Arizona State football: Three things to watch against Oklahoma State

TEMPE, Ariz. — The city of Tempe is buzzing as Arizona State football’s non-conference matchup against Oklahoma State inches closer and closer. The two teams met last year, and Arizona State lost on the road, but this is a completely new team, and many think the Sun Devils have a chance. This time next year Arizona State will be in the Big 12, and Oklahoma State will officially become a conference opponent. Whichever team wins today has a chance to carry that momentum into future Big 12 matchups next season.

There’s not a ton of info out there on either team since they both played FCS opponents in Week 1. However, I’ve compiled three things to watch for in the matchup.

Three things to watch in Arizona State football’s game against Oklahoma State

The QB situation at Oklahoma State

The Cowboys will be playing three different quarterbacks during the game Saturday. Yes, three. All of them have their own strength and weaknesses, which is difficult for a defense to prepare for. All three of the quarterbacks played nearly the same amount against Central Arkansas.

Alan Bowman: Bowman is Oklahoma State’s most pass-heavy quarterback. He threw the ball 24 times against Central Arkansas (that’s what the other two combined for). However, he struggled… a lot. Bowman went 13/24 for only 80 yards and a QBR of 19.0. He also had two carries for negative two yards.

When Bowman is in the game the Sun Devil secondary will need to be on high alert, as this typically means Oklahoma State is looking to throw it. If he has another poor performance like he did against Central Arkansas, the defense will need to capitalize. Look for the Arizona State pass defense to step up when Bowman is on the field.

Gunnar Gundy: Gunnar Gundy, son of head coach Mike Gundy, arguably put together the best performance against Central Arkansas. He only threw it nine times but completed seven of his passes for 106 yards. His average yards-per-completion was 11.8, tripling Bowman’s average of 3.3. He also had two runs for 20 yards.

Brian Ward’s defense will need to make sure to not give up any easy scramble yards to Gundy. They also can’t let him get in a rhythm and pick apart the defense like he did in Week 1. Look for Arizona State to dial up some pressure when Gundy comes in to prevent him from settling down.

Garret Rangel: Rangel had the most yards for the Cowboys in Week 1. He went 10/15 for 118 yards and added a touchdown. However, he also was the only one to throw an interception.

Despite throwing the interception, Rangel had a nice game through the air, and he certainly looked more threatening than Bowman. It’s important to remember that while both Rangel and Gundy had better games throwing the football than Bowman, Oklahoma State ran more run plays with those two under center.

Whether or not that trend will continue into Week 2, it’s impossible to know, but it’s certainly something to keep an eye out for.

Oklahoma State’s unique defense

Oklahoma State runs a 3-3-5 defense, which is somewhat rare in college football. On Monday, Arizona State head coach Kenny Dillingham, discussed the Cowboy defense a bit and how unique it is. It’s something that he’s seen a little bit in the Big 12 and he’s seen it a little bit in the American conference.

How a 3-3-5 defense works is the defense uses three defensive linemen, three inside linebackers, and five defensive backs. It’s considered a high-risk, high-reward defense. This type of defense relies on faster, more athletic, and sometimes smaller defenders than a more traditional defense.

The biggest strength of the defense is the flexibility and versatility of the scheme. They can play Cover 1 or Cover 3 without tipping any signs of the coverage. They’re also able to easily blitz a linebacker to add extra pressure, all from the same pre-snap look.

So what are its weaknesses? Outside runs as well as deep throws can be good ways of attacking it. Look for Arizona State to run some rushing plays with Cameron Skattebo toward the edge. Pulling guards can be very successful with this defense. Also, keep an eye out for Jalin Conyers being used as a lead blocker.

As far as the passing game goes, vertical concepts attack Cover 3 extremely well. Cover 3 is the base coverage for most 3-3-5 defenses. Jaden Rashada will need to attack the seam, and after Week 1, ASU fans should trust his deep ball.

The last way to attack a 3-3-5 defense that I’ll mention is the “Trips” formation. The Trips formation is when you have three receivers on one side of the play. What this does against a 3-3-5 defense is pull defenders away from the box. It should leave five defenders in the box, available to stop the run. Well, you do the math, five offensive linemen and five defenders. That’s a great opportunity for Cameron Skattebo or DeCarlos Brooks to get free yards.

We’ll see what Kenny Dillingham and offensive coordinator Beau Baldwin draw up against the unique defense.

Getting Rashada in rhythm

Saturday will be the biggest game true freshman Jaden Rashada has ever played in. He had a fantastic first half against Southern Utah but struggled a bit in the second half. Of course, there was the abnormal circumstance of having a two-and-a-half-hour halftime.

After the game, Dillingham took some responsibility for Rashada’s second-half struggles. Dillingham claimed that he needed to do a better job of getting Rashada in rhythm.

Look for Arizona State to have multiple easy throws drawn up on the first drive to get Rashada comfortable. Different screens, slants, swing passes, etc. Just routine throws that he can make to settle down.

Once he gets settled and into a rhythm, then Dillingham can open up the playbook and let Rashada flex his deep ball ability.

If Rashada can get into a rhythm early and make the right reads against Oklahoma State’s 3-3-5 defense, it could be a long night for the Cowboys.

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