Redshirt junior defensive lineman Mo Latu (left) shoots his hands up to attack junior defensive lineman Jaxon Hood during a practice on April 16, 2013. (Photo by Edmund Hubbard)This is the game Mo Latu is waiting for.
The 6-foot-2, 360-pound redshirt junior doesn't normally see the field much. He's one of sophomore punter Matt Haack's main protectors on punts, and works with the field goal unit, too. But a (Mo) Latu sighting on defense is rare. Fellow namesakes Ami and Alani Latu — brothers, no relation to Mo — are usually the ones on the field with Latu on their backs.
But it's different against Stanford.
With an offensive line that boasts an average weight just north of 300 pounds and a median height of 6-foot-5, the Sun Devils need to bulk up their defensive line to match the size and physicality that Stanford brings to the table. For comparison, ASU's numbers are 297 pounds and 6-foot-4, the shortest height on Stanford's line.
Luckily for ASU coach Todd Graham, he has a player that's bigger than any Stanford lineman.
"I occupy a lot of space in the middle," Latu said. "Of course, that's a good thing against Stanford."
And there's no questioning that. But ASU needs Latu to have more of an impact than in last year's losses, games the team claims to be trying to forget but are clearly still bad memories.
Latu knows that, and he believes he's become a better player since then. When he made just one tackle a year ago, Latu was purely using upper body strength to try to break through Stanford's line and make tackles. This year, Latu has been working on using his hands more when he rushes to rip and tear at lineman, rather than try to just push through them.
As for his technique and fundamentals, "they're not perfect," he said. "But they're good right now, and I continue to work on them."
On top of that, Latu has dropped more than a few pounds since fall practice began. He's now listed at 360 pounds, but on an roster from before the season, he was listed 24 pounds heavier, at 384. Latu is visibly slimmer, too. Although he's not as big as he was, the defensive tackle still plans on taking up space and having more success against the Stanford line this year than last.
Inserting him on defense doesn't take him away from his special teams duties, though. For a man of his size, conditioning to stay on the field for both special teams and defense could come into question, but Latu has no doubt in his abilities. Most of all, Latu is looking forward for another chance to contribute and get on the field.
"Super excited," he said. "It's just going to be more fun."
Additional notes
— After the final practice before Stanford, Graham didn't clear up the quarterback situation much at all. He said if the game were today, redshirt junior Mike Bercovici would be the starter. As for Saturday, Bercovici is still expected to start, but if Kelly miraculously is ready, it's his team, Graham said.
Kelly's right foot was still heavily taped during practice Thursday, and he was throwing with the other quarterbacks during the a portion of the 15 minutes open to the media. On Tuesday, Kelly still looked hobbled, though he was running, a marked improvement from the week prior.
Reach the reporter at ewebeck@asu.edu or follow him on Twitter @EvanWebeck
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