ASU’s defensive unit gave up four first-quarter touchdown passes to then-freshman USC quarterback Kedon Slovis in a 2019 matchup ASU would go on to lose 31-26.
That first quarter versus USC last year is a textbook example of what co-defensive coordinators Marvin Lewis and Antonio Pierce are trying to avoid heading into this season.
Pierce, a linebackers coach last season, remembers that game as clear as day.
“I think, for our whole team last year, we started slow,” Pierce said. “Especially on the defensive side of the ball; giving up a ton of points out the gate, not limiting that offense or (forcing) any offense to (go) three-and-out and giving our offense field position.”
That first quarter versus USC, although remembered well by players and coaches, was a bit of an outlier for a usually stout ASU defense. The 2019 Sun Devil defense finished the season allowing only 22.4 points per game, good enough for 35th out of 130 teams in the FBS.
Linebackers
Last year’s ASU linebacker unit played a major role in the defense’s success.
The unit helped ASU allow 155 or fewer rushing yards in 11 of 12 regular-season games in 2019. This was the first time in program history to accomplish that feat since regular-season schedules expanded to 12 games in the late 1990s.
Junior linebackers Darien Butler and Merlin Robertson were two of five players tied for first in forced fumbles in the Pac-12 last season, both forcing three apiece. Butler also led the team with 90 total tackles last season.
According to Pierce, Butler, Robertson and redshirt junior Kyle Soelle have helped the freshmen linebackers progress significantly since the spring.
“The guys who have started and played here for us in Butler, Soelle and (Robertson) have done a great job of leading the way and showing (the freshmen) how we practice, the tempo we practice and the amount of passion and energy we want to have at practice,” Pierce said.
Freshman linebacker Will Shaffer believes some of the special connection in the linebacker room stems from the pre-built connection he had from playing with brothers Kyle and Connor Soelle at Saguaro High School.
“It’s really cool. I look around the linebacker room and seeing three guys from Saguaro,” Shaffer said. “Being able to play on the big stage it means a lot. It kind of feels surreal. We’ve got a chance to go do big things.”
Secondary
Considered by many to be the most experienced unit of ASU's defense, the secondary will have a strong veteran presence heading into the 2020 season.
Although they now both have plenty of familiarity with playing the cornerback position, redshirt senior cornerbacks Chase Lucas and Jack Jones took very different routes to get a spot on the field.
Jones played his first two seasons at USC, where he became a standout cornerback. In his sophomore campaign, he started all 14 of the Trojans' games, collected 40 tackles and led the team with four interceptions.
In the following season, Jones transferred to Moorpark College after he was dismissed from USC’s team in 2018 reportedly due to academic issues. Jones transferred to ASU the following year and recorded 45 tackles, three interceptions and a forced fumble in his first season with the team.
After starting only one game last season, Jones was listed as one of the starting cornerbacks on the 2020 depth chart. He believes he can improve the secondary’s play by being vocal on the field.
“I’m a chirpy guy. That’s just the sort of game style I play,” Jones said. “I really try to do it for our own purposes because if I can get our own defense fired up, I feel like we can be unbeatable.”
As for Lucas, he converted from running back to cornerback after arriving at ASU and exceeded expectations in his redshirt freshman season, being awarded All-Pac-12 second-team honors. In his 2019 campaign, Lucas collected 54 tackles, an interception, a forced fumble and a blocked field goal.
This season, now a full-time starter, Jones will join returning starters Lucas, junior safety Aashari Crosswell and senior defensive back Evan Fields to form the 2020 Sun Devil secondary.
Crosswell regularly refers to the unit as the “best in the Pac-12” and expects the defensive backs to improve on a unit that recorded 72 pass breakups last season, the 10th most in the nation.
Defensive Line
The main question mark for ASU's defense is its defensive line. Although the defense finished the season ranked 26th nationally allowing only 125.5 rushing yards per game, the absence of a dependable pass rush was an issue for the Sun Devil defense all year.
In the 2019 season, only one ASU defensive lineman recorded over 2.5 sacks. Junior defensive lineman Jermayne Lole led the team with 6.5 sacks while three other defensive linemen recorded 2.5 sacks each.
Lole acknowledged the issues of the defensive line last season but believes the group has made significant strides this offseason.
"Over the past month or two months, we got significantly better,” Lole said. “Our pass rush is probably something that everybody talks about as our Achilles' Heel, but I feel like our pass rush should be good this year, way better than it was last year.”
Lewis noted he has seen the defensive linemen continue to develop over time. However, to succeed on defense, the unit will have to play as a team.
“I think you manufacture pressure by being diligent in your techniques. Our guys are going to have to beat people in one on one opportunities,” Lewis said. “You play defense with 11 guys. It’s not like playing baseball where you can get a guy hit it out of the park. We’ve got to play with all 11 all the time.”
Depth Chart
On Monday, ASU released its depth charts for Week 1 at No. 20 USC. Here are the starters for the defense:
The Sun Devils' first game will kick off this Saturday at 10 a.m. MST against the Trojans at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
Reach the reporter at cfahrend@asu.edu and follow @chris_drop_ on Twitter.
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