Sun Devils Enter Final Week of Spring Practice Preaching Pride, Consistency

The Sun Devils look to put the finishing touches on the few spring practices they have left.

Author:
Donnie Druin
Publish date:
Apr 4, 2022 8:48 PM EDT

TEMPE -- With only a handful of practices left for Arizona State's spring session, the Sun Devils are crossing their t's and dotting their i's.

No stone will be left unturned as ASU caps off a productive four-week practice period that will conclude at Sun Devil Stadium on Saturday, April 9 with their spring game that is free for public viewing.

The battle for the open quarterback job has been closely followed, as Paul Tyson and Trenton Bourguet are the heavy favorites to ultimately lead ASU when the season begins.

"We're trying to push each other and make each other better, and at the end of the day, the best guy will play," said Bourguet to reporters last week about the competition.

Tyson took first-team snaps with the Sun Devils during the open portion of practice Monday and looked fairly strong, threading a pass between two defenders to receiver Ricky Pearsall over the middle of the field and later pushed the ball downfield for a successful completion on a post route.

Growth has been a major topic of discussion for ASU since the team hit the field. Installing a new offense and defense is no easy task, which has impacted both coaches and players.

Arizona State has dealt with the loss of starters across nearly the entire depth chart while also replacing five coaching spots during the winter.

"I had to learn the defense on the fly and on the go," said linebackers coach Chris Claiborne. "Being able to have the time to sit down and talk with Marvin (Lewis) and learn the defense more allows me to expand on my coaching. So I'm excited to show up every day to get my guys better. I think they've had a pretty good spring so far."

When asked what messages he hopes to deliver in the final week of practice, Claiborne said the little things matter the most in a competitive atmosphere.

"I think the main thing is being consistent and having pride in your craft, right? Having depth throughout (the team is important). There shouldn't be no one's (starters); there should just be a group of guys and that's the thing we're trying to establish in that room," said Claiborne.

"We want the guys that are a little bit behind to catch up and be on the same level and push them. Mentally and physically we compete again, every day at everything."

The Sun Devils will have three practices left until their players are off-limits until later in the summer. Each moment is valuable on and off the field, as the early bricks of what Arizona State intends on building in 2022 are currently being laid.

"That's the most important thing to me is that my guys play with confidence. The other stuff will take care of itself," Claiborne said.

There's no running around the process of becoming a great football team. The Sun Devils hope their recent hard work can push them through to the next level of that process.

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