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It was back to the bubble on Friday night for ASU. The quarterback competition was in full force, and all four guys got reps in 7-on-7’s and 11-on-11’s.
On defense, both Chase Lucas and Merlin Robertson were back to work after Robertson had been missing from the last few practices, and Lucas missed on Wednesday.
Last practice: Wednesday, February 20
Next practice: Saturday, February 23
Injury update
DL D.J. Davidson, WR Ryan Newsome, LB Tyler Johnson, LB Stanley Lambert, DE Mark Walton, CB Dom Harrison, DB Preston Liger, WR Paul Lucas, DL Shannon Forman, RB Demetrious Flowers, WR Angel Ruiz
Not in attendance: CB Kobe Williams
What went on:
Kalen Ballage was in attendance to take in practice on Friday. Prior to practice, he was talking with junior running back Eno Benjamin and he was making his way up and down the sideline to talk with fans and former teammates alike.
As for the actual work on the field, ASU got to work early on. In the first play of 11-on11’s, Dillon Sterling-Cole hit Frank Darby on a deep ball over the middle. The ball was thrown somewhat short, but Darby came back to the ball to make the reception.
Freshman quarterback Joey Yellen also looked confident, making a variety of passes. In his time on 11-on-11’s, Yellen completed a pass to Darby, and he also made a couple of short passes.
As for Ethan Long, he had some tough moments, including an interception that he threw to cornerback Darien Cornay early on. The running game looked good, as both redshirt junior running back Isaiah Floyd and junior half back Eno Benjamin had a variety of good chunk plays with blocking in front of them.
The team also had a focus on special teams throughout practice, working on punt returns and field goals. Senior wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk was the primary return man, and redshirt sophomore punter Michael Turk had a couple booming punts while working on punt coverages.
To end practice, ASU focused on red zone situations. Sterling-Cole found senior wideout Kyle Williams on a 5-yard out route near the 10-yard line and Williams caught the pass and turned it upfield and into the end zone.
The final play of 11-on-11s at the end of practice was a pass that was nearly picked off by redshirt senior linebacker Khaylan Kearse-Thomas. However, it just slipped through his hands. Those were just some of the notable highlights.
First-team offense:
QB: Dillon Sterling-Cole, Joey Yellen
RB: Eno Benjamin/Isaiah Floyd
WR: Brandon Aiyuk, Frank Darby, Tyerell Baldonado-Kaelopu, Geordon Porter
TE: Tommy Hudson, Curtis Hodges
OL: Roy Hemsley (LT), Alex Losoya (LG), Cohl Cabral (C), Cade Cote (RG), Steven Miller(RT)
First-team defense
DL: Jermayne Lole/Michael Matus, Corey Stephens, George Lea
LB: Khaylan Kearse-Thomas, Merlin Robertson, Darien Butler
CB: Timarcus Davis, Chase Lucas
Tillman: Aashari Crosswell, Tyler Whiley (Whiley took a few reps on first team)
S: Evan Fields, Cam Phillips
Second-team offense
QB: Dillion Sterling-Cole, Joey Yellen
RB: A.J. Carter/Tavian Gould
WR: C.J. Jarmon, Tannor Park, Keith Davis
TE: Jared Bubak
OL: Ralph Frias (LT), Dohnovan West (LG), Jarrett Bell (C), Marco Salas (RG), Spencer Lovell (RT)
Second-team defense
DL: Case Hatch, Corey Stephens, George Lea
LB: Ely Doyle, Merlin Robertson, Khaylan Kearse-Thomas
CB: Darien Cornay, Terin Adams
Tillman: Tyler Whiley
S: K.J. Jarrell, Langston Frederick/Tyler Whiley, Alijah Gammage