It didn't take much for ASU football sophomore running back Kalen Ballage to make his presence felt.
It took just 23 yards and a pile of bodies in his wake.
Ballage had a starring role in the essential play in ASU's 38-23 win over UCLA, running 15 yards backward in the "Ballage Moonwalk" amidst a scrum of tacklers for the final touchdown.
Oh yeah. That just happened. #ForksUp http://t.co/fAhzY3Iw1X
— Sun Devil Athletics (@TheSunDevils) October 6, 2015
Ballage, however, won't take much responsibility for the memorable play.
"I didn't get in the end zone by myself," Ballage said. "I had (redshirt junior tight end) Kody Kohl to help me those last five yards. That was big. ... It was just an overall great team effort."
Ballage, who was in his second game back after missing his first three games of the season with mononucleosis, showed his progression on that run and said he's feeling great heading into this week's matchup against his home state of Colorado.
"I'm getting back to it," Ballage said. "I got a lot of speed right now because I'm down in weight, so that feels good."
Last season's game against Colorado allowed Ballage to make his first mark as a Sun Devil, as he took a screen pass and bowled over center Nick Kelly en route to the end zone.
"He used to get on me about it all the time and get mad at me," Ballage said. "We would laugh and joke back and forth about it, but he's just glad I got in the end zone."
Ballage's responsibilities are expected to remain at running back and special teams as he continues to get back to full strength. He was expected to line up as a situational pass rusher on third downs for much of the preseason, but said that the move back to defense has not begun.
"I have a feeling it's right around the corner," he added.
Norvell excited about return to the sidelines
ASU offensive coordinator Mike Norvell made the move back from the box to the sidelines after three games on Saturday against UCLA, and it led to results with the Sun Devils' best offensive performance all season.
Norvell said the biggest difference between the two locations is feeling the emotion of the game.
"I love being a part of the game down on the field," Norvell said. "There is a different respect of being up in the box and being able to see the whole field. ... Nothing matches the intensity and emotion of being down on the field. When the guys come off, you'll be able to look them in the eye and just get a sense of where they're at."
"It was going back to having fun back there on game day."
Drawing them up
ASU's offensive scheme is never really afraid to go funky with trick plays. For example, then-sophomore kicker Zane Gonzalez caught a two-point conversion pass by then-redshirt senior De'Marieya Nelson against New Mexico last season.
Saturday, the Sun Devils attempted a similar trick move against UCLA in the second quarter.
Sophomore running back Jacom Brimhall, who stands just 5-foot-8 according to the official roster, came in and lined up behind center Nick Kelly, hidden by the rest of the offensive line.
Brimhall took the snap from Kelly for a play that garnered three yards and could have been much more, and thus the "Brimhall-Rooski" was born.
ASU found a way to utilize Jacom pic.twitter.com/dW1qiHZgUV
— Jacob Stanek (@JacobStanek) October 5, 2015
"I probably over-coached that one just a bit," Norvell joked. "You get certain opportunities in games that you want to be able to take a chance, take an opportunity and what I loved about that one was not much risk to it."
Despite the perceived lack of risk, Norvell admitted that it's hard to predict how a defense will react.
"We practice that probably five or six times, and the crazy thing is you never know what look you're going to get."
Practice Notes:
– Stretch song: "F--- Up Some Commas" by Future (clean)
– Wednesday's two-minute drill situation:
- Offense down two points with 52 seconds left, no timeouts
The defense lined up in their nickel package with redshirt senior Antonio Longino and redshirt freshman Ismael Murphy-Richardson as the edge rushers. Redshirt senior cornerback Solomon Means lined up at nickel corner.
Related Links:
ASU football defensive line a steady source of pressure
Report Card: Grading ASU's 38-23 upset over No. 7 UCLA
Reach the reporter at fardaya@asu.edu or follow @fardaya15 on Twitter.
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