It is week two and time for the Cowboys to take the next growth step. Central Michigan was a great opening foe for the Cowboys. In addition to playing hard, the Chippewas brought a game and schemes that revealed weak areas that needed work. This provided a great teaching opportunity on game day, in the film room, and on the practice field this week. The defense is going to be much better as a result.
Offensively, the Cowboys created explosive plays and sustained drives utilizing tempo. Spencer Sanders made good decisions, spread the ball around very effectively, and seemed to build on his success in the Fiesta Bowl. (Ultimately, the ceiling for this team and the season rests on his performance, so that was very encouraging.). The Chippewa defense entered the game with a track record of living behind the line of scrimmage, but the Cowboy offense did a good job of shutting down those negative plays for losses. Obviously, the run game did not click as effectively as hoped, so you know what will be emphasized until the Baylor game. This team must get better production rushing the football apart from the quarterback.
Non-conference game previews are usually fairly short. It's difficult to scout non-conference teams early in the year. Teams break out new things that they have worked on throughout the spring and fall camp which is why you have a lot of games with surprising results. Additionally, you will have some preseason games where the talent disparity is so great that schools run barely more than their base offense and defense, putting painfully little new things on film for any quality non-conference opponent upcoming. Such is the case this week as Arizona State jumped out early on Northern Arizona and was able to play pretty conservatively. Whatever variety they have added to their attack will probably be unveiled in the first half against the Cowboys on Saturday. They have a smart staff with lots of NFL experience, and they will attempt to put stress on the inexperienced second level defenders. Expect more eye-candy in the backfield with formation variety and motion as well as play-action, vertical attacks in the middle of the field, designed quarterback run game, and screens. Bottom line is that they moved the ball with ease against an FCS opponent, but struggled in the red zone.
Arizona State's offense has some talented athletes, but overall, should not scare the Cowboy defense. They do not operate with great efficiency, and struggle in the red zone. It's always difficult to construct an offense when your projected starter transfers suddenly to LSU, but that is the spot Herm Edwards' team began when Jayden Daniels left. Fortunately the portal provided some immediate relief as Emory Jones moved west from Florida. Emory Jones is a very good athlete with an NFL quality live arm, but he runs very hot & cold. When his feet are set, he excels on vertical throws, particularly down the seams and inside the numbers. He has the strength to throw out breaking routes across the field and does a good job when he throws on time, and that is the key. When he is not able to throw on time his below average mechanics get exposed and accuracy and decision making diminish. At times he does not anticipate throws early enough and winds up holding the ball too long. This leads to underthrowing the intermediate routes and putting too much air under the deep routes. For the Cowboys, this decreases the risk for blitzing with full man coverage on the backend. I was surprised that he struggled with accuracy on the run, because he can really put the defense in a bind on the edge with the arm strength and speed. Sprint/Roll-Outs should be strengths for him but they are not at this point. (Let's hope that doesn't suddenly change tomorrow.)
In the opener, the Sun Devils rode the running game to victory, enjoying a significant physical advantage over the Lumberjacks of Northern Arizona. When they did throw the ball, WR Elijah Badger and TE Messiah Swinson were the primary targets. Andre Johnson pitched in as well. Expect to see them try to get Swinson open on vertical routes to use his size to his advantage. None of the receivers demonstrated the ability to beat man coverage and get on top of the defenders. One of the biggest differences that jumps right off the screen is how much longer developing the Sun Devil's passing plays are, even in their 'quick game' where they like to feature the Tight End in space. Emory Jones does not have a quick compact delivery and holds the ball just a bit longer than necessary. That could play right into the strengths of the Cowboy defense, allowing the pressure to get home which could directly result in a negative play or at least flush out Jones where his accuracy diminishes. They utilized a variety of formations and personnel groupings, with an offense that quite frankly has a lot of pre-spread NFL concepts, but the passing game was pretty stripped down.
Arizona State showed a lot of multiple TE alignments with an inline and move tight end. They were effective in the zone blocking scheme at covering defenders up and blocking the edge, but probably better suited for the power run game with a fullback. It was hard to measure the strength of the offensive line given the size disparity with Northern Arizona, but you have to take the rushing threat seriously. They showed proficiency with stretch, zone, power lead, and QB run game. Due to the overall defensive team speed for the Cowboys, the Sun Devils may need to incorporate more designed QB runs, option, and quick screens. Run fits by the linebackers and safeties will determine whether or not the Cowboys contain the running back run game or shut it down. That puts a tremendous amount of pressure on the quarterback. Look for the Cowboys to be more aggressive this week to stop the run and move the passer of his spot, daring Arizona State to beat them with the pass. {OSU will have more successful of getting to the quarterback this week.}
Losing Running Backs Rachaad White to the NFL draft and Chip Trayanum to Ohio State (to play linebacker) were significant losses for Arizona State's offense in production, scoring, and big plays. The position is now manned by sophomore Daniyel Ngata and Wyoming transfer, Xazavian Valladay. The Sun Devils will utilize both of those players extensively. Ngata flashes some potential, but Valladay was really impressive last week in the opener. He has excellent burst and elusiveness in the open field without truly homerun speed. I would be absolutely shocked if their staff does not begin to create more ways to get him the ball in space in the passing/screen game. He will present a very different type of challenge than Lew Nichols did. Nichols possessed excellent vision, quick feet and excellent balance. He ran extremely hard behind his pads, but was light enough on his feet to make slight adjustments and get through small creases between the tackles. He would lower his pads and try to finish runs through people, proving to be a difficult player to get to the ground. Valladay demonstrates good vision and excels at making people miss and then using his speed to bounce it outside. He anticipates cut-back opportunities and most of his best runs stem from that. He doesn't have the same power as Nichols, but will still seek out contact after the initial cut back.
