Dillingham emphasizes tempo during spring practices

(Photo: Grace Johnson/WCSN)

A new era of college football at Arizona State is underway.

On the heels of a tumultuous 2022 fall that saw the Sun Devils finish 3-9 (2-7 Pac-12) and the relinquishment of former head coach Herm Edwards just three games into the season, a new face capable of changing the complexion of a program was necessary if ASU wanted to return to respectability within the Pac-12.

Athletic Director Ray Anderson addressed this need by hiring Kenny Dillingham, the former offensive coordinator at Oregon. During the 2022 campaign — his lone season calling plays in Eugene — the ASU graduate led the Ducks’ attack to top-ten finishes nationally in total offensive yards per game and points per game. Additionally, Oregon ended last year among the FBS’ top 20 teams in rushing and passing yards per game.

As is customary with most coaching changes, Dillingham brought many new faces onto his staff to fill coordinator and assistant positions. With a new regime often comes a different philosophy and play style, and this trend is no different for the Sun Devils. One fundamental change that has already become apparent through nine spring practices has been the overall tempo.

Offensive tempo

With a new face at the helm, the expectation is that ASU’s offensive numbers should improve in 2023. Last season, it ranked in the bottom half of the Pac-12 in total offense and offensive yards per game.

All of the Sun Devils’ offensive coaches have put a large emphasis on always giving 100% on the field and playing with intensity during every rep. Part of doing this is consistently holding a sense of urgency. Even if a quarterback makes a poor throw or a wide receiver drops a ball, they are expected to hurry back to the line and get into position for the next play. Dillingham wants to instill the importance of playing with high intensity in his players during the spring season, as running a fast-paced offense will ultimately keep opposing defenses on their toes during the fall.

Despite lots of new plays and schemes being introduced, the feedback from offensive players has been mainly positive. Redshirt senior quarterback Trenton Bourguet, who has been a member of the team for the past four seasons, is embracing and even enjoying the uptick in energy.

“It makes it fun, you don’t know what you’re going to see,” Bourguet said following practice on Mar. 18. “You’re not expecting the same schedule every day. Some teams like that, but with coach Dillingham, sometimes we’re going to be walking through, jogging through, full-speed… It’s just super exciting and makes practice fun.”

Many players are already accustomed to the level of intensity under Dillingham for a host of reasons. Sophomore wide receiver Javen Jacobs is used to this tempo because he played in a similar system under current tight ends coach Jason Mohns at Saguaro High School in Scottsdale. For junior offensive lineman Isaia Glass, the increased pace of play simply isn’t a major change from previous years.

“The tempo hasn’t been anything too crazy,” Glass said after the Mar. 25 scrimmage. “I feel like most guys have gone through that, and it hasn’t really been anything we haven’t seen before. I feel like it just helps us work under pressure.”

Despite playing with high intensity comes with many benefits, last Saturday appeared to be the first time this spring the tempo has taken a toll on ASU’s offense. With three false starts committed during the Apr. 1 scrimmage, it seemed that things were moving too swiftly for the offense to keep up with. However, Dillingham said after the fact that these penalties weren’t closely related to intensity and more so to do with quarterbacks learning the system.

“One false start reason is multiple quarterbacks, the cadence variations of the rhythm,” Dillingham said. “Our quarterbacks gotta get into a similar rhythm, in terms of their cadences, because that is throwing it off when you play four to five guys in there with the same group.”

— Sean Brennan

Defensive tempo

Dillingham is pushing the offense as fast as he can, leveling up the tempo and intensity. Despite him being a more offensive-minded head coach, Dillingham has not allowed his defense to work slowly. He has spread his mentality of speed and tempo to both sides of the ball.

It has been well-documented that the 2022 season was a disappointing one for the Sun Devils, and the defense was no different. ASU’s defense allowed 31.4 points per game while only forcing 1.0 turnovers per game, both marks ranking ninth in the Pac-12.

Last season’s defensive coordinator Donnie Henderson drew criticism for his schemes’ lack of creativity and disguises, but along with Dillingham’s focus on tempo, new defensive coordinator Brian Ward has focused on those two aspects.

“(The defense) is flying around the ball, disguising things really well for this early,” Dillingham said after practice on Mar. 30. “I think it’s just a testament to the guys working and having belief in what we’re doing. Our guys believe in this, they believe in the process, they believe in the scheme, and you can see them buying into it.”

Ward’s new scheme is more focused on letting players fly around the field and attack the ball. He has also involved the linebackers in a lot of pre-snap disguises and coverages, often moving the linebackers up to the line before either blitzing or letting one or both of them fall back into coverage.

The disguises can create headaches for offenses, but the defensive players love it because they get to move around the field and make more tackles. One of the things that Dillingham, Ward, and defensive line coach Vince Amey have been preaching is attacking not just the football but the opposing team as well.

“I love it,” redshirt freshman defensive lineman Robby Harrison said after the Mar.25 scrimmage. “Get off the ball and go hit somebody. I’d say it’s a very great defense. I really love what coach Ward and the staff have brought. It’s very fun and energetic every day. There is never a dull moment since the start of spring. It’s always energy he’s going to bring, and it helps us as players give him what he wants.”

One player excelling in the new scheme is junior defensive lineman BJ Green. Last season, Green started the season as an inside defensive tackle before moving to the edge near the end of the season. Coming into the spring, Green has cut down 23 pounds making him more athletic and quick out on the edge.

So far, it appears that the decision to commit to the outside was a good one, as Green has tallied two sacks in each of the Saturday Scrimmages this year.

“They have just been putting me in the right situations, putting me in the right one-on-ones,” Green said after the Apr. 1 scrimmage. “Even if it is not one-on-one, just using my ability that I already had this last season to make myself open and getting myself in the backfield. My hands, quickness, speed, power, it all transitions to the edge.”

The tempo of Dillingham’s offense is so quick that it forces the defense to be even quicker. When the offense is moving as fast as it is, the defense gets tired, but Green and the defense feel that it is all gonna be worth it in the end.

“It gets tiring, but you adjust to it because that’s how games are gonna be,” Green said. “I think that’s really beneficial because, like (Dillingham) says, it’s a very game-like. Once the offense has a big play, they’re going to try to go tempo. We got to adjust to it and get back right there with your shoulder down, and you can’t be tired, or they’re gonna keep rolling.”

— Sammy Nute