By Craig Morgan, thesundevils.com Writer
Every college football coach talks about the importance of limiting penalties. Todd Graham's Sun Devils are walking the talk.
Since 2012, Graham's first season at Arizona State, the Sun Devils have committed the third fewest penalty yards per game in the nation at 34.57, according Stats Inc. That statistic is impressive enough, but it rises to an entirely different level when you see the company the Devils are keeping.
The schools occupying the No. 1, No. 2 and No. 4 slots over that four-year time period are the United States service academies, where discipline goes hand in hand with survival. Navy ranks first at 25.40 yards per game; Air Force ranks second at 34.08; and Army ranks fourth at 34.58. ASU is a full 13.5 yards per game better than its next closest Pac-12 competitor, Stanford.
Division I fewest penalty yards per game since 2012
(Minimum 4 seasons as Division I team)
Pac-12 fewest penalty yards per game since 2012
"There isn't a coach in the nation that doesn't talk about discipline, guys doing things the right way, character and integrity," Graham said. "But it's about getting the kids to buy into those values and getting them instilled. One of the things we do; one of the things that is at the core of who we are is to teach our players a love for this game and part of that is about respecting the game; playing by the rules.
"There are so many people nowadays who compromise, but we still say 'yes, sir' and 'no, sir.' We're still a no-earrings, no-bandanas and take-your-hat-off-at-lunch program. We teach our kids to look sharp and represent themselves sharp. Why do we need to do that? Because we represent this university, our fans and this community. I'm trying to teach them to stop thinking about themselves and think about something bigger than themselves."
Graham's greater goal is preparing the players for life beyond football as employees, husbands and fathers, but he believes that by buying into that overall value system, the Sun Devils will also buy into a more disciplined approach on the field. To the players' credit, he no longer has to police that aspect of the program. The players take care of it themselves.
"In practice when we compete against one another one-on-one, I might get a tug on a player that helps me make a play, but he'll say 'well, I felt that little tug so try not to be as noticeable with it or try to be more controlled with how you tackle of shed a block,'" senior safety Laiu Moeakiola said. "Sometimes we don't even see it on the field but we see it in film room so we get the corrections from players there."
Graham doesn't require consequences for penalties committed in practice or games, but the players have maintained a penal system that the coaches initially installed when Graham arrived.
"We keep each other accountable," Moeakiola said. "Like on the defense if you have an encroachment or offside, that's like a 100-yard up-down after practice or you might have to do an extra gasser (running the width of the football field four times) and nobody wants to do drills after practice when they're tired so that motivates you. We also have rewards, like if you get an interception, you can get those push-ups taken off your grand total that you have to do at the end of practice.
"It's not too serious; it's just about getting the point across because that penalty could be the difference on a drive or in a game. It's less about dropping the hammer down and more about a teachable moment."
That dovetails perfectly with Graham's overall approach. He has said repeatedly that among the most important characteristics he looks for in assistant coaches is their ability to teach.
"We believe wholeheartedly in the teacher model so when I hire a coach I want to hire great man and then I want a guy who is on fire to teach our players how to play the game the right way; to know the rules and then they can teach each other," Graham said. "We were dead last in the country in penalties the year before I arrived so you can see that you get what you emphasize. I take a great deal of pride in where we're at with penalties and so do the players.
"We have not had one targeting foul in my entire time here and when we had a roughing the quarterback penalty last year all the players were going crazy because they could not believe that happened to us."
At the same time, Graham knows there is more to discipline and winning than simply avoiding penalties.
"We lost some close games and when we went back and looked at the film it goes back to being disciplined in our assignments and reads and all the little things," he said. "We have to do a better job with those things and we will. It's already being emphasized and I'm already seeing it."
Every college football coach talks about the importance of limiting penalties. Todd Graham's Sun Devils are walking the talk.
Since 2012, Graham's first season at Arizona State, the Sun Devils have committed the third fewest penalty yards per game in the nation at 34.57, according Stats Inc. That statistic is impressive enough, but it rises to an entirely different level when you see the company the Devils are keeping.
