How Arizona State Will Adjust to Key Players' Absence
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TEMPE -- In today's episode of the Arizona State Sun Devils Insider Podcast, we take a look at the implications of the team missing Jordyn Tyson this week - and how they can/will adjust this week against the Houston Cougars.
To listen to today's podcast, view below.
Below is a partial transcript of both Kenny Dillingham and Marcus Arroyo following Wednesday's practice.
Dillingham on Week of Practice
"I've been happy with practice. I've been happy with the physicality of practice. I've happy with the guys that are questionable, maybe not getting reps, you know, watching reps and being dialed in. So yeah, I'm excited. We got a good football team coming in here. We better. Doesn't matter who takes the field, you better be ready to strap it up and play six minutes football."
On Protecting Tyson's Health
"I'm not ready to comment on that right now. This is something I'm, you know, trying to protect him from himself. There's a competitor out there, you know, play headlines the end of last game, making plays. So this is something that, you know, we're making a decision to kind of protect him from him a little bit, because he is such a competitor."
On Distribution in Passing Game
"I mean, I think people in general just have to step up, whether it's tight ends. So yes, anytime this tight end can become a friend, it's positive quarterback, tight ends, wide receivers, running backs. We want to get the ball to different types of people. Day our production will throw into seven or eight guys, kick completions. I think that's the style of football you want to be able to play."
Dillingham On Tyson's Role as Leader
"That's huge. I mean, the respect they have for him. I mean, you're around the top wide receiver goes football for the draft this year, anytime you're around that guy, that's something we better learn from, because there's not many of them. So you better soak in what he saying, and you better you better learn what he's telling you."
Arroyo On Jaren Hamilton
"Yeah, Jaren, you know, he's a guy that's constantly found, you know, a little bit of niche each week. You know, we slowly got him back into the groove and feeling like, you know, he's playing fast in the game and feeling comfortable in the game situations. He's an explosive player, trying to find ways to get him balls down the field, which we're doing that more often. And he's understand that he's getting a little more confident. You can see that a little bit too, which is cool."
Arroyo on Offensive Line Performance
"I could be more proud of the way that those guys played. We did a lot of stuff last week to kind of put us through some situations where it's one of the best, you know, defenses in the country. And there's, I mean, they got true freshmen out there playing. We got our third center out there playing. We got a lot of different concepts in last week to be able to protect us, or kind of manipulate certain things and protections to take care of those guys.
And I couldn't be more fired up about the way those guys played. I mean, it was imperfect. You knew some of those guys made home on certain downs, but they battled, man, they battle and fought. And, I mean, you got fresh two freshmen going in there and battling, the third Center's going in there, battling and, I mean, it fires you up and fires you up to have a group like that who says, You know what, I'm ready to go..."
Read more on why the Arizona State men's basketball team will exceed expectations in the 2025-26 season here, and on three major takeaways from the win over Texas Tech here.
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Kevin Hicks is an Arizona State alumni and now serves as the Arizona State Beat Writer On SI.