We logged every single play (focusing on QBs mostly) from team drills (7-on-7s and 11-on-11s) to give you the best breakdown of what happened during ASU’s weekend practices.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!As I wrote earlier this week, here are the 10 things I’m focusing on this set of practices and will touch on the most important ones, specifically position battles:
- The QB Battle
- Featuring Trenton Bourguet, Jaden Rashada and Jacob Conover (all plays recorded)
- Consistency
- Responding to Adversity
- Slot WR Battle
- Physicality
- LB Position Battle
- Backup RB Battle (has now turned to starter as well)
- CB and OL Rotations
- Xavion Alford Eligible?
- Putting Everything Together
See my general notes of each practice here:
WATCH: ASU Football Coach and Player (QBs) Interviews after 8/19 Practice
WATCH: Arizona State Football Coaches Interviews after 8/20 Practice
QB Stats
Note: In a lot of the team sessions, the offense worked on installing new plays. This resulted in higher accuracy.
Saturday:
- Bourguet: 18/21, 1 TD
- If I recorded correctly, he didn’t have a single incompletion in team drills after the first team period (14 passes completed in a row)
- Rashada: 16/27, 1 INT
- Had a stretch of seven completions in a row in 7-on-7s
- Conover: 2/5, 1 INT
Sunday:
Note: Missed a few plays when the team moved into the bubble
- Bourguet: 22/33, 1 INT
- On last series of day, Bourguet threw a pass to Guillory, but it was broken up. tipped in the air and intercepted by Jordan Clark.
- Bourguet re-did the drive, which had the team drive from midfield with a minute left down 30-28. Big passes to Tory Omeire and Bryce Pierre got them a field goal from around 25 yards out that was good from Dario Longhetto.
- Rashada: 18/26, 1 TD
- In this same one-minute drive, Rashada capped it off with a 15-yard completion to Brooks on a wheel route. He then hit Omeire for a 30-yard pass, and he was marked down at the four. Longhetto came in and knocked down the field goal.
- Conover: 5/9
Top Plays
- Jaden Rashada threw a deep ball about 40-50 yards down the left sideline to Elijhah Badger, who made a spectacular one-handed grab on a go-route, today. If it was in a game, he probably would’ve ran all the way to end zone (would’ve been an 80+ yard TD)
- Jordan Clark’s interception. The team specifically moved into the bubble today for the defense, where they had loud crowd noise playing. On the very first play of the really actual game-speed drill all weekend, a nice pass breakup forced the interception by Clark.
- Damon Williamson had a nice interception on a bad throw by Rashada during team tempo drills on Saturday.
QB Notes
- I thought Bourguet had one of his bests days of camp on Saturday, the team’s first practice since he had a rough outing in Wednesday’s scrimmage. His numbers show that as well. He has been extremely accurate over these last couple days (14 passes in a row after needing a big performance is something to note)
- Bourguet has seen significantly more first-team reps than Rashada these past two days
- If Rashada wasn’t as accurate as he was these last two days, I think Bourguet would have the starting job on lock with how well he played. However, Bourguet missed on some deep throws, but Rashada showed off his incredible arm on multiple occasions and that he could connect on a deep ball from almost anywhere on the field.
- Rashada had the more highlight-worthy throws, but Bourguet was more accurate
- Rashada looked much better on his second and third reads. He looked more comfortable in the pocket and understood all the plays thrown his way. Very tough to call the starting QB job with how well they played
- Conover looked good for a third-string QB. The BYU transfer showed off his impressive arm strength a few times as well and looks to be a solid third option after hardly seeing the field before Wednesday’s scrimmage.
- Quotes from Dillingham:
- “All options are on the table” in terms of who could get the job
- Once again alluded that Drew Pyne’s injury threw them a curveball, which might indicate that they were leaning towards him prior
- “We’re still figuring out exactly what we want to do right now, and how we want to do it. I think those guys all have different skill sets. They all have their strengths, they all have their weaknesses. How can we maximize their skill set to put the best team on the field that can win? That’s our goal, our goal is not for the future.”
- “Our goal is not for next year, two years, that’s not fair to the seniors that put in the work. Our goal and my goal is to put the best product on the field to give these seniors the best chance to win football games right now. And whatever avenue that is, we’re going to cross and we’re going to try to do.”
- This makes it sound like it will be Bourguet. Rashada is the future of the team
RB Position Battle
Before this weekend, Cameron Skattebo had taken almost every first-team reps, but he hardly saw any playing time this weekend with the first or second teams.
He still might have the job secured, but running backs coach Shaun Aguano said it’s still an open competition after Wednesday’s scrimmage, so they might be testing out new backs.
Cal transfer DeCarlos Brooks got the bulk of first-team carries this weekend, and he impressed when given the opportunity.
Junior George Hart got most of the second-team reps at running back, and he continued to shine as well.
Sophomore Javen Jacobs continued to prove that he can be a reliable receiving back out of the backfield and could see some playing time with packages designed for this.
Sophomore Tevin White also showed off his speed when he got opportunities with the second team.
Freshman Kyson Brown has made the most of the time he’s been in as well.
The Sun Devils have a lot of players they can mix in, and the true running back group looks like it could run five-deep.
Overall, the group has performed very well, and the Sun Devils look like they have a lot of options to mix in.
LB Position Battle
The starting linebacker spot next to Washington State grad transfer Travion Brown is up for grabs. Right now Will Shaffer looks to be in the lead for the spot, but that could change.
Tate Romney, Caleb McCullough, James Djonkam, K’Vion Thunderbird and Krew Jackson are all in the mix to be the second starting LB as well.
