Kansas State Football: Depth Chart Review – Arizona State

Defensive Line

Note: Starters are bolded, stats from Pro Football Focus and ESPN

Defensive End

1. Wendell Gregory:Snaps – 46 – Tackles – 4 – Sacks – 1 – T.F.L. – 1
2. Jordan Allen:Snaps – 40 – Tackles – 8 – Sacks – 2 – T.F.L. – 2
3. Darien Whitaker Jr.: Snaps – 42 – Tackles – 1
4. Jayden Bryant: Snaps – 29 – Tackles – 1 – Sacks – 1 – T.F.L. – 1

Nose Tackle

1. Kamari Burns: Snaps – 25 – Tackles – 2

Defensive Tackle

1. Travis Bates:Snaps – 63 – No Stats
2. Eli Jackson:Snaps – 33 – Tackles – 1
3. De’Arieun Hicks: Snaps – 6 – Tackles – 1

Grade: C+

This unit is tough to grade. Arizona State’s lead back, Cardae Mack, rushed for 159 yards and 4 touchdowns on 26 attempts. Normally, that falls on the defensive line, and while they share some of the blame, a good bit also falls on the linebacker and safeties.

Even though the run defense struggled, the pass rush was consistent. Once again, the defensive ends lived in the backfield, generating 10 quarterback pressures, including 4 sacks and 3 hits on the Sun Devil’s quarterback. One of those quarterback hits knocked ASU starter Mikey Keene out of the game with a leg injury, which, in retrospect, may have hurt Kansas State more than it helped.

Jordan Allen, on the other hand, played his best game of the season by far. He looks as close to 100% as you can be at this point in the season, and he’s shaken off the rust from missing time early in the year. He was the best player on the field for the Wildcats, on either side of the ball. He led the team with 2 sacks and also batted down a pass at the line of scrimmage. He also recorded 2 run stops, but he missed a tackle. If Kansas State can get this type of performance from Allen on a regular basis, they’ll continue to have one of the more disruptive defensive lines in the nation.

Speaking of disruptive, Wendell Gregory continues to terrorize Big 12 quarterbacks. He was credited with a team-high 3 quarterback pressures, including a sack. Unfortunately, his pass-rush acumen didn’t translate to the run game. To his credit, he made a tackle for loss, but he also missed 2 tackles. Arizona State made it a point to run at the Wildcat’s athletic defensive ends, and found solid success.

Former starter Darrien Whitaker Jr. has transitioned to a more pass-rush-centric role with Allen back in the fold. That’s good, because he’s a bit of a one-trick pony. He managed 2 hits on the quarterback in 19 pass-rush attempts but recorded only 1 missed tackle on 19 rush attempts. He has the potential to be a star but needs to toughen up his run defense and stop relying solely on his athletic ability. If he doesn’t, teams will run at him whenever he’s on the field.

Last but not least, all Jayden Bryant does is produce when he’s on the field. He recorded another sack against Arizona State and earned an additional hurry in 18 pass-rush opportunities. Like Whitaker Jr., he’s mostly used on clear passing downs.

On the interior line, Travis Bates returned to his cardio-centric play after turning in his best performance of the season against Kansas. The defensive staff bets that Bates’s productivity will offset the fact that he’s a defensive end playing defensive tackle. He was credited with a hit on the quarterback but recorded no stats on 30 Arizona State rushing attempts. Kansas State lost their bet last week.

Eli Jackson and Kamari Burns continue to split time at the other defensive tackle spot. Together, they recorded 4 stops in the run game, which wouldn’t be terrible if Bates were more productive. That wasn’t the case on Saturday. Arizona State did most of their damage in the run game on the edges, so that’s a positive note for the defensive tackles at least.

Linebacker

Middle Linebacker

1. Gabe Powers:Snaps – 18 – Tackles – 4
2. Asa Newsom: Snaps – 25 – Tackles – 4 – T.F.L. – 1

Weak Side Linebacker

1. Mekhi Mason:Snaps – 64 – Tackles – 7 – T.F.L. – 1
2. Rex Van Wyhe: Snaps – 41 – Tackles – 5

Grade: C

Gabe Powers gave it the ole’ college try but only lasted 18 snaps after suffering an injury last week. That left most linebacker snaps to Mekhi Mason and Rex Van Wyhe. I’m a Van Wyhe fan, but I like him in smaller, more concentrated doses. He’s not a sideline-to-sideline linebacker like Powers, and Arizona State focused on attacking the edges for the Kansas State defense. Mason played well, but his role shifts when Powers is off the field. With Powers, he can stay inside and utilize his running-stuffing ability. With Van Wyhe, he ends up playing more on the edges, where he’s still good, but has to rely more on his speed, which isn’t his strongest suit.

