Arizona State seeks to regain toughness after down year capped by Territorial Cup blowout
- Updated
Todd Graham and the Sun Devils are embracing change after a 5-7 campaign, their second losing season in a row.
- Michael Lev
- Updated
LOS ANGELES — Arizona State coach Todd Graham did not specifically reference the Territorial Cup while discussing the changes needed to reverse the course of his program this season.
But there’s no question the result of that game provided at least some of the impetus for the Sun Devils’ offseason makeover.
Arizona State replaced both coordinators. It has a new football facility. Graham and his staff are in the process of reshaping the team’s attitude.
“Our motto this year is ‘Sun Devil Tough,’ ” Graham said Thursday at Pac-12 Media Days. “Every single Sun Devil you talk to, it's about being tough. Tough people come out of tough times.”
- Michael Lev
- Updated
ASU was anything but in its 56-35 loss to Arizona last November. The Wildcats rushed for a school-record 511 yards. They did not attempt a pass in the second half because they didn’t need to.
“That’s probably the most embarrassing game I ever played in,” junior defensive lineman JoJo Wicker said. “They ran the ball on us every play. They just beat us up.”
The result ended Arizona’s eight-game losing streak and prevented ASU from qualifying for a bowl game. It was the Sun Devils’ second straight losing season after back-to-back 10-win campaigns under Graham.
While conceding that “we obviously got knocked on our can” in the Territorial Cup, Graham said he and the team quickly put that game behind them. By January, an extensive period of self-assessment had begun in earnest.
“You can sit around and make every excuse for it. Nobody cares you had injuries. Nobody cares about any of that,” Graham said.
“What you can do something about is the next rep, the next day, the next practice, the next game. So that's been our approach.”
The Sun Devils, who open their season Aug. 31 vs. New Mexico State, began practicing Tuesday. Graham said he had to tell the team, which practiced without pads, to ease up at times.
“They've got a little edge on them,” Graham said.
He wants ASU to get back to playing “disciplined, hard-core football.” That means running the ball more proficiently, playing better defense and winning the turnover battle. Last season the Sun Devils ranked 10th in the Pac-12 in rushing, last in total defense and 11th in turnover margin.
Wicker has noticed a difference in the way ASU practices. Attention to detail is a mandate.
“We’ve changed a lot,” Wicker said. “I’m talking about everything. How we align. There’s no gray area with what we do now. Everything has to be perfect. From where your eyes are to where your foot is to where your hand is. It’s like that every single play.
“We definitely embrace that. It’s a new era for us. With our new facilities, every day coming back home to that, everything’s new.”
- Michael Lev
- Updated
ASU’s quarterback competition appears to be a two-man battle between incumbent Manny Wilkins and transfer Blake Barnett.
Graham indicated that sophomore Dillon Sterling-Cole, pressed into duty last season because of injuries, is a candidate to redshirt. Redshirt sophomore Brady White is recovering from a Lisfranc injury.
Wilkins, a redshirt junior, passed for 2,329 yards and 12 touchdowns in 10 games last season. He also rushed for 246 yards and five scores.
Barnett transferred from Alabama, whose coaching staff included Billy Napier, now ASU’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.
“I've enjoyed watching the competition probably as much as I've ever enjoyed any competition,” Graham said. “What's been neat is to watch them elevate each other. And it's created that atmosphere on our whole team. So it's been a cool deal.”
- Michael Lev
- Updated
• Stanford coach David Shaw said injured quarterback Keller Chryst (knee) isn’t ready to play yet. But “when he’s healthy, he’s our guy. Hopefully he’s healthy Game 1.” The Cardinal open the season Aug. 26 against Rice in Australia. If Chryst is unable to play, the starter will be senior Ryan Burns or redshirt freshman K.J. Costello.
• Washington State coach Mike Leach is renowned for veering off into tangents. Asked Thursday about dealing with millennials, Leach described them as “experts on technology.” He added: “I do think we'll cycle out of that. There's always been a cycle. Heck, we got out of disco, you know? We survived that. We had punk rock briefly as we were recovering. … Paul Harvey always said, ‘Tomorrow's always better than today.’ And he was supposed to be the old-fashioned guy, right?”
• Utah coach Kyle Whittingham on the addition of receiver Darren Carrington, whom Oregon dismissed from its program after a recent DUI charge: “It's always a tough decision when you're talking about a player that you're going to add to your program that potentially has a checkered past. You have to make a decision based on all the information you can gather. Based on the athlete's attitude. Is he remorseful? Does he understand that he's done some stupid things and (is he) ready to put it behind him and move on?
“There is so much that goes into it. It's a judgment call. You're not always right. But I feel in this case it was the right thing to do to give Darren another opportunity.
