Defense rules ASU’s scrimmage

CAMP TONTOZONA - What was possibly the final foray into the preseason pines for Arizona State football served as evidence that the team’s rebuilt offensive line is not out of the woods yet.

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SLIDESHOW: ASU's scrimmage at Camp Tontozona

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The day trip to Camp Tontozona on Saturday featured a scrimmage that was controlled by the defense, which collected four sacks, forced six false start penalties and held ASU’s top two running backs to 3 yards on the ground.

“It was easy to sit on the sideline and see that there was penetration, and I agree, there was,” coach Dennis Erickson said. “There’s no question we have to get better there. We’re not where we need to be. We have to run the ball a lot better and pass protect a lot better.”

An offensive line with three new starters — including tackles Jon Hargis and Adam Tello, who have not played in a Division I game at their positions — won praise from Erickson after a scrimmage at practice in Tempe on Tuesday. But the unit showed leakage on Saturday.

Keegan Herring had a 4-yard touchdown run, but he finished with minus-5 yards on four carries, and Dimitri Nance had 8 yards on five attempts. ASU’s defensive line, particularly true freshman rush end Lawrence Guy, got into the backfield regularly.

“The defense played well all day,” said quarterback Rudy Carpenter, who was 10-for-16 for 113 yards. “The offense did some good things, but obviously, there are things to work on off every scrimmage.”

The Sun Devils were without their two most productive wide receivers from last season: Chris McGaha (toe) and Michael Jones (concussion).

ASU’s most noteworthy offensive plays on Saturday came from a quarterback and running back that are currently no higher than fifth on the depth chart at their positions and will redshirt this season.

Jack Elway tossed a 27-yard touchdown pass to freshman receiver Keelan Johnson, and James Morrison ran for 67 yards on 10 carries, including a 45-yard scamper and an impressive 3-yard loss in which he stayed on his feet following a vicious hit from linebacker Oliver Aaron.

“We’re not executing well at any place on offense, really,” Erickson said. “We have a lot of work to do there the next two weeks, a lot of work.”

In other scrimmage news:

• Guy, defensive end Jamarr Robinson and true freshman linebackers Shelly Lyons and Brandon Magee had sacks. DE Dexter Davis made a deft interception of a pass from backup QB Danny Sullivan (8-for-19 for 72 yards).

“I thought the energy and the execution of the defense was good,” middle linebacker Gerald Munns said. “We played good assignment football. But we have to clean up some things, like tackling. We missed some tackles.”

• Kyle Williams was the leading receiver, with six catches for 66 yards.

• Thomas Weber solidified his hold on the punting job, unleashing boots of 46 and 60 yards and planting a 31-yard kick inside the 10.

“Thomas has kicked extremely well, but what I’m most excited about is how he is punting,” Erickson said. “You look at his punting last year compared to this year, and he’s doing it extremely well.”

In the end, the biggest star on Saturday was Camp Tontozona, a preseason retreat for the Sun Devils since 1960 that has been made obsolete by the new indoor practice facility on campus.

A crowd estimated at 3,200 soaked in the sun, and many sought autographs and pictures from players and coaches after the football was finished.

“We’ve had a pretty good tradition of coming up here to camp,” Carpenter said. “But times change, and we need better facilities for our training and medical staff and our weight room. All those things help us get better, and sometimes that means you have to let some other things go.”