ASU Football: Stellar performance against UCLA has ASU primed to maximize potential

(Photo: Alli Cline/WCSN)

Through four games, Arizona State’s season was on the brink of collapse, as the team struggled to find any sort of identity.

Yet after upsetting then-No. 7 UCLA on the road on Saturday, the question for the Sun Devils now circulates around how they will continue to play up to what most viewed as their potential.

Keeping the momentum means coming out strong against the visiting Colorado Buffaloes this Saturday. Although the hopes of a College Football Playoff bid seem unattainable, the Pac-12 South is very much up for grabs with four teams sitting at 1-1 in conference play.

“You control your fate,” ASU head coach Todd Graham said he told his team today. “We have 21 practices (left). That’s it… And now we have 20. And you better max out on every single one of them.”

The most visible improvement came from the offense, which finally seemed to start to click thanks to the complete return of sophomore running back Kalen Ballage. His full-go status allowed ASU to run more two-back sets with him and fellow sophomore Demario Richard, and that led to ASU gaining a total of 192 yards on the ground.

Offensive coordinator Mike Norvell also returned to the sidelines after spending the last few games in the press box–something that senior D.J. Foster said helped the team during the game.

“Our energy was up on offense (with Norvell on the field),” Foster said. “I think our communication was better player-to-coach.”

Defense remains solid

If anything has been consistent for ASU this season, it has been stopping the run. The Sun Devils followed their impressive performance against USC’s running trio to stop UCLA redshirt junior Paul Perkins from single-handedly taking over the game.

ASU held Perkins, who led the Pac-12 in rushing last season, to just 63 yards on 18 attempts (3.5 yards per carry), and a bulk of those yards came on a single carry.

Part of that success came from the play of ASU’s defensive tackle rotation. Redshirt senior Demetrius Cherry, junior Ami Latu and sophomore Tashon Smallwood dominated the line of scrimmage, preventing Perkins from having any sort of success between the tackles. The three combined for 3.5 tackles for loss against the Bruins.

“We just work more as a group,” Cherry said. “Everything just turned out pretty good with us.”

Last season, Cherry helped ASU move away from a true Devilbacker, as Graham shifted to a base-four front midway through the year. In 2015, Cherry has helped Latu and Smallwood in keeping a fresh duo of players inside at all times.

“They’ve (Latu and Smallwood) both been leaders,” Cherry said. “They’re young, and I’m a senior, so I’m becoming a leader, and I’ve been helping them become a leader, so that’s the main thing. They’re stepping up.”

As always, the trio will be big in helping to slow down Colorado’s spread attack, and that includes slowing down the running game. The Buffaloes have three players averaging at least five yards per carry.

But the play of the defense did wonders for the confidence of the team after a shaky tackling performance against USC.

“We’ve always been a good defense,” Cherry said. “We just got to work together. When we work together, we’re unstoppable.”

Practice notes

– Freshman fullback Nick Ralston was in a green, non-contact jersey.

– Sophomore safety Armand Perry was out of a walking boot and in running shoes while participating in stretching lines.

– Redshirt junior De’Chavon Hayes ran with the second-team nickel package during tempo.

– Redshirt sophomore A.J. Latu was at second-team defensive end in place for redshirt junior defensive end Edmond Boateng.

You can reach Zac Pacleb on Twitter @ZacPacleb or via email at zacpacleb@gmail.com 

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