ASU football notebook: Kicker Weber still No. 1 punter

Arizona State is little more than halfway through training camp, but Zach Richards could be running out of time in his bid to win the team's punting job from Thomas Weber.

Coach Dennis Erickson has said that neither Richards or walk-on Trevor Hankins have out-punted Weber, the reigning Lou Groza Award winner as the top kicker in the nation.

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However, Richards plans to keep competing until all his kicks are in. He pressed Weber for the kicking job last August and - despite the equivalent of being behind Albert Pujols in the minor league system - chose to stay at ASU.

"I thought about leaving, but I like Arizona too much," said Richards, a redshirt freshman. "I couldn't see myself playing anywhere else. Being behind Thomas helped me in a lot of ways. He's the best, so he's a great example to strive for."

Richards turned to punting, a job he did at Phoenix Thunderbird High and drew more attention from recruiters than his kicking. He worked with former NFL kicker Max Zendejas on punting technique during the offseason.

"My form is better than in high school," Richards said. "In high school, I was never taught how to punt; I just did it based on soccer. I've got the form down and worked with Max and am hitting the ball better."

So far, that effort has been for naught. Erickson would prefer that Weber not punt, so Richards and Hankins should still get every opportunity to show that they can do the duty.

"I'm fighting for the job until the end of camp," Richards said.

INJURY REPORT

Receivers Kyle Williams (concussion) and Brandon Smith (hamstring) took part in both practices on Wednesday, and running back Keegan Herring (shoulder) fully participated in the second workout, which was in half-pads.

Center Thomas Altieri (concussion); receivers Michael Jones (concussion) and Chris McGaha (toe) and running back Shaun DeWitty (hamstring) were out. Receiver Nate Kimbrough (eye) was limited to kickoff-return drills during the second practice.

"We haven't had a serious injury, knock on wood," Erickson said. "I think there's a good chance all of our guys could be back by Saturday's scrimmage (at Camp Tontozona)."

FIRST AND GOAL

The Sun Devils worked on goal-line situations for the first time in camp during the first practice, and the exercise was high spirited. The biggest personnel item of note was tight end Wes Evans, who lined up as a fullback.

Evans, a senior who moved from defensive end last year, showed he can be an effective lead blocker.

"If you watched us last year, you know we have to get better on offense around the goal line," Erickson said. "There will be times where we'll have four tight ends (on the field), and one will be the fullback. We'll try to smash-mouth."

EXTRA POINTS

Tight end Steven Figueroa received the green light from the NCAA freshman eligibility clearinghouse, leaving walk-on receiver Tony Simmons as the only player still off the field due to an academic holdup....

Wide receiver Kemonte Bateman, who did not qualify, visited practice. He is taking classes at Pasadena (Calif.) College, with the goal of qualifying for the spring semester....

The first serious fight of camp occurred during the first practice, when junior running back Jarrell Woods and freshman cornerback Josh Jordan got into a fracas and had to be separated.