Lauren Kirschman
The News Tribune
When a reporter suggested to Kaleb McGary this week that Arizona State would throw the kitchen sink at Washington’s offense, the senior offensive lineman laughed.
“And the dryer,” he said, nodding, “and the washer.”
McGary, his teammates and UW’s coaches took turns attempting to describe the Sun Devils’ defense. They called it chaotic and unpredictable. Awkward. Confusing.
No matter what adjective, the Huskies all agreed on one thing: That defense will make Saturday’s game a big challenge.
“These guys are all over the place,” McGary said. “We got to know what we’re doing. … They bring everything. That’s kind of the thing: They literally bring everything.”
First-year Arizona State head coach Herm Edwards brought on Danny Gonzales as the Sun Devils’ defensive coordinator. Gonzales held the same position at San Diego State in 2017 when the Aztecs finished the regular season ranked 11th nationally in total defense (303.5 yards per game) and ninth in rushing defense (110.4 ypg).
Arizona State is tough against the run, allowing just 125.3 rushing yards per game. They run a 3-3-5 defense, often rushing five defenders on passing downs. And through three games, they are leading the Pac-12 with 12 sacks and are allowing just 16 points per game.
North Dakota is the closest team defensively to Arizona State on UW’s schedule, said run game coordinator/offensive line coach Scott Huff. But while the two teams share some similarities when it comes to movement, the Sun Devils have more fronts.
“North Dakota kind of started in a little bit more of a base and then got chaotic,” he said. “(The Sun Devils) are different every time.”
“In terms of the sheer volume of different blitzes and twists and stuff that they can bring is greater than what North Dakota brought,” McGary agreed. “They’re in the same ballpark, I just think there’s a lot more that they can do.”
Still, McGary said there are lessons from the North Dakota game that will transfer to the matchup against Arizona State.
“Just in the sense of moment and blitzes and stuff,” he said. “Like I said, they’re similar but Arizona State has more volume that they will bring. … You just got to be ready for it all.”
The Sun Devils’ offense is going to make plays, Huff said. Between the different pressure packages and slants, there are times when they’ll be able to penetrate gaps because they’re faster.
But there’s a flip side to the defense, too.
“Hopefully you can get on them a little bit and wash them out of gaps and expose them,” Huff said. “It’s a risk-reward type deal there. It’s a pain. It’s a real pain.”
While Huff said communication among the offensive line is always important, it will be particularly vital in dealing with the Sun Devils’ constantly shifting defense.
That will be a test for a UW offensive line that has spent this season in flux, starting when they reportedly lost left tackle Trey Adams for the year before the first game. Head coach Chris Petersen has yet to comment on or confirm Adams’ injury.
Center Nick Harris missed the game against North Dakota with a knee injury. He returned against Utah, but left in the second half and didn’t return. Through three games, quarterback Jake Browning has thrown three interceptions. He’s also been sacked nine times.
“(Communication) is super important, just getting everybody moving in the same direction,” Huff said. “If one guy moves the wrong way, which sounds stupid but it happens, it’s real bad.”
Petersen cautioned fans not to read too much into Arizona State’s 28-21 loss to San Diego State last week. The Aztecs rushed for 311 yards and finished with 440 total yards, but their offense was designed to go against the Sun Devils’ style of defense.
“They go against it everyday in spring ball, fall camp and that’s their style,” Petersen said. “It’s really ready-made for that. You don’t see many offenses like that, that style of run.
“(Arizona State) will be one of our bigger challenges run-wise the entire year just because of the rules that it breaks in terms of your offense. It’s a really challenging defense, let alone team.”
Still, the Huskies faced another stout run defense against Utah last week and had their best rushing game of the season. Patience was key then, Petersen said, and it will just as important against Arizona State.
“At the end of the day, if you stay with it, you get into a rhythm,” he said. “I think the better the defense you play, the longer it takes for that to happen. Sometimes, guys get impatient and get away from it because you get frustrated and things aren’t happening.”