{Arizona State's best way to attack the Cowboys will come off of QB run game and play-action passing, but that requires the Sun Devils to find success in the run game from their backs.}
Last year Arizona State had a really talented, experienced, and productive Defense, but graduation and the transfer portal took a major toll. They only returned four starters from last season. Expect the Cowboys to stress discipline with tempo, especially attacking the back end. The Cowboys should be able to hit a bunch of big plays on Saturday. Arizona State played a lot of man defense last year and in the opener, but that leans into the Cowboys' passing game strengths as well as the dual threat abilities of Spencer Sanders (even if it at times makes the run game more difficult). The Sun Devils mixed in some rush 4, drop 7 zones against NAU, and they would be smart to mix things up against the Cowboys, not allowing Spencer Sanders get into a rhythm. Kyle Soelle and Merlin Robertson at linebacker do a very good job in their zone drops as well as their blitzes. Those guys make plays, and find their way to the football. OSU cannot afford lazy ill-advised passes to the middle of the field versus their drops. There is good depth on the roster along the defensive front where they have a couple fringe NFL prospects, so the offensive line should get a good challenge. They are good at getting penetration and spilling things sideways, so the line will need to make sure to get those defenders moving laterally in the zone scheme to create creases for the backs. The good news is that the upfield aggression takes guys out of their rush lanes, making them more vulnerable to Spencer Sanders pulling it down and taking off.
Overall, Oklahoma State is a much better team. The Sun Devils do not have enough firepower to win a shootout with the Cowboys, and OSU's defense will force the Sun Devils to put the game into the hands of their quarterback, passing the football. Arizona State needs to play ball control and field position against Oklahoma State. They must win the line of scrimmage, establish the run game to open up slow-developing pass plays down the field. Their best weapons are the QB run game and a quick passing game (which is not a strength). On the other side of the ball, the Cowboys should be able to deliver big blows offensively with tempo, one on one matchups on the outside, misdirection, play-action, and Spencer Sanders running the football. The hope is that the overall run game is more effective, particularly the outside zone to take the load off of the quarterback.
Offensively, the Cowboys created explosive plays and sustained drives utilizing tempo. Spencer Sanders made good decisions, spread the ball around very effectively, and seemed to build on his success in the Fiesta Bowl. (Ultimately, the ceiling for this team and the season rests on his performance, so that was very encouraging.). The Chippewa defense entered the game with a track record of living behind the line of scrimmage, but the Cowboy offense did a good job of shutting down those negative plays for losses. Obviously, the run game did not click as effectively as hoped, so you know what will be emphasized until the Baylor game. This team must get better production rushing the football apart from the quarterback.
Non-conference game previews are usually fairly short. It's difficult to scout non-conference teams early in the year. Teams break out new things that they have worked on throughout the spring and fall camp which is why you have a lot of games with surprising results. Additionally, you will have some preseason games where the talent disparity is so great that schools run barely more than their base offense and defense, putting painfully little new things on film for any quality non-conference opponent upcoming. Such is the case this week as Arizona State jumped out early on Northern Arizona and was able to play pretty conservatively. Whatever variety they have added to their attack will probably be unveiled in the first half against the Cowboys on Saturday. They have a smart staff with lots of NFL experience, and they will attempt to put stress on the inexperienced second level defenders. Expect more eye-candy in the backfield with formation variety and motion as well as play-action, vertical attacks in the middle of the field, designed quarterback run game, and screens. Bottom line is that they moved the ball with ease against an FCS opponent, but struggled in the red zone.
Arizona State's offense has some talented athletes, but overall, should not scare the Cowboy defense. They do not operate with great efficiency, and struggle in the red zone. It's always difficult to construct an offense when your projected starter transfers suddenly to LSU, but that is the spot Herm Edwards' team began when Jayden Daniels left. Fortunately the portal provided some immediate relief as Emory Jones moved west from Florida. Emory Jones is a very good athlete with an NFL quality live arm, but he runs very hot & cold. When his feet are set, he excels on vertical throws, particularly down the seams and inside the numbers. He has the strength to throw out breaking routes across the field and does a good job when he throws on time, and that is the key. When he is not able to throw on time his below average mechanics get exposed and accuracy and decision making diminish. At times he does not anticipate throws early enough and winds up holding the ball too long. This leads to underthrowing the intermediate routes and putting too much air under the deep routes. For the Cowboys, this decreases the risk for blitzing with full man coverage on the backend. I was surprised that he struggled with accuracy on the run, because he can really put the defense in a bind on the edge with the arm strength and speed. Sprint/Roll-Outs should be strengths for him but they are not at this point. (Let's hope that doesn't suddenly change tomorrow.)
