Why ASU Fans Should Worry After Utah Blowout Loss

That was ugly. There is no other way to put ASU’s 10 to 42 loss to the Utah Utes. Now, credit to Utah, it was a game that they completely dominated from start to finish. Utah Head Coach Kyle Whittingham did a great job and his team, but there are reasons why ASU fans should be concerned.

Brian Ward’s unit had their worst game of the season by far as they allowed over 42 points. It was the first time this season that they allowed 30-plus points in a game. Now, Utah started the game hot as they had 21 points. However, ASU’s bend but don’t break defense that was prevalent in the Big 12 wins they had this season, against Baylor and TCU, was not present as Utah continued to produce points.

One of the elements that stood out the most was the bad tackling on display. Utah had so many runs that were extended due to ASU’s poor tackling angles and pursuit. This was especially prevalent with Quarterback Devon Dampier, who looked like the Baltimore Ravens‘ Lamar Jackson on the field with how well he was able to run the ball at the quarterback position.

This is especially concerning, especially since ASU is coming off of their bye week, a week of preparation and rest. For the defense to look this sloppy is a huge concern moving forward. Brian Ward’s unit simply did not play well and it is something that they need to fix, especially with a great offense in Texas Tech next week.

Another reason that Dampier was able to run so well was because of ASU’s lack of line play. Going to this game, ASU had a big challenge, to face Utah’s amazing line and they struggled.

Devon Dampier did not get sacked once and he had plenty of time back in the pocket. On the opposite side, ASU’s Jeff Sims was under pressure pretty constantly throughout the game. ASU’s line play has been good so far outside of this game, but the concern starts with the fact that their next opponent, the Texas Tech Red Raiders, is great in the trenches.

When it was known that Jeff Sims was going to start, it was said by ASU’s coaching staff that the game plan was not going to change from what they had with Sam Leavitt. Now, Sims was not bad in this game, but the game plan should have been changed with Sims starting. A lot of the passing plays were longer developing, which is just not Sims’s strength.

Sims has talent, and it was good for ASU to go deep on the first play or two to show that Marcus Arroyo had confidence in Sims. However, as the game went on, the team should have focused on the middle and short areas of the field.

If Sam Leavitt were starting, there is a high chance that ASU would not win. However, if Sims is starting next week against Texas Tech, then Arroyo needs to change the playbook.

This game was bad; there are no positives about it. However, this is a big rebounding point for ASU. Coach Dillingham has established a strong culture and it will be up to him and the rest of the team to hopefully get back on track this season. So, even though things look dire, there is hope.

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