Defensive Coordinator Jordan Peterson’s answer to the speed problem at linebacker was to give Asa Newsom the most action he’s seen this season. Like Jordan Allen, Asa was banged up in camp and couldn’t give the new defensive staff a true accounting of his talent. In terms of playing style, his game is closer to Powers than Van Wyhe; that helps Mason as well.

I think you’ll see more Newsom and less Van Wyhe moving forward if Powers remains limited. This group was OK, but their lack of speed was exploited on perimeter runs.

Secondary

Cornerback

1. JoJo Scott:Snaps – 57- Tackles – 4 – Targeted – 9 – Rec Al. – 4 – Yds – 91
2. Zashon Rich:Snaps – 55 – Tackles – 5 – Targeted – 9 – Rec Al. – 5 – Yds – 88
3. Kaleb Patterson: Snaps – 44 – No Stats – Targeted – 2 – Rec. Al. – 1 – Yds – 6
4. Donovan McIntosh: Snaps – 27 – Tackles – 1- Targeted – 3 – Rec Al. – 1 – Yds – 7

Nickel Corner

Nick McClellan:Snaps – 27 – Tackles – 3 – T.F.L. – 2 – Targeted – 1 – Rec Al. – 1 – Yds – 6

Corner Grade: B-

I was wondering when a team would go after JoJo Scott, and Arizona State quenched my curiosity. They went after Scott early and often, and while he was credited with 2 pass breakups and 2 forced incompletions, he also gave up a 51-yard reception and committed a pass interference penalty. He started on the outside but gave way to Kaleb Patterson and moved back to his more familiar slot corner position. JoJo has been a revelation for the Wildcat secondary this season, but life is a little different under the microscope on the outside.

Nick McClellan started the game at slot corner and did a solid job. He was targeted once and gave up 1 reception, but it only covered 6 yards. He’ll continue to get bench snaps this season, but he should be in a prime position to start at slot corner next season (all portal disclaimers apply).

Speaking of which, Zashon Rich returned to the starting lineup after starting the game on the bench against Kansas, following his lackluster performance against Houston. He responded with a solid game, including pass breakups and 3 forced interceptions. Unfortunately, he also gave up 17.6 yards per reception, including a 39-yard pass.

Like Rich, Kaleb Patterson found himself on the bench against Kansas because of the Houston game. Unlike Rich, he didn’t leave the bench against the Jayhawks. He was back in the mix against ASU and held up well, giving up only 6 yards; meanwhile, JoJo Scott dealt with the traffic he usually faced as CB2 on the outside. I wouldn’t be surprised if Patterson returned to the starting corner spot in the next game.

Free Safety

Koy Beasley:Snaps – 71 – Tackles – 6 – Targeted – 2 – Rec Al.– 1 – Yds – 22

Strong Safety

Logan Bartley: Snaps – 72 – Tackles – 11 – Targeted – 6 – Rec Al.– 4 – Yds – 46

Safety Grade: C

Bartley led the team with 11 tackles, including 5 run stops, and didn’t miss a tackle. Jordan Allen was the best player on defense, but Bartley was close behind. At this point, he’s more of a de facto linebacker than a strong safety. He lined up in the run box 53 and did a good job of getting outside and keeping ASU from doing even more damage with their outside run game. He’s another player who projects as a key part of the Kansas State defense moving forward (transfer portal disclaimer).

Unfortunately, this wasn’t a great game for Koy Beasley. Keep in mind, he’s listed at 5’10”, 185 pounds, and that’s on a tall day after a breakfast buffet. He was active in run defense, making 5 tackles, but he also missed 3. I still don’t understand why Jordan Peterson refuses to use more than one player at this position. Beasley is a slot corner playing free safety. He’s the fastest player on the team and can handle being the only deep safety because he covers so much ground. The problem occurs when Beasley has to line up as a box safety and make tackles in the run game. I remember one of his “missed” tackles where he tried to put a shoulder into a running back and bounced off like the back was utilizing a force field.

Continuity in the back end helps reduce mistakes, and Beasley’s speed lets Peterson unleash Bartley, but I’d rather have one of the other safeties on the field when the opposition runs outside in the alleys. I’m not sure what Wesley Fair has done to get buried on the depth chart, because I’d take him over Beasley 10/10 times when it comes to making a play in the run game. I’d take Beasley over Fair 10/10 times in coverage. Combined, they make a balanced safety, but Beasley on his own leaves much to be desired.