Tactical battles are critical for ASU to best Baylor in Big 12 opener

The cliche that coaches and football fans proclaim with reckless abandon is that a battle on the gridiron is won and lost at the line of scrimmage; many refer to this area on the field as the ‘trenches’ because, in many ways, the brute force required to execute as an offensive or defensive line comes down to brawn. 

However, at the college level, the margins between weight and mass become incremental, and the details of communication and perception become even more obvious.

After falling short against Mississippi State, the Arizona State offensive line dominated in the run game, recording over 75% of its total yards from scrimmage through rushing. In that game, the offensive line had the Bulldogs’ number up front, despite coming up short in the end. Sophomore quarterback Sam Leavitt had time in the pocket, and the running backs made the most of their free space. 

Against Texas State, the lighter but agile defensive front caused some problems for ASU. Leavitt was sacked three times on the day, once more than against the Bulldogs a week prior. ASU head coach Kenny Dillingham feels the offensive line has played fairly well through three weeks, but has plenty of work left to do. 

“Week two, it was like ‘One one-thousand, two one-thousand’ I felt really good about it,” Dillingham said during his Monday press conference. “This last week (Texas State) had a few pressures that were getting on us. They did a nice job; you have to give them credit.

“I think every team has its own challenges with pass (protection), is it pressure-driven? Is it a third-down drive? Do they have a really good player who can create a rush? Last week, it was mainly the pressures, and we weren’t ready for it, but our O-Line is playing really well right now.” 

Leavitt faced added pressure against the Bobcats and turned it into a strong performance; he completed 15 of 25 passes for 188 yards and two touchdowns. 

More impressive than his stats, however, was the craftiness and athleticism he showed to make plays. He and junior wide receiver Jordyn Tyson combined for a highlight touchdown so smooth it cracked No.2 on Saturday night’s SportsCenter top 10 plays, and he used his legs to earn 59 more yards on the ground, scrambling out of the pocket and making defenders look silly. 

Leavitt rebounded from a frustrating showing against the Bulldogs; he completed just 45% of his passes and threw for a measly 82 yards. Dillingham was asked the question about the pressure his signal-caller places on himself. 

“I don’t think I did a good job in week two of getting him ready to play football,” Dillingham claimed, defending his signal caller. “I think he did a really good job this week, preparing, and that showed up on tape. He was comfortable, prepared, and he played really well.” 

Leavitt will be pleased to have another weapon added back into his arsenal before Big 12 play, as junior wide receiver Jalen Moss is set to return after missing the previous two contests due to injury. Moss picked up an injury in the first half of the season against Northern Arizona and hasn’t touched the field since. He is yet to make his first completion as a Sun Devil. 

Dillingham said the Fresno State transfer will be back, “Barring something crazy happening.”

Without Moss, ASU had become increasingly dependent on third-team All-American Tyson for production over the air, who had caught 18 of Leavitt’s first 35 passes to start the year, and the Sun Devils found themselves frequently lining up in two-tight end sets against Texas State. This position group became increasingly involved in the passing game, with senior Chamon Metayer earning a career-high six receptions, as the offense relied less on its star receiver.

“We’ve always had a plan to get them the ball,” Dillingham noted on tight end production. “Everybody has a plan of attack going into a game, and then you run your stuff off of it, and when you don’t have enough plays, your main attack is worse because you aren’t protecting it. 

“I think we finally were in manageable third downs and manageable fourth downs, which allowed us to convert.” 

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The Sun Devils may require a lot of plans to test their bag of tricks against a pesky Baylor side that enters the matchup two weeks removed from a double overtime road victory against then No.17 SMU. 

Dillingham’s offense will be facing a defense he’s all too familiar with, led by defensive coordinator Matt Powledge. The two shared a sideline at Oregon in 2022. Dillingham was the offensive coordinator at the time, and Poweledge was the co-defensive coordinator.

“He’s one of the best defensive minds,” Dillingham complemented. “They’ve got an unbelievable staff there and they do a really good job putting pressure on you … they bring all their simulated pressures where you have no clue where it’s coming from.” 

Dillingham elaborated on the term ‘simulated pressures,’ essentially, it’s a concept in which a defense throws numerous “Dummies” toward the line of scrimmage and in the box; however, not all of the players showing run will actually rush the quarterback, and one or more will drop back into coverage. 

“He wants to be able to bring pressure from all over,” Dillingham added. “He wants to be able to act like he’s rushing five or act like he’s rushing six and only rush four. He drops out and ends or drops out a defensive tackle, so everything is about simulated pressure without bringing it to confuse the quarterback.” 

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On the other side of the ball, Dillingham knows all too well the quality of senior quarterback Sawyer Robertson. The 6-foot-4 signal-caller was recruited by Dillingham during his time at Oregon. 

Robertson has been gunslinging to start the year, averaging 45 passes attempted per game and 356 yards per. He’s already eclipsed 1,000 passing yards and 10 touchdowns, including four against the Mustangs. 

“He’s a heck of a player,” Dillingham remarked. “He’s accurate, tall, and big, so he can see over the line. He’s super intelligent and a better athlete than people give him credit for. He’s a big dude. I saw him throw live at a practice with really good players. He’s had a lot of success the past two years.”

ASU’s defense will have its work cut out for it against a high-level player like Robertson, but if one player is certain to answer the call, it’s perhaps senior linebacker Jordan Crook. Monday, he was awarded Big 12 defensive player of the week for his 12 tackles and 3.5 tackle-for-loss performance against the Bobcats. 

“He was prepared for what was coming,” Dillingham commented. “That dude works. After the game, he got one of our game balls, and it’s just the work that he put in. He works and works and prepares and prepares.”

Regardless of whether gameday results in a heartbreaking loss or a comfortable win that was never in doubt, the Sun Devils don’t get too high or too low off their status. For Dillingham, the beginning of Big 12 play is as prime a position as ever to continue flushing out the old and looking out toward the road ahead. 

“The emotions of Saturday are exciting, they’re fun,” Dillingham admitted. “You come in on Sunday. What can I get better at? What can we get better at?’ 

“From now till forever, that’s the formula that’s the message; it doesn’t matter if you win or lose, when we meet on Monday morning, it’s time to move on, it’s time to get better and flush it.”