ASU Football: Spring practice report (2/6)

Practice was back in the bubble on Wednesday and it was freshmen quarterbacks Jayden Daniels and Ethan Long’s turn to man the offense.

Last practice: Tuesday, February 5

Next practice: Friday, February 8

Injury update

Tillman safety Tyler Whiley watched on the side and gave advice to other defensive backs as he is still rehabbing. Linebacker Tyler Johnson, defensive lineman D.J. Davidson, linebacker Stanley Lambert, wide receiver John Humphrey were doing their work to the side again from their long-term injuries. Cornerback Dominique Harrison and Mark Walton, previously a tight end, but defensive coordinator Danny Gonzales confirmed he’s switched to defensive end, also sat out practice to the side. Cornerback Chase Lucas was not in attendance again due to a family matter.

What went on

A day after Dillion Sterling-Cole and Joey Yellen were the primary quarterbacks during 7-on-7s and full team scrimmage looks, Jayden Daniels and Ethan Long took their turns.

Daniels didn’t have any speculator plays that popped to that eye, but looked like the better quarterback of the day. Multiple times we saw his big arm during drills and attempting deep balls against the defense. However, the most impressive throws for him came from a short pass over the middle where he fit a laser throw between town defenders. The other was when Daniels was forced to scramble and ended up finding running back Demetrious Flowers, making the throw on the run.

Long’s day saw its up and downs. On one pass over the middle he was looking for tight end Curtis Hodges, but the ball wasn’t near him. It looked more as if the two weren’t on the same page. He also threw an interception right at linebacker Connor Soelle. Long did follow it up on a nice looking deep ball to wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk, who got by cornerback Timarcus Davis for a touchdown. The offense, as expected, looks a lot simpler than when Sterling-Cole is behind center.

Speaking of Sterling-Cole, he once again showed off his long ball that’s looked very good the past two days. In one-on-one drills with ball catchers and defenders, Sterling-Cole put a perfect ball toward the sideline for wide receiver Frank Darby. Darby got enough space away from cornerback Kobe Williams. The two battled all day, Williams was able to rip out one catch at the last second from Darby. Then Darby got a step on him on a comeback route and held on to it after a nice pursuit hit by Williams to dislodge the ball.

The offensive line also saw some shifts from Tuesday. Guard Alex Losoya returned to the field after sitting out on Tuesday. He split time at left guard with Cade Cote. Steven Miller and Roy Hemsley flipped from the day before with Miller as the tackle and Hemsley as the guard on the right side.

On defense, Gonzales confirmed that linebacker Merlin Robertson was playing the MIKE and Darien Butler was on the outside to help train them to do any of the spots. He also mentioned that the team would play left and right sides, so they can help disguise coverages to quarterbacks.

First-team Offense

QB: Jayden Daniels/Ethan Long

RB: Eno Benjamin/Isaiah Floyd

WR: Brandon Aiyuk, Kyle Williams, Frank Darby, Geordon Porter

TE: Tommy Hudson/Curtis Hodges

OL: Zach Robertson (LT), Cade Cote/Alex Losoya (LG), Cohl Cabral (C), Roy Hemsley (RG), Steven Miller (RT)

First-team Defense

DL: Shannon Forman, Jermayne Lole, George Lea

LB: Darien Butler, Merlin Robertson, Khaylan Kearse-Thomas

CB: Timarcus Davis, Kobe Williams

Tillman: Evan Fields

S: Cam Phillips, Aashari Crosswell

Second-team Offense

QB: Dillion Sterling-Cole/Joey Yellen

RB: A.J. Carter, Paul Lucas, Demetrious Flowers

WR: C.J. Jarmon, , Keith Davis, Tyerell Baldonado-Kaelopu, Angel Ruiz

TE: Jared Bubak

OL: Ralph Frias (LT), Dohnovan West (LG), Jarrett Bell (C), Marco Salas (RG), Spencer Lovell(RT)

Second-team Defense

DL: Michael Matus, Corey Stephens

LB: Kyle Soelle, Case Hatch, Reggie Hughes

CB: Terin Adams ,Darien Cornay

Tillman: Ely Doyle

S: Langston Frederick, K.J. Jarrell