Left Lane, Hammer Down to Albuquerque. While Taylor Kelly, D.J. Foster and Jaelen Strong look poised for more success this week, let’s consider this second installment of the 2014 season to be about the green ASU Defense vs the New Mexico Lobos.

UNM, led by one-time Notre Dame Head Coach Bob Davie, will challenge the young and inexperienced ASU defense with an offensive scheme that they won’t see for the remainder of the regular season. 

The Lobos’ triple-option attack was at one point a very prevalent scheme run by power-houses Oklahoma, Nebraska, and Notre Dame among others. Notre Dame’s last National Championship in 1988 came via the triple option. So the ASU Defense must be prepared.

The New Mexico Lobos triple-option features three potential ball carriers:

The QB has the option to give to a fullback on a dive play between the tackles (reading the defensive end). He can choose to pull the ball from the FB to attack the defenses “edge”. In this case, the QB reads either a linebacker or defensive back to determine whether to keep the ball or pitch it to the trailing running back, known as the “pitch back”. 

This scheme puts a tremendous amount of pressure on outside defenders who must maintain disciplined assignments at all times.

Under third-year ASU head coach Todd Graham, the “Hell’s Gate” ASU defense has only seen a true triple-option in their 2012 Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl win against NAVY.  That defense was largely successful in slowing down NAVY because former players DT Will Sutton and Devil Backer Carl Bradford routinely caused havoc in the backfield before the offensive play could even develop. 

Can the upstart ASU Defense replicate that success against the Lobos?

Without the benefit of an elite D-line, a ton of pressure will fall on SPUR LB Laiu Moeakiola and the promosing Freshman WILL LB DJ Calhoun. Moeakiola’s decision-making, lateral pursuit, and open-field tackling will all be tested early and often. Calhoun will be called upon to prevent big rushing gains both on the inside and on the perimeter.

If UNM is able to pick up where they left off from their 449 yard rushing effort in a 31-24 loss to UTEP, that will force ASU’s secondary to play closer to the line of scrimmage in run support. In turn, they can become susceptible to play-action passes to a capable stable of New Mexico receivers.
 
DT Junior Jaxon Hood was quoted earlier this week saying that this is the fastest defense he’s been a part of since arriving in Tempe. That speed on the ASU defense will be tested this week. The superior athletes on the ASU roster should help prevent multiple big plays, but like any underdog playing in front of their home crowd, the Lobos pose a very dangerous threat to an inexperienced Sun Devil defense.

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In his week 2 press conference, New Mexico Head Coach Bob Davie discusses UNM’s match-up with Arizona State. Forward to the 12-minute mark for his comments.