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Cronkite News
TEMPE – When De’Chavon “Gump” Hayes arrived at Arizona State as a junior college transfer last season, the plan was for him to contribute at multiple positions on offense. Five weeks into the 2015 season, Hayes’ versatility is beginning to expand even more.
Having run the ball, caught passes and returned kicks and punts early in the season, the redshirt junior started practicing on the defensive side of the ball, at cornerback, last week. With almost two full weeks of practice at the position under his belt, Hayes is inching closer to seeing game action at the position as a defensive back.
“He is flat gifted as a cover guy,” ASU coach Todd Graham said after practice Thursday. “He’s very natural and instinctive, even though he’s learning what he’s doing.”
Hayes worked strictly with the offensive units in spring practice. But Graham said that was a mistake.
“I wish I would’ve done that back in the spring,” Graham said. “He would be a lot, lot further ahead.”
It’s not unprecedented for ASU to attempt to play guys on both sides of the ball. Last season, tight end De’Marieya Nelson played at Devilbacker in addition to his offensive role. This season, it was the plan for running back Kalen Ballage to do the same, until he came down with mononucleosis.
But if Hayes were just taking on a pass-rushing role, it’d be likely he would already have seen game action on defense.
“Going in and rushing the passer on defense is a little easier than playing in a secondary that runs 20 different coverages,” Graham said.
COORDINATORS ON SIDELINES: Graham was asked if he planned to keep offensive coordinator Mike Norvell and defensive coordinator Keith Patterson on the sidelines going forward, after the success it resulted in last week at UCLA.
His response: “No, I’m moving them back upstairs,” he said with a sly smile, a pause, and then a burst of laughter.
While Norvell’s move back to the sidelines has garnered plenty of attention, Graham highlighted the effect of having Patterson making the defensive play calls from the sidelines.
“Because Coach Patterson is initiating the (defensive play) calls,” Graham said, “it allows me to get involved a little bit as a defensive consultant on offense.”
MOVING ON FROM UCLA: “It’s fun to win like that,” quarterback Mike Bercovici said of the Sun Devils’ 38-23 win over the UCLA Bruins.
But Graham has stressed the message that it doesn’t matter what the score is, as long as ASU’s point total reads more than the other teams’ when the clock strikes triple zeros.
Of course, twice already this season, even that hasn’t been the case. But in the three instances it has been, the Sun Devils haven’t spent much time celebrating.
“As soon as we’re done in the locker room, we celebrate for 10, 15, minutes then we go to the next game,” Graham said. “It’s what you have to do. There’s too much work to do. I haven’t thought about the UCLA game since you asked me last.”
“It’s awesome to have coaches that know how to humble you,” Bercovici added.