The schools occupying the No. 1, No. 2 and No. 4 slots over that four-year time period are the United States service academies, where discipline goes hand in hand with survival. Navy ranks first at 25.40 yards per game; Air Force ranks second at 34.08; and Army ranks fourth at 34.58. ASU is a full 13.5 yards per game better than its next closest Pac-12 competitor, Stanford.
Division I fewest penalty yards per game since 2012
(Minimum 4 seasons as Division I team)
| Navy | 25.4 (1321/52) |
| Air Force | 34.1 (1772/52) |
| Arizona State | 34.6 (1832/53) |
| Army West Point | 34.6 (1660/48) |
| Georgia Tech | 37.6 (1992/53) |
| Iowa | 38.1 (1983/52) |
| Kansas State | 38.5 (2004/52) |
| Ball State | 38.6 (1932/50) |
| Boston College | 39.5 (1974/50) |
| UTEP | 39.5 (1935/49) |
Pac-12 fewest penalty yards per game since 2012
| Arizona State | 34.6 (1832/53) |
| Stanford | 48.1 (2643/55) |
| Arizona | 51.1 (2707/53) |
| Utah | 53.5 (2677/50) |
| Washington State | 54.6 (2729/50) |
| Colorado | 55.0 (2695/49) |
| Oregon State | 61.0 (3049/50) |
| Washington | 64.5 (3417/53) |
| USC | 66.7 (3603/54) |
| Oregon | 68.7 (3709/54) |
| California | 68.7 (3367/49) |
| UCLA | 77.7 (4116/53 |
"There isn't a coach in the nation that doesn't talk about discipline, guys doing things the right way, character and integrity," Graham said. "But it's about getting the kids to buy into those values and getting them instilled. One of the things we do; one of the things that is at the core of who we are is to teach our players a love for this game and part of that is about respecting the game; playing by the rules.
"There are so many people nowadays who compromise, but we still say 'yes, sir' and 'no, sir.' We're still a no-earrings, no-bandanas and take-your-hat-off-at-lunch program. We teach our kids to look sharp and represent themselves sharp. Why do we need to do that? Because we represent this university, our fans and this community. I'm trying to teach them to stop thinking about themselves and think about something bigger than themselves."
Graham's greater goal is preparing the players for life beyond football as employees, husbands and fathers, but he believes that by buying into that overall value system, the Sun Devils will also buy into a more disciplined approach on the field. To the players' credit, he no longer has to police that aspect of the program. The players take care of it themselves.
"In practice when we compete against one another one-on-one, I might get a tug on a player that helps me make a play, but he'll say 'well, I felt that little tug so try not to be as noticeable with it or try to be more controlled with how you tackle of shed a block,'" senior safety Laiu Moeakiola said. "Sometimes we don't even see it on the field but we see it in film room so we get the corrections from players there."
Graham doesn't require consequences for penalties committed in practice or games, but the players have maintained a penal system that the coaches initially installed when Graham arrived.
"We keep each other accountable," Moeakiola said. "Like on the defense if you have an encroachment or offside, that's like a 100-yard up-down after practice or you might have to do an extra gasser (running the width of the football field four times) and nobody wants to do drills after practice when they're tired so that motivates you. We also have rewards, like if you get an interception, you can get those push-ups taken off your grand total that you have to do at the end of practice.
"It's not too serious; it's just about getting the point across because that penalty could be the difference on a drive or in a game. It's less about dropping the hammer down and more about a teachable moment."
That dovetails perfectly with Graham's overall approach. He has said repeatedly that among the most important characteristics he looks for in assistant coaches is their ability to teach.
"We believe wholeheartedly in the teacher model so when I hire a coach I want to hire great man and then I want a guy who is on fire to teach our players how to play the game the right way; to know the rules and then they can teach each other," Graham said. "We were dead last in the country in penalties the year before I arrived so you can see that you get what you emphasize. I take a great deal of pride in where we're at with penalties and so do the players.
"We have not had one targeting foul in my entire time here and when we had a roughing the quarterback penalty last year all the players were going crazy because they could not believe that happened to us."
At the same time, Graham knows there is more to discipline and winning than simply avoiding penalties.
"We lost some close games and when we went back and looked at the film it goes back to being disciplined in our assignments and reads and all the little things," he said. "We have to do a better job with those things and we will. It's already being emphasized and I'm already seeing it."