The swing pass for ASU is incredibly ineffective. I would say out of the 10 times they run it per game, it only gets positive yardage maybe twice, any other time it's a lateral fumble, a loss, or no gain. Teams like Oregon use that play also, but they use it very selectively, and it's not telegraphed like most of ASU's plays. It was nice, however, to see a lot more vertical routes by the receivers and actually throwing the ball downfield, they are a much better offense when they are aggressive.
Also on defense, it was nice to see some variety. They actually blitzed a couple times, and I saw a cover-0 called, was refreshing to see some form of imagination. I'm still waiting for the day we see a safety or CB blitz, but I don't think Bray can understand the concept, unfortunately. Burfict will be the #1 ILB taken in the draft, he's starting to play with more instinct, and when you square up with him, it's like hitting a brick wall, no one ever pushes him forward.
This is definitely a talented team, but the un-imaginative coaching is holding the team back from getting over the hump and beating quality teams. Offense telegraphs everything, it's pretty easy to tell what they're doing pre-snap, but it seems like Mazzone is starting to open up the play book a little bit more, which we desperately need. On defense, Bray plays more cover 2 than any team in the country, and that kills us against teams like Oregon who know how to adjust.
