordinator on the field,” Graham said. “Take care of the football. Manage the offense.”

He’s done exactly that thus far.

This week’s Pac-12 opener will give the Novato, California native a new challenge in his quest to follow through on his coach’s advice. The new and improved Wilkins has yet to face a defense with the Ducks’ brand of speed and aggressiveness.

“They have a good group of (defensive) coaches,” ASU offensive coordinator Billy Napier said of Saturday’s opponents. “Their defensive front plays really good up front, they are good technicians up front. They can rush, and in the back end they’ll line up and play press and play man-to-man coverage.”

One way to break down the Ducks’ secondary is to spread the ball out. The Sun Devils have the receivers to do so, especially after breakout games from sophomores N’Keal Harry and Kyle Williams in Lubbock last week.

“You always want to get the ball in the hands of your best players early to keep them interested,” ASU receivers coach Rob Likens said. “It just seems like momentum can carry.”

But there comes a fine line between feeding your top targets, and greedily forcing them the ball. Oregon, like most conference opponents, jump on mistakes. Two weeks ago, the Ducks intercepted Nebraska on the first play of the game, when the Cornhusker quarterback Tanner Lee tried to find top receiver catcher Stanley Morgan. Morgan was well-covered, the ball was tipped, and the Ducks’ speedy safety Tyree Robinson closed to pluck the it out of the air.

 

Against defenses like New Mexico State and Texas Tech, Wilkins’ overthrown or tightly contested balls fell harmlessly incomplete. Recognizing coverages, and when not to throw the ball, is the next obstacle for the second-year starter to tackle at the onset of Pac-12 play.

“A lot of times, coverage, what the defense is doing when you are going through your progression reads, can take some guys out of some things,” Likens said.

Wilkins’ head coach trusts his quarterback to continue his solid start to the season. He has seen the progressions the fourth-year Sun Devil has taken since last season, from inside the pocket out.

“He is such a good athlete, sometimes athletes rely on being athletes,” Graham said. “I think he is growing and progressing as a quarterback. I think he is just scratching the surface on how good he can be.”

Added Napier: “Manny can do about anything you want to do, truth be known. He’s a quality passer, can extend the play. You saw that he can be effective as a runner, yet he’s doing a much better job of managing those situations.”

Staying in the pocket could pay dividends against the Ducks. Oregon’s pass rush is not dominant, generating just 10 sacks this season despite playing only one Power 5 opponent. It can lead the Ducks’ defense to be overaggressive at times. In the Nebraska game, they allowed Morgan to run wide open down the sideline for an easy touchdown catch, left unaccounted for after his cornerback blitzed.

The Ducks will be fast and opportunistic, but a more composed Wilkins will have his chances to expose their weaknesses. Oregon’s defense has improved, but still was the third worst scoring defense in the country last year.

“The mindset is, every time we step on that field, we need to go score a touchdown. I don’t think a defense has done anything to stop us, I think it’s been pointed back at us that we have done it to ourselves,” he said, before adding, “I’ve got confidence in every guy that steps on the field. I think all these guys have done a good job maturing as people. They are molding themselves into positions where everything that is coming off of them is nothing but confidence.”

Maturity and confidence. Wilkins says they describe his teammates, but they also perfectly describe his new self. A tough challenge awaits him and his offense this week, and pretty much every week to come this year. But, even as he ventures into the start of conference games, the stretch that truly matters, Wilkins looks like the kind of quarterback that can win his team some games.

They will probably need him to.

 

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