Explosive plays on both sides in scrimmage prove Sun Devils have growing to do

All those in attendance for Arizona State’s Saturday night scrimmage at the Bill Kajikawa Practice Fields were certainly entertained. For over two hours, spectators watched both sides battle for the ball, seeing a handful of touchdowns, grueling physical hits laid on in the open field, and big plays becoming commonplace, yet for ASU head coach Kenny Dillingham, anguish presented itself time and again due to recurring mistakes. 

“That was a bad football scrimmage,” Dillingham admitted. “Too many penalties, explosive runs, missed tackles, not picking up pass pro. I mean, that was just a that wasn’t a good day.

“Good effort, good intent, but our staff, we didn’t prepare guys good enough to come out here and uh have a good scrimmage today.”

Where the offense was prepared was on the ground. The run game was simply dominant all night for the offensive unit. Three different running backs, Demarius Robinson, Marquis Gillis, and Cardae Mack, all broke out for touchdowns of 75 yards or more. Kyson Brown and Jason Brown Jr. saw plenty of success as well, and a room loaded with talented backs has created a near-impossible pecking order to determine. 

Beyond the evident preparation running backs coach Shaun Aguano gave his players before the scrimmage, the offensive line also stood out for its play in the ground game. Every explosive run came from an inside handoff, and after backs slithered through gaps, the linemen darted to the second level, creating further advantages downfield and tacking on big gains over and over. 

On the flip side, a defensive line that has been diluted in the spring due to injuries and precautionary absences struggles heavily in this sector. In each of the last two seasons, defensive coordinator Brian Ward has led the Sun Devils to a top-three run defense in the Big 12 but has struggled to prevent explosive runs, something the staff is accustomed to seeing.  

“Too many penalties, especially in crit critical situations, too many missed tackles, right,” Dillingham listed off. “ Too many things that we’ve tried to correct that we haven’t been able to correct. We got to get a lot fixed.” 

Where the defense gained an advantage on Saturday was in the pass game, despite talented receivers showing flashes of brilliance, including Raiden Vines-Bright, who scored a touchdown courtesy of quarterback Cam Dyer. Quarterbacks struggled to string consistent passes together. 

The defensive line struggles on the interior to plug the run, but on the edge, Michigan State transfer Jalen Thompson and four-star freshman Julian Hugo gave the signal-callers hell. Numerous linemen picked up sacks and forced hurries, making the secondary’s job easier. 

“Secondary did a great, great job,” Dillingham noted. “Pass rush did a great job, and then we were really emphasizing runs and shots. We didn’t throw as much quick game stuff in the first hour of the scrimmage.”

Those deep shots led to a couple of interceptions, once by Kentucky transfer Cutter Boley, the other from four-star freshman Jake Fette. Fortunately for the Sun Devils, they’ve reached a stopping point on scheme installation, allowing time now for refinement and familiarity with additional plays and formations. 

“I think we’ve got to take today’s scrimmage, we’ve got to put no more install in, and we’ve got to clean up all the mistakes,” Dillingham said. “Starts with us, the staff. We’ve got to get better. We got four days left, and we’ve got to really challenge our guys.” 

Saturday served as a long day for ASU players. In the morning, the 22nd annual Pat Tillman run was held, where over 20,000 people were in attendance for the 4.2-mile run in Tempe, including Dillingham, his staff, and his players. 

“This is one of my favorite days of the year,” Dillingham acknowledged. “When the Pats run into our night scrimmage. It’s what we had last year, too.”

Creating festivities out of more than just football, the Mater’s Tournament over the weekend exposed an opportunity for the Sun Devils to practice their golf skills. Before the scrimmage began, a select group of players grabbed irons and played a closet-to-the-pin match. Placekicker Carston Keiffer won the event, and it gave Dillingham and the players another way to laugh and bond. 

“Our practices should be challenging, but through that challenge, it should be fun to push yourself to become better,” Dillingham explained. “So, we’re going to mix it up and do some other things in there every once in a while.”