I talked with linebackers coach A.J. Cooper after practice about this. He detailed how he wants to play his linebackers and what each of them have been doing well lately.
- “We’re gonna keep these guys sharp by competition the whole year because I believe that’s going to help the team if God forbid we do get an injury.”
- “Ultimately, as a coach, you want to put your players in the best situation to be successful. If certain guys fit the run better, certain guys play the past better, certain guys are better blitzers … That’s part of my responsibility to have the best guys on the field.”
- “I’d say up at Camp T, James and Krew really showed up up there. I was pleased with Will, he made a couple of plays in space. I think Tate’s really come along here in the last couple of weeks too. I’ve been pleased with the group. There’s nobody I’m down on. K’Vion Thunderbird, in live situations, has made a lot of plays. He’s still a freshman, so there’s times where he’s gonna bust or be a little unsure on things. But I’ve been really pleased with those guys, and like I said, we’re gonna keep using everyday to force those guys to compete with each other and make each other better.”
Slot WR Position Battle
Previously written: Returning sixth-year senior Giovanni Sanders and Colorado State grad transfer Melquan Stovall are battling it out for the slot wide receiver position. Before Camp T, Sanders was getting most of the reps with the first team. Now, it’s flipped with Stovall getting a lot of first-team reps and being a heavy target on top of that.
Sanders brings a lot of speed and looks like the best player on the second team when he plays with them. Stovall has a large catch radius and has made some nice plays, getting more targets than any other receiver when he’s out there. Both guys have proven that they are playmakers and can fit into this dynamic offense, so there should be a role for both of them.
Update: This weekend, Stovall once again got the majority of firs-team reps, but Sanders impressed with both teams. There will be a role for both of them, and their playing time I would guess would be split 60/40 in favor of Stovall, but they could keep in whoever is hot.
Standouts (No Particular Order)
- Freshman WR Kaleb Black
- Been a very trusty wide receiver as a freshman and shined in Wednesday’s scrimmage as well, when he caught a TD. He has built off that these last two practices, being sure-handed when the ball is thrown his way and his athleticism has shined through
- Freshman DB Shahid Wilson
- Had a number of pass breakups. A very deep DB room, but Wilson has made his presence known on the field as a safety whenever he’s in
- Junior LB James Djonkam
- Recorded a sack yesterday and dropped an interception today. Could easily get a good amount of reps at linebacker this year and be put in big moments
- Sophomore EDGE Prince Deborah
- Has been seeing more first-team reps and been doing well with them. Could be someone that gradually gets better and sees more playing time over the course of the year
- Senior QB Trenton Bourguet
- For all the reasons mentioned previously. I think he has done exactly what he needs to establish himself as the starter, and it would be clear-cut if Rashada didn’t perform as well as he did this weekend
- Junior TE Jalin Conyers
- In my opinion, he’s the best player on the team, and he showed it this weekend. He caught every ball thrown his way and broke lots of tackles as he gears up for a record-breaking season.
- RBs DeCarlos Brooks, George Hart III, Javen Jacobs
- All three of these running backs stood out to me for reasons mentioned previously. They continue to get better and better with the more touches they get and as they get more familiar with the offense
First-Team Offense Predictions + Other Notes on Who Might be Second Team/ Rotate in
QB: Trenton Bourguet
- I’d say the QB competition went from 50/50 to 60/40 in favor of Bourguet
RB: Cameron Skattebo
- DeCarlos Brooks, George Hart, Javen Jacobs all capable of sliding in. I would guess Brooks would be in for short-yardage situations, while Jacobs would be in to catch balls out of the backfield. Hart could also see some playing time with how well he’s been playing, but these three guys would be my best bets for now.
WR: Elijhah Badger (outside), Xavier Guillory (outside), Gio Sanders/Melquan Stovall (most likely will split time in slot)
- Troy Omeire could also see some playing time as a big target. Kaleb Black’s impressive camp could see him slide in to one of these spots, especially if an injury were to occurr
TE: Jalin Conyers
- If running two-TE sets Bryce Pierre and Messiah Swinson likely 50/50 split
OL: Isaia Glass (LT), Sione Finau (LG), Leif Fautanu (C), Aaron Frost (RG), Emmit Bohle (RT)
- Fautanu has not been in attendance at practice, so Cade Briggs has been playing center. Joey Ramos could very well be a starter over Aaron Frost. Bram Walden proving capable sliding in at LT and LG spots. Ben Bray could also see some playing time
First-Team Defense Predictions + Other Notes on Who Might be Second Team/ Rotate in
EDGE: B.J. Green (left), Clayton Smith (right)
- Prince Deborah has been impressing as previously mentioned and could see a decent amount of playing time.
DT: Anthoine Cooper, Dashaun Mallory
- B.J. Green also can slide over to DT. Tristan Monday and Sam Benjamin have been reliable options as well. This position can’t afford any injuries
CB: Ro Torrence (outside), Jordan Clark (nickel), Dee Ford (outside)
- Ed Woods will get a lot of playing time as well.
LB: Travion Brown, Will Shaffer
- Tate Romney, Caleb McCullough and James Djonkam in strongest contention for Shaffer’s spot and to rotate in
S: Chris Edmonds, Xavion Alford (if eligible)/Shamari Simmons
Observations from Wednesday’s Scrimmage
Observations, takeaways and predictions after ASU’s final fall scrimmage
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Brendan Mau is a college sports insider and general assignment reporter for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on X via @Brendan_Mau
