Key Arizona State Defensive Stats as Week 7 Approaches

Arizona State on SI explores key numbers that have defined the Sun Devils' season on the defensive side of the ball below.

77

This is the total number of tackles that the linebacker duo of Keyshaun Elliott and Jordan Crook have accrued this season.

The star LB duo has consistently been praised by both head coach Kenny Dillingham and Ward. Elliott has been labeled as the strongest player on the squad by Dillingham, while Crook has been lauded for stepping up as a leader during the offseason and the massive improvements made to his game.

Ward's 4-2-5 and 4-3 defensive sets benefit greatly from having two athletic, astute, and active linebackers at starting spots.

9

This is the number of turnovers that the Arizona State defense has generated this season - four interceptions and five fumble recoveries.

One of the trademarks of Ward defenses is the ability to create a substantial amount of turnovers - that trend has continued this season, as they are now on pace to generate around 20 in the regular season.

Expect even more turnovers to be created upon the return of safety Xavion Alford.

19

This is the number of sacks that the Sun Devil defense has generated through five games, which placed them second in the country heading into week six games.

Prince Dorbah, Clayton Smith, Elijah O'Neal, and a balanced team effort around the three major players have resulted in a much more potent pass-rushing attack compared to 2024.

78.2

This is the amount of rushing yards per game that have been ceded by the Arizona State defense so far - which is good for 10th in the entire FBS.

The total would be even lower if not for a singular 41-yard run ceded to Bryson Washington of Baylor - which skewed the total averages a bit.

C.J. Fite, Jacob Rich Kongaika, and others have headed what has been a borderline elite run defense for the better part of a calendar year - the hope is that this will continue over the final seven games of the season.

Read more on major takeaways from Arizona State's clutch-time victory over TCU here, and more on why Arizona State fans should be feeling confident about the outlook of the season following the win here.