With the linebacker position limited, Caleb McCullough is stepping up for Arizona State
Arizona State is razor thin at linebacker and had hoped to avoid more injuries last week against Cal.
But instead, Tre Brown and Macen Williams both went down in the second half, exacerbating the situation. ASU was left with five scholarship linebackers in that game.
Brown, who exited in the fourth quarter, is the “quarterback” of the defense with four seasons under defensive coordinator Brian Ward’s system at Washington State.
While ASU’s linebackers have been overworked all season with various injuries and two players leaving or being dismissed from the team, players like Caleb McCullough have used this opportunity for the better.
“I knew our depth wasn’t that deep going into the season so I knew eventually during the season that I was going to get the opportunity to play,” McCullough said. “I was preparing like a starter because I knew mentally I was going to be a starter.”
McCullough has been quietly working his way up on special teams and played 194 snaps last season, the third-most on the team. Now a redshirt junior, he finally got to play a whole game since high school with his first start against Cal last week. McCullough made an instant impact with seven tackles, including two for a loss of 19 yards.
One of his biggest plays came near the end of the second quarter when he sacked Cal quarterback Sam Jackson V, putting the Golden Bears back 17 yards. The Golden Bears tried to push forward with Jaydn Ott’s 20-yard rush, but weren’t able to do much else on that drive.
“Caleb was awesome. Caleb came in and Caleb has been an incredible teammate, incredible team player for us playing spot minutes at linebacker,” head coach Kenny Dillingham said. “For him to come in and play to the level he played was a huge positive for us and we’re going to lean on him and need him in this next week and next few weeks throughout the year.”
Brown won’t be available this weekend, which puts the linebackers in a tough position against a productive Colorado offense. Brown’s advice and guidance haven’t gone away for the group.
“I go to him for everything. He knows the whole defense,” McCullough said. “If he’s wrong, I’m wrong too. That’s just how it goes. He’s been helping me a whole lot and he’s a big part of our defense and having him around is helping a lot.”
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ASU has had to rely heavily on James Djonkam, who also had seven tackles last week, K’Vion Thunderbird, and Tate Romney recently. The linebackers had 24 of the 77 tackles last week.
“All those guys, they come to work every day and they do the right thing,” Ward said. “They follow the process and continue to get better. Eventually, their better is going to be better than the guy that they’ve lined up across. That’s what they’re trying to do and they’re trying to be prepared.”
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: ASU linebacker Caleb McCullough is stepping up as injuries rise
