Taylor Kelly is back to lead a potent Arizona State offense. (Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports)
LAST YEAR’S RECORD: 10-4 Overall; 8-1 Pac-12
LOCATION:Tempe, Ariz.
OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR: Mike Norvell
DEFENSIVE COORDINATORS: Keith Patterson, Chris Ball
LAST LEAGUE TITLE: 1996
LAST TIME DIDN’T GO BOWLING: 2010
RETURNING STARTERS: 10; 6 offense, 2 defense, kicker, punter
PLAYERS TO WATCH: QB Taylor Kelly, RB D.J. Foster, WR Jaelen Strong, OT Jamil Douglas, OG Vi Teofilo, LB Salamo Fiso, FS Damarious Randall, K Zane Gonzalez
PRIMARY STRENGTHS: The offense should be among the Pac-12’s best. Kelly, who has thrown 57 TD passes the past two seasons, returns for his third season as starter. Foster is a versatile threat who can line up in the backfield or in the slot, and Strong last season emerged as the big-play threat the Sun Devils have lacked.
POTENTIAL PROBLEMS: The defense lost nine starters, six of whom earned first- or second-team All-Pac-12 honors. The biggest losses come up front; Will Sutton, Davon Coleman and Carl Bradford are gone. In ASU’s attacking scheme, everything starts with pressure, and it’s unknown how much ASU’s inexperienced group can generate.
OFFENSE
The Sun Devils last season averaged 39.7 points, their best effort since 1996, and this season they expect to be even better. Six starters return, including senior quarterback Taylor Kelly, approaching his third season behind center. He should have plenty of help.
Arizona State could feature two of the Pac-12’s top playmakers in running back D.J. Foster and receiver Jaelen Strong. Foster played most of last season as a slot receiver, but moved to tailback, his natural position, after starter Marion Grice injured his leg in late November. Offensive coordinator Mike Norvell says Foster will be used all over the field.
Strong arrived raw from junior college last year but improved as the season progressed. He gives ASU a deep threat, someone who can out-leap defensive backs and make big plays. ASU expects Eric Lauderdale of Saddleback College in Mission Viejo, Calif., to contribute in his first season.
Despite losing two starters up front, coach Todd Graham called the offensive line one of the spring’s surprises. Junior Christian Westerman — an Auburn transfer who sat out last season because of NCAA rules — moves into a starting group that includes All-Pac-12 lineman Jamil Douglas.
DEFENSE
The Sun Devils lost nine starters from last season’s unit that ranked among the nation’s leaders in forced turnovers and sacks. The biggest losses: All-American defensive tackle Will Sutton and linebacker Carl Bradford.
One of the two returning starters, senior safety Damarious Randall, has excellent ball skills and could compete for all-conference honors. ASU plans to fill some holes with junior college transfers, and they secured two of the best in defensive tackle Dalvon Stuckey and linebacker Darrius Caldwell.
Freshman D.J. Calhoun enrolled in school early and was a spring standout at weak-side linebacker. Redshirt freshman safety Marcus Ball was expected to start last season as a true freshman before a collarbone injury suffered in camp ended his season.
Graham also has high hopes for redshirt freshman safety James Johnson, who has picked up ASU’s attacking scheme quicker than expected.
SPECIAL TEAMS
Special teams last season were a disaster for the Sun Devils, something that contributed to nearly every one of their four losses. Graham added Keith Patterson, a former defensive coordinator at West Virginia, to help clean them up. A bright spot: Zane Gonzalez, who made 25 of his 30 field-goal attempts as a freshman to earn All-Pac-12 honors.
OVERVIEW
This program has momentum. In addition to hosting last season’s Pac-12 title game, ASU put together its first Top 25 recruiting class since 2008. The Sun Devils also have started the initial phases of a $225 million makeover to aging Sun Devil Stadium. The next task is sustaining on-field success. To Graham, the goal — a Pac-12 championship — doesn’t change. But with all his defensive departures, getting there won’t be easy.
TOP NEWCOMER
DT Dalvon Stuckey: ASU has to replace its entire defensive line and one answer could be Stuckey, a former Auburn commit who played last season at Pearl River Community College in Mississippi. ESPN.com ranked Stuckey as the nation’s No. 8 junior college prospect. The Sun Devils need Stuckey to contribute sooner rather than later.
