Utah quarterback Travis Wilson gets rushed by redshirt sophomore linebacker Viliami (Laiu) Moeakiola during the 2nd half of the game against Utah on Nov 1, 2014. ASU defeated Utah in overtime 19-16. (Photo by Andrew Ybanez)Following last Saturday’s overtime victory over Utah to claim the top spot in the Pac-12 South, there are many positives the Sun Devils (7-1, 5-1 Pac-12 South) hope to carry-over to their next matchup versus Notre Dame.
ASU will look to avoid mental errors leading to physical mistakes as they go up against an opportunistic Irish defense that has at least one interception in each of their 8 games this season.
On the other hand, a hinderance came in the form of an increased penalty yardage, ASU’s game against the Utes, specifically while the Sun Devils were on offense. Correcting those mistakes is something both coach Todd Graham and offensive coordinator Mike Norvell have listed as priority one this week.
“What I told our guys is, "What hurt us the other night (is) we’d score 21 more points if we wouldn’t get penalties,'” Graham said. “That is completely out of our character, but it happened.”
ASU finished last Saturday’s game with six penalties, costing them 55 total yards. This was on pace with Utah who was flagged six times as well, surrendering 45 total yards, but it was the situations in which the Sun Devils were penalized that proved the most significant.
ASU’s first drive of the game led them to 1st and goal from the 2-yard-line, but they were immediately backed up on a false start — they would settle for a field goal.
Fast forward to the third quarter, when ASU looked to answer Utah’s game tying touchdown. Instead, the Sun Devils were flagged for offensive holding and failed to convert a first down. Their next drive featured two crucial penalties, one erased a 14-yard run by freshman Demario Richard — they would punt again.
Norvell lamented those errors following Tuesday’s practice, and said that although there was plenty to be positive about in regards to the Sun Devils offense, it was the little things that remained disappointing.
“Last week, having five penalties on offense absolutely killed us,” Norvell said. “That’s something you look at, we have a 30-yard catch that is called back, two 15-yard runs, we’re down at the 2-yard line and get a procedure penalty — when you do that to yourself you are going to have a hard time scoring points; you are going to have a hard time being successful.”
ASU managed to find success when it mattered the most, but their offense leaned heavily on sophomore kicker Zane Gonzalez, who was called on five separate times to salvage stalled drives.
The problem is clearly identifiable for the Sun Devil offense. Solving it, however, is not so easy. As for how to remedy the mistakes, Norvell said that attention to detail and reenforcing discipline would be to key to minimizing self-inflicted wounds on offense.
“It is the attention to details,” Norvell said. “Where are your hands, where’s your focus; mak(ing) sure we are simulating game situations and game opportunities of adversity (at practice); not to get flustered, not to get a procedural penalty; making sure we have that focus for the full 60 minutes of the ball game.”
Reach the reporter at csafran@asu.edu and follow him on Twitter @ChrisSafran
