4. Arizona State College Football Preview 2021: Defense
– All the D has to is hold serve. With the offense the Sun Devils are bringing, there’s no need to be Alabama here – just get off the field, and this group should do that. Last year’s team gave up a ton of yards, but it led the Pac-12 in scoring defense in the four-game run.
– It starts up front with the tackle combination of DJ Davidson and Jermaine Lole, two NFL-sized 300+ pounders who get into the backfield with the ability to anchor the rest of the defense against the run. Leading sacker Tyler Johnson is back in the rotation on one end – five sacks in the four games – as part of a very promising, very big front four.
– Between CB Chase Lucas and leading tackler Evan Fields at safety, the Sun Devils have two All-Pac-12 talents to lead the way in the secondary. With S DeAndre Pierce in a super-senior year, all four starters should be there in the defensive backfield – now the big plays have to come. Pierce is the only DB who came up with a pick last season. The other four came from the linebackers.
6-3, 250-pound Merlin Robertson and 235-pound Darien Butler are big linebackers who add even more size to the D behind the large tackles. The defensive backs make a whole lot of stops in the system, but those two thumpers help allow Kyle Soelle to fly around and get to the ball.
– What You Need To Know: Offense
– Top Players | Key Players, Games, Stats
– What Will Happen, Win Total Prediction