TEMPE -- Arizona State coach Todd Graham needs his team to win the special teams battle every week this season. With so much inexperience on both sides of the ball, Graham wants points from returner Jamal Miles and kicker Alex Garoutte, sound tackling from his coverage teams and high, booming punts from Josh Hubner.
But to aid his cause, Graham is taking a risk. He’s going to play some of his starters on special teams, including top running back Cameron Marshall, who rushed for 1,050 yards and a school-record 18 TDs last season, despite knee and ankle injuries.
“We’re going to play our best players on special teams,” Graham said Tuesday. “Cam will be on punt block. Cam will be on kickoff coverage. And yeah, I know he’s one of the best running backs in the country.”
Graham understands the injury and fatigue risks he’s taking with such a move.
“Where that hurts you is down in the schedule, those last weeks, 10th, 11th, 12th week so we’ve got to have enough guys (step up),” Graham said. “I feel good about our guys one deep. But that’s kind of the thing that’s concerning. I think we’re so thin.”
So Graham will roll the dice and hope his starters can produce a bowl game when few outside the program expect them to.
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