5 Keys to Washington Football game at Arizona State
By Bret Stuter
Show ASU how pass rushing is done
On defense, Washington will be tasked with stopping a very good passing offense. They have plenty of solid wide receivers. And they like to run a … well, let’s let head coach Todd Graham say it in his own words from an press conference delivered at the start of the year:
"““We’re going to be a run, play-action-pass team offense,” Graham said. “We’re going to be a spread-no-huddle; (ASU) we’re going to be an 11-personnel team. (And) We’re going to have three wide receivers most the time.”"
The Sun Devils run game is not very effective, which makes sense when you consider they regularly abandon a tight end and fullback. They love to spread the field from side to side, looking for mismatches. The Washington defense will counter with plenty of three pass rushers and eight men in coverage in this game.
Sit down in that chair right there and lemme show ya how it’s done!
But that three man front is no slouch when it comes to rushing the passer. The strength and size of this team’s defensive linemen are incredible. Look for Vita Vea, Greg Gaines, Jaylen Johnson and freshman standout Levi Onwuzurike. The Huskies defense creates a lot of pressure up front themselves. And that has been the talk among Sun Devlis fans all week.
"“They communicate,” ASU offensive line coach Rob Sale said in a recent interview by Houseofsparky.com’s Matthew Tonis. “They know where the tight end is, they know where the back’s offset, they know the blocking scheme… (Washington defensive linemen) They just sit down on the blocks, play the blocks and they’re just big, massive men in there.”"
That is easier said than done. In fact, Washington is coming into this game with a chip on their shoulder. As it turns out, the Arizona State University Sun Devils end up on the brunt end.
The defense will likely cause quite a few punts today. Which is a great segue into the fifth and final key to this game: