how was it- I didn't hear much about it after the season started.
this free article was posted on ASU Rivals page and it reminded me about it
thanks and GO GREEN!!
TUCSON, Ariz. - Kyle Soelle hates to dwell on the past. Even in the immediate aftermath of each of Arizona State’s nine losses this season, he was always quick to turn the page and focus on the next task at hand. After this loss, a 38-35 defeat at the hands of rival Arizona that was probably the most painful of his illustrious ASU career, he didn’t have a next game to turn the page to. He still didn’t miss a beat.
He spoke with a purpose as tears leaked down his face and smudged his eye black. Even in a moment of vulnerability for one of the toughest players on this roster, he found a way to prop up the program with a distinct call to action.
“I challenge Sun Devil nation,” he sniffled. “Whoever the next head coach is, whether it’s coach Aguano or whoever they bring in, let’s step up our game to be championship contenders. Let’s back NIL. Let’s back this team; let’s back the coach. I really want to challenge Sun Devil nation to be the best we can be.”
Soelle’s comments, along with those of Aguano, come at the beginning of one of the most important crossroads in program history. Arizona State just endured its worst season in nearly 30 years, and it’s now set to choose a new leader to build a program in a modern college football program that resembles professional sport more than it ever has. The passion players like Soelle have for this program is evident to anyone who spends any time around it, as is the reality of how far it is from being a true contender.
“I’m a Sun Devil for life; I’ll always love and support this program,” Soelle said when asked to elaborate on his call to action. “Just look at the championship programs across the entire nation. I mean, it’s a little different than what we got, right?”
It’s a lot different. Big time players at national powerhouses are signing deals to drive Ferraris and Mustangs. ASU’s best players are signing deals to ride bikes. The Tempe NIL club, launched in September as a way for fans to directly financially support players, now has just 130 active members and is barely raising a quarter of its monthly goal of 10,000 dollars. Whoever is announced as the new head coach will need to make it a priority to make ASU a financially attractive destination. Arizona State graduates 12,000+ students a year. There are over 600,000 alumni living in the state alone. As Soelle said, everyone from the top down needs to step up their game if ASU wants to compete for championships. Administrators, coaches, players, and now more than ever, fans.
–
The defense was the Achilles heel of this team on Saturday afternoon and really throughout the season. Arizona was able to bully its northern rivals on the ground. Stop me if you’ve heard this before, but the inability to stop the run burned the Sun Devils on multiple possessions throughout the afternoon. The Wildcats ran for 280 yards, but it felt like a lot more. 214 came courtesy of running back Michael Wiley, whose number 6 was being chased by a pack of already burned Sun Devil defenders for most of the second half. He scored three touchdowns from 51, 12, and 72 yards out. ASU didn’t lay a hand on him on any of the three.
As bad as the run defense was on Friday and for all of 2022, in the waning moments of the Territorial Cup, it gave the offense a chance to win the game.
Following a back-breaking strip sack of Trenton Bourguet with ASU driving to tie or take the lead late in the fourth, a pair of rushes netted Arizona nine yards. A Wildcat first down would mean victory formation. The defensive front held on third down, stuffing a predictable run for no gain. Shaun Aguano used his final timeout to stop the clock ahead of the decisive fourth down. Soelle’s career as a Sun Devil was about to end one way or another. He squeezed every last drop out of his time as captain, going up to each defensive lineman prior to the snap and offering words of encouragement and motivation before taking his place behind them.
“I told my D line, this is the game right here. I need someone to make a play up front,” Soelle explained. “If anything, re-establish the line of scrimmage, so it’s not even close to being a first down.”
It wasn’t. TJ Pesefea barreled through the line and cracked Arizona running back DJ Williams before he could sniff the line of scrimmage. An embattled ASU defense had held up when it was needed most, something that can serve as a good memory lost in the fray of a nightmare season for those players on that side of the ball.
“TJ made a hell of a play,” Soelle continued. “Salute to all those (D linemen) they battled all year. Salute to all my teammates on the defensive side.”
Although the offense had flourished all day in order to keep the Sun Devils in the ballgame, it couldn’t capitalize one last time following the dramatic turnover on downs. After getting to midfield with the help of a small Bourguet scramble and a late hit for a personal foul, ASU went backward with a false start. Then Bryan Thompson couldn’t hang on to a shallow crossing route that would have at least cut the distance to the sticks in half. On 2nd-and-13, the ASU pass protection that had been rock solid for three and a half quarters faltered for the second straight drive.
Bourguet climbed the pocket but was hit as he threw, sending the ball fluttering in the air and into the outstretched arms of Arizona defensive back Isaiah Taylor. As the Wildcat sideline exploded in jubilation, the middle of the field was strewn with devastated Sun Devils, specifically their quarterback, who grew up rooting for the Wildcats as a native of Tucson.
“They brought a corner blitz; you gotta tip your cap to them; they made a great play,” Bourguet said. “I grew up going to games here; I didn’t miss one from the time I was born until I was 14 years old. It’s crazy how it all worked out, but I wouldn’t change anything for the world.”
Despite the nightmare of a season that these players had just endured, the overwhelming emotion they displayed following its most painful loss was gratitude. Adversity creates bonds, and these guys just spent three months dealing with enough adversity to last them their entire football careers. The sting was palpable for Soelle, who is part of a small crew of seniors who had never lost to Arizona before Friday.
“Tough. It’s tough. I hate losing to that team,” Soelle said as he continued to fight through tears. “I’ve been fortunate to never have to feel that feeling. Felt it today. I challenge my teammates in that locker room to hold on to that feeling. Remember it, and don’t ever let it happen again.”
Kyle Soelle, along with players like Trenton Bourguet, Case Hatch, Merlin Robertson, and more, are the type of men that you hang your hat on as a fan. Their legacies won’t be defined by this 3-9 disaster, but it’s a stain nonetheless. Ultimately, Soelle’s passion and devotion to the program should be what he’s remembered for in Tempe.
“I love this program,” he reiterated. “I always want to see it do great things. I want to apologize to Sun Devil nation for not getting it to that level,” Soelle grimaced. “But I know that me and my teammates played our asses off. At the end of the day, that’s all you can ask for.”
this free article was posted on ASU Rivals page and it reminded me about it
thanks and GO GREEN!!
Passion and pain: Soelle delivers an emotional call to action after UA loss
TUCSON, Ariz. - Kyle Soelle hates to dwell on the past. Even in the immediate aftermath of each of Arizona State’s nine losses this season, he was always quick to turn the page and focus on the next task at hand. After this loss, a 38-35 defeat at the hands of rival Arizona that was probably the most painful of his illustrious ASU career, he didn’t have a next game to turn the page to. He still didn’t miss a beat.
He spoke with a purpose as tears leaked down his face and smudged his eye black. Even in a moment of vulnerability for one of the toughest players on this roster, he found a way to prop up the program with a distinct call to action.
“I challenge Sun Devil nation,” he sniffled. “Whoever the next head coach is, whether it’s coach Aguano or whoever they bring in, let’s step up our game to be championship contenders. Let’s back NIL. Let’s back this team; let’s back the coach. I really want to challenge Sun Devil nation to be the best we can be.”
Soelle’s comments, along with those of Aguano, come at the beginning of one of the most important crossroads in program history. Arizona State just endured its worst season in nearly 30 years, and it’s now set to choose a new leader to build a program in a modern college football program that resembles professional sport more than it ever has. The passion players like Soelle have for this program is evident to anyone who spends any time around it, as is the reality of how far it is from being a true contender.
“I’m a Sun Devil for life; I’ll always love and support this program,” Soelle said when asked to elaborate on his call to action. “Just look at the championship programs across the entire nation. I mean, it’s a little different than what we got, right?”
It’s a lot different. Big time players at national powerhouses are signing deals to drive Ferraris and Mustangs. ASU’s best players are signing deals to ride bikes. The Tempe NIL club, launched in September as a way for fans to directly financially support players, now has just 130 active members and is barely raising a quarter of its monthly goal of 10