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By Brittany Bowyer
Arizona State football suffered their first losing season under Head Coach Todd Graham since he took over the program four years ago. Coming into this past season off of back-to-back ten-win seasons, expectations were high for the team. However, this year proved to be a rebuilding year for the Devils, and fans repeatedly saw where the team had gaping holes.
The Sun Devils lost by one point against West Virginia in the Cactus Bowl this past weekend, and the loss can be blamed on a number of reasons. The lack of offensive rhythm, which we’ve seen all year, lack of defense, questionable officiating, and poor coaching calls can all be to fault.
The one thing that isn’t debatable about this loss is that it is a basic summary of the problems this team faced during the year. The offensive line failed to make the necessary plays to move the ball just as they did all season, the receivers continued to drop a number of balls, and the defense failed to make critical stops. Add on questionable coaching calls, such as not going for two with just four minutes left in the game to make it a seven point difference, and we could be talking about an entirely different game.
On top of things that are in Arizona State’s control, one must factor in things that are out of their hands, as well. ASU has been plagued with a multitude of questionable calls made by referees this past year. It happened to them all year long, with the most memorable moment being in the game against Oregon at home in double OT. Unfortunately, the controversial calls made during the bowl game were nothing different than what they had been dealing with all season.
Now, as ASU sits with a 6-7 record for the first time since 2011, fans are beginning to question what is next. The Sun Devils showed that they had many areas with a need for improvement and growth in the off season, but here are the top three that need to be improved immediately. The question is, what is CTG going to do about it?
The first and most important area where ASU needs to make improvements is in their defense. As the saying goes, “defense wins games”, and ASU’s defense gave up an ugly amount of total yardage this year. The game where ASU defense had stellar performance this past year was against UCLA. If they played like that in every game, their record likely wouldn’t be 6-7.
The defensive backs gave up tons of yardage and allowed opposing teams to convert on third and long plays way too frequently. A high number of missed tackles by other defensive players also allowed for more total yards gained by opposing teams.
Finally for the defense, Arizona State will suffer some big losses this season from departing seniors, specifically from Lloyd Carrington, Antonio Longino, and Jordan Simone. Although Simone gave up many big plays with poor coverage, his loss will certainly be felt by the team next year.
The offensive side of ASU’s game seemed to be a wreck all year and it is questionable if they will be able to make the necessary improvements during the off season. Before the start of this season, there was a giant question mark surrounding the offensive line that never seemed to go away as the season progressed. Now that the year is over, ASU will be losing a hand full of seniors to make things even more complicated.
This may be a good thing, though. It seemed as if these players had a hard time finding a rhythm with Bercovici this season and providing adequate protection. Perhaps next year when the QB position is set, the new offensive line will be able to find something that works better. ASU has some top junior college prospects coming in that should help their offensive line immediately.
Finally, ASU faces major changes in their coaching staff. Following the departure of Mike Norvell, a majority of fans were happy. There were often times bad play calling done on his part that heavily impacted the result of the game. When Norvell left ASU, he became the head coach at Memphis.
Since moving to Memphis, Norvell has taken a lot of Graham’s coaching staff with him. He brought over ASU’s former linebackers coach Paul Randolph to be his defensive line coach, as well as ASU’s Josh Storms to be the new strength and conditioning coach. Chris Ball, Arizona State’s safeties coach, will be making the move over to Memphis, as well.
However, none of these losses are as significant as the loss of Chip Long. Norvell was able to recruit ASU tight ends coach and recruiting coordinator Chip Long to move over there with him to be his offensive coordinator, which is going to be one of the biggest blows to the program. Long was Arizona State’s top recruiter and had established himself as one of the best recruiters nationwide.
With less than a month until national signing day, this could cause some problems for the Sun Devils not only down the line, but in the very near future. As of January 4th, 2016, Arizona State has two vacated positions to fill on their staff. There is uncertainty weather or not anyone else will leave, too, but according to some, more changes may be coming.
Maybe change is exactly what Arizona State needed. There will be a new QB next year, new players coming in, and perhaps the change in coaching staff can increase the productivity of the players. Sometimes, a fresh mindset is what’s best for a program, and this could open up the potential for ASU to grow even more as a brotherhood and regain their position as a PAC-12 title contenders.
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