In the opener, the Sun Devils rode the running game to victory, enjoying a significant physical advantage over the Lumberjacks of Northern Arizona. When they did throw the ball, WR Elijah Badger and TE Messiah Swinson were the primary targets. Andre Johnson pitched in as well. Expect to see them try to get Swinson open on vertical routes to use his size to his advantage. None of the receivers demonstrated the ability to beat man coverage and get on top of the defenders. One of the biggest differences that jumps right off the screen is how much longer developing the Sun Devil's passing plays are, even in their 'quick game' where they like to feature the Tight End in space. Emory Jones does not have a quick compact delivery and holds the ball just a bit longer than necessary. That could play right into the strengths of the Cowboy defense, allowing the pressure to get home which could directly result in a negative play or at least flush out Jones where his accuracy diminishes. They utilized a variety of formations and personnel groupings, with an offense that quite frankly has a lot of pre-spread NFL concepts, but the passing game was pretty stripped down.
Arizona State showed a lot of multiple TE alignments with an inline and move tight end. They were effective in the zone blocking scheme at covering defenders up and blocking the edge, but probably better suited for the power run game with a fullback. It was hard to measure the strength of the offensive line given the size disparity with Northern Arizona, but you have to take the rushing threat seriously. They showed proficiency with stretch, zone, power lead, and QB run game. Due to the overall defensive team speed for the Cowboys, the Sun Devils may need to incorporate more designed QB runs, option, and quick screens. Run fits by the linebackers and safeties will determine whether or not the Cowboys contain the running back run game or shut it down. That puts a tremendous amount of pressure on the quarterback. Look for the Cowboys to be more aggressive this week to stop the run and move the passer of his spot, daring Arizona State to beat them with the pass. {OSU will have more successful of getting to the quarterback this week.}
Losing Running Backs Rachaad White to the NFL draft and Chip Trayanum to Ohio State (to play linebacker) were significant losses for Arizona State's offense in production, scoring, and big plays. The position is now manned by sophomore Daniyel Ngata and Wyoming transfer, Xazavian Valladay. The Sun Devils will utilize both of those players extensively. Ngata flashes some potential, but Valladay was really impressive last week in the opener. He has excellent burst and elusiveness in the open field without truly homerun speed. I would be absolutely shocked if their staff does not begin to create more ways to get him the ball in space in the passing/screen game. He will present a very different type of challenge than Lew Nichols did. Nichols possessed excellent vision, quick feet and excellent balance. He ran extremely hard behind his pads, but was light enough on his feet to make slight adjustments and get through small creases between the tackles. He would lower his pads and try to finish runs through people, proving to be a difficult player to get to the ground. Valladay demonstrates good vision and excels at making people miss and then using his speed to bounce it outside. He anticipates cut-back opportunities and most of his best runs stem from that. He doesn't have the same power as Nichols, but will still seek out contact after the initial cut back.
{Arizona State's best way to attack the Cowboys will come off of QB run game and play-action passing, but that requires the Sun Devils to find success in the run game from their backs.}
Last year Arizona State had a really talented, experienced, and productive Defense, but graduation and the transfer portal took a major toll. They only returned four starters from last season. Expect the Cowboys to stress discipline with tempo, especially attacking the back end. The Cowboys should be able to hit a bunch of big plays on Saturday. Arizona State played a lot of man defense last year and in the opener, but that leans into the Cowboys' passing game strengths as well as the dual threat abilities of Spencer Sanders (even if it at times makes the run game more difficult). The Sun Devils mixed in some rush 4, drop 7 zones against NAU, and they would be smart to mix things up against the Cowboys, not allowing Spencer Sanders get into a rhythm. Kyle Soelle and Merlin Robertson at linebacker do a very good job in their zone drops as well as their blitzes. Those guys make plays, and find their way to the football. OSU cannot afford lazy ill-advised passes to the middle of the field versus their drops. There is good depth on the roster along the defensive front where they have a couple fringe NFL prospects, so the offensive line should get a good challenge. They are good at getting penetration and spilling things sideways, so the line will need to make sure to get those defenders moving laterally in the zone scheme to create creases for the backs. The good news is that the upfield aggression takes guys out of their rush lanes, making them more vulnerable to Spencer Sanders pulling it down and taking off.
Overall, Oklahoma State is a much better team. The Sun Devils do not have enough firepower to win a shootout with the Cowboys, and OSU's defense will force the Sun Devils to put the game into the hands of their quarterback, passing the football. Arizona State needs to play ball control and field position against Oklahoma State. They must win the line of scrimmage, establish the run game to open up slow-developing pass plays down the field. Their best weapons are the QB run game and a quick passing game (which is not a strength). On the other side of the ball, the Cowboys should be able to deliver big blows offensively with tempo, one on one matchups on the outside, misdirection, play-action, and Spencer Sanders running the football. The hope is that the overall run game is more effective, particularly the outside zone to take the load off of the quarterback.