“Now, he is not cleared to practice or even compete. There are still hurdles to go through. He's on campus right now, and we're hoping that things get worked out.”
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- Michael Lev
LOS ANGELES — Arizona State coach Todd Graham did not specifically reference the Territorial Cup while discussing the changes needed to reverse the course of his program this season.
But there’s no question the result of that game provided at least some of the impetus for the Sun Devils’ offseason makeover.
Arizona State replaced both coordinators. It has a new football facility. Graham and his staff are in the process of reshaping the team’s attitude.
“Our motto this year is ‘Sun Devil Tough,’ ” Graham said Thursday at Pac-12 Media Days. “Every single Sun Devil you talk to, it's about being tough. Tough people come out of tough times.”
- Michael Lev
ASU was anything but in its 56-35 loss to Arizona last November. The Wildcats rushed for a school-record 511 yards. They did not attempt a pass in the second half because they didn’t need to.
“That’s probably the most embarrassing game I ever played in,” junior defensive lineman JoJo Wicker said. “They ran the ball on us every play. They just beat us up.”
The result ended Arizona’s eight-game losing streak and prevented ASU from qualifying for a bowl game. It was the Sun Devils’ second straight losing season after back-to-back 10-win campaigns under Graham.
While conceding that “we obviously got knocked on our can” in the Territorial Cup, Graham said he and the team quickly put that game behind them. By January, an extensive period of self-assessment had begun in earnest.
“You can sit around and make every excuse for it. Nobody cares you had injuries. Nobody cares about any of that,” Graham said.
“What you can do something about is the next rep, the next day, the next practice, the next game. So that's been our approach.”
The Sun Devils, who open their season Aug. 31 vs. New Mexico State, began practicing Tuesday. Graham said he had to tell the team, which practiced without pads, to ease up at times.
“They've got a little edge on them,” Graham said.
He wants ASU to get back to playing “disciplined, hard-core football.” That means running the ball more proficiently, playing better defense and winning the turnover battle. Last season the Sun Devils ranked 10th in the Pac-12 in rushing, last in total defense and 11th in turnover margin.
Wicker has noticed a difference in the way ASU practices. Attention to detail is a mandate.
“We’ve changed a lot,” Wicker said. “I’m talking about everything. How we align. There’s no gray area with what we do now. Everything has to be perfect. From where your eyes are to where your foot is to where your hand is. It’s like that every single play.
“We definitely embrace that. It’s a new era for us. With our new facilities, every day coming back home to that, everything’s new.”
- Michael Lev
ASU’s quarterback competition appears to be a two-man battle between incumbent Manny Wilkins and transfer Blake Barnett.
Graham indicated that sophomore Dillon Sterling-Cole, pressed into duty last season because of injuries, is a candidate to redshirt. Redshirt sophomore Brady White is recovering from a Lisfranc injury.
Wilkins, a redshirt junior, passed for 2,329 yards and 12 touchdowns in 10 games last season. He also rushed for 246 yards and five scores.
Barnett transferred from Alabama, whose coaching staff included Billy Napier, now ASU’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.
“I've enjoyed watching the competition probably as much as I've ever enjoyed any competition,” Graham said. “What's been neat is to watch them elevate each other. And it's created that atmosphere on our whole team. So it's been a cool deal.”
- Michael Lev
• Stanford coach David Shaw said injured quarterback Keller Chryst (knee) isn’t ready to play yet. But “when he’s healthy, he’s our guy. Hopefully he’s healthy Game 1.” The Cardinal open the season Aug. 26 against Rice in Australia. If Chryst is unable to play, the starter will be senior Ryan Burns or redshirt freshman K.J. Costello.
• Washington State coach Mike Leach is renowned for veering off into tangents. Asked Thursday about dealing with millennials, Leach described them as “experts on technology.” He added: “I do think we'll cycle out of that. There's always been a cycle. Heck, we got out of disco, you know? We survived that. We had punk rock briefly as we were recovering. … Paul Harvey always said, ‘Tomorrow's always better than today.’ And he was supposed to be the old-fashioned guy, right?”
• Utah coach Kyle Whittingham on the addition of receiver Darren Carrington, whom Oregon dismissed from its program after a recent DUI charge: “It's always a tough decision when you're talking about a player that you're going to add to your program that potentially has a checkered past. You have to make a decision based on all the information you can gather. Based on the athlete's attitude. Is he remorseful? Does he understand that he's done some stupid things and (is he) ready to put it behind him and move on?
“There is so much that goes into it. It's a judgment call. You're not always right. But I feel in this case it was the right thing to do to give Darren another opportunity.
“Now, he is not cleared to practice or even compete. There are still hurdles to go through. He's on campus right now, and we're hoping that things get worked out.”
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