UCLA Football Early 2018 Schedule Preview: Arizona State Sun Devils
ASU Defense
The Sun Devil defense will drive you absolutely crazy. While the UCLA Football defense was a sieve in the front seven, the ASU defense will frustrate you by having two great snaps and forcing a long third down only to give up on a blown coverage or something of that nature.
The big play was the enemy of the Sun Devils in 2017 and it wasn’t just against the pass either. New defensive coordinator Danny Gonzales inherits a group with major turnover in the front seven but will receive a shot in the arm via some talented freshmen. As the defensive coordinator of the SDSU Aztecs in 2017, Gonzales’ side of the ball ranked 15th in the nation, allowing a hair over 18 points a game. That was a far cry from the 30 plus points the Sun Devils surrendered per game.
ASU will keep the aggressive 3-3-5 defense under Gonzales but like I mentioned above, will have to find a number of new faces to round out this side of the ball.
Quick side note about the 3-3-5. This style of defense lends itself to blitzing from all areas of the field and dealing with spread offenses. However, it is common to see this defense used by undersized units as they try to attack offenses with speed rather than with size and power. It can create assignment issues for offenses that allow for defensive plays. Previously, under former head coach Todd Graham, the Sun Devils were a major blitz team. Last year under Phil Bennett we saw ASU sit back a little more and play coverage rather than risk exposing themselves in the backend.
ASU 2017 Defensive Stats
| Total Defense | Passing Defense | Rushing Defense | Scoring Defense |
|---|---|---|---|
| 449.7 (8th) | 274.9 (11th) | 174.8 (8th) | 32.8 (9th) |
( ) – denotes ranking in the TEAM CONFERENCE
When you limit yourself to only three defensive linemen you want to make sure you’re getting the best of both worlds out of them. They need to be capable pass rushers but guys who can set the edge and occupy offensive linemen so that your linebackers can make tackles.
This defense is almost a perfect matchup against what Chip Kelly and the UCLA Football offense want to do. They’re going to have speed on the field but they sacrifice size to get it done. If the Bruins can their offensive linemen to the second level they’ll have the size to mow through the linebackers and secondary. Of course, that means defeating the DL first.
2018 is going to see Renell Wren have to step up his game as he’s the only returning starter along the DL. Listed at six-foot-six and 300 pounds, Wren isn’t your typical, fire hydrant, wide-bodied nose tackle but uses his length well to lock out interior offensive linemen, shed their blocks and make tackles. In a phone booth, he’s a terror.
Who plays alongside Wren is one of the major questions this defense needs to answer. The front-runners to start are junior Jalen Bates and sophomore Shannon Forman. Don’t dismiss junior George Lea though as he was a key rotational player for the Sun Devils in 2017.
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The UCLA Football offensive line is a work in progress and we shouldn’t be surprised if it still is come November 10. Just as the Bruins want to attack this ASU offense, the Sun Devils should be looking to put plenty of strain on the UCLA OL with movement, alignment, and blitzes. The saving grace for the Bruins might come in the form of a very inexperienced LB group for ASU.
The linebackers are also looking to replace two-thirds of their starting group from last year. Both Christian Sam and DJ Calhoun are gone from Tempe and leave behind them big shoes to fill. Luckily for ASU Koron Crump was awarded another season of eligibility after being lost to injury last season. He’s not the best pass rusher in the PAC-12 but gives the defense another veteran presence in the front seven along with Wren.
Jay Jay Wilson flashed in 2017 as a reserve but needs to take a big step forward in 2018. Freshman Merlin Robertson could very well be a starter three games into the season but will have to beat out the undersized Nick Ralston. Even as a true freshman, Robertson has NFL size, speed, and instincts. He’s going to be a good player moving forward and will have the opportunity to be coached up by new LB coach, Antonio Pierce who won a Super Bowl with the New York Giants in 2007 against the New England Patriots. He’s from the Inland Empire and gives ASU a strong recruiting presence in Southern California.
The backend of this defense is the specialty of Gonzales who spent the last six years coaching safeties at SDSU and he brought former SDSU CBs coach Tony White with him to ASU to fill the same position. In case you were unaware, the Aztecs have steadily pumped DBs into the NFL so you know this ASU secondary is about to go off.
Unlike in past seasons, the UCLA Football offense likely won’t beat up on the Sun Devils’ secondary. The Bruins will be breaking in a new QB and lose stalwarts like Darren Andrews and the explosive Jordan Lasley to the NFL. The questions on this ASU defense are in the front seven and UCLA would be wise to attack it early on.
Cornerback Chase Lucas is already one of the top players at his position in the PAC-12 and Kobe Williams on the other side has proven he’s a solid running mate although he gets picked on often because of Lucas’ excellent coverage abilities. The corners look to be set but again, you build your team up the middle and unfortunately the safety positions have some question marks.
The “Tillman” position, named for former ASU player and U.S. Army Ranger Pat Tillman, functions much like the former “mini-backer” position that the UCLA Football team employed a few seasons ago. He gives you another body in the box against the run and can match up with wide open spread offenses. That position is likely to be manned by sophomore Evan Fields who is dealing with a hamstring injury but will likely return to practice before the start of the season.
If he’s unable to go, senior Dasmond Tautalatasi has been working at the position and is better closer to the line of scrimmage rather than deep coverage where he was exposed a number of times last season. Former WR Jalen Harvey has moved over to the defense and is in competition for a starting role. He brings ball skills and size to the position. The wildcard is four-star safety Aashari Crosswell who could press for a starting role before long. How quickly can Gonzales and White turn this talented but largely inexperienced unit into a strength of the defense?