‘I’m having fun at the 1-on-1 casino’


Here are notes and observations from Arizona State’s Wednesday practice during its second bye week of the season. Media members were allowed to watch most of the session, which lasted about two hours and was conducted in helmets at the Kajikawa Practice Fields. Young players or those who do not receive that many game snaps wore full pads to conclude practice with their own 11-on-11 period.

Note: We are unable to report which players were not observed at practice per ASU football policy.

Returned to practice: Junior safety Myles Rowser

Injuries: Redshirt freshman quarterback Sam Leavitt is questionable for Oklahoma State, ASU head coach Kenny Dillingham said on Monday, due to a fractured rib injury he sustained against Utah. Dillingham said that “things are better than expected” for sophomore cornerback Javan Robinson, who was observed wearing a sling after he left Saturday’s game at Cincinnati. Senior wide receiver Xavier Guillory dressed but did not play at Cincinnati due to a hamstring injury. Redshirt sophomore running back Raleek Brown is still recovering from a lingering hamstring injury. Sophomore nickel Cole Martin is out for the season for surgery “on a few items that have been lingering since he got here,” Dillingham said. Senior defensive lineman Anthonie Cooper (ACL tear in April) is expected to miss much of the season, at minimum. Sophomore offensive tackle Jalen Klemm, who is out for an undetermined length of time due to a health-related issue, has been observed in attendance as a non-participant in recent weeks. Some players did not participate Wednesday, but we can’t report specifics on injuries observed due to Arizona State’s policy.

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Practice Notes

— ASU opted to follow a similar schedule Wednesday as to its Tuesday practice, as key personnel wore helmets but no pads while younger players and backups were fully padded. The decision was made in an attempt to lessen the workload for important contributors with no opponent to prepare for during the bye week. Freshman walk-on quarterback Navi Bruzon had a pass deflected over the middle by two defenders, but walk-on redshirt freshman wide receiver Derek Eusebio dove through the air to make a play on the ball. It was the second consecutive day Eusebio made impressive plays during 11-on-11 sessions. Later on, Bruzon connected with senior wide receiver Malik McClain for at least a 45-yard pass down the sideline. Freshman cornerback Rodney Bimage made an incredible one-handed interception Wednesday, completely extending his arm to snag a ball that was thrown too high by walk-on redshirt freshman quarterback Christian Hunt. The program has also spent time working on special teams this week with its freshman, experimenting with who could receive reps. Dillingham highlighted freshman defensive backs Plas Johnson and Chris Johnson, Bimage, and freshman defensive ends Albert Smith and Salesi Manu as players who have flashed.

“We’re focusing on special teams with those guys here,” head coach Kenny Dillingham said. “I mean, we spent about 30 minutes on it in two days with just that group to see who can help us there while maintaining their redshirts. And it’s pretty impressive, to be honest. Plas, Rodney, Albert, Salesi — that’s just naming a few — (and) Chris Johnson that are starting to like, ‘Whoa, those guys can help us.'”

—  Freshman running back Jason Brown had a long run play during his 11-on-11 session, finding a hole before bursting through. Brown played well Tuesday too, showcasing his potential as an explosive runner through his reps in the bye week. ASU’s running back group has multiple players in front of Brown, making him likely to head toward a redshirt season.

“These are awesome opportunities for guys like Jason and for us as coaches to see those guys run around too,” offensive coordinator Marcus Arroyo said. “Jason is awesome. I think he’s a promising kid, we’ve evaluated and a young guy that we’ve seen has talent and showed that in some camp flashes, but as soon as you get the season, you don’t see those guys as much with the scout team. So the two bye weeks are awesome for us to see guys run around, be live and go. Jason’s a guy who’s going to be awesome in our offense, and he fits it well. Real durable, quick, hard to tackle, can run and catch, and his toughness and durability have been showing in each of these bye weeks when he goes against these guys.”

— The Sun Devils’ offensive and defensive line 1-on-1 session was one of the most competitive periods Wednesday, even though no two-deep members took any reps. Senior walk-on Brandon Lloyd, a 6-foot-10, 370-pound offensive lineman from Jamaica, impressed in his two reps, one of which saw him throw Manu to the ground. Junior defensive end Justin Wodtly increased the fun with push-up wagers, betting with junior offensive tackle Josh Atkins on who would win each rep. “I’m having fun at the 1-on-1 casino!” Wodtly said. ASU’s offensive linemen often did push-ups due to losing more reps than their defensive counterparts, causing players to back out of their bets. Atkins tried to avoid Wodtly’s payout after one particular rep, but Wodtly wasn’t letting him off easy, saying, “Ya’ll left the table? Y’all left the casino?” After the final 1-on-1, which ended as another three push-ups for Atkins, Wodtly continued his trash talk as he ran to the next field. “Nice doing business with you!”

— Scouts from the Arizona Cardinals were in attendance Wednesday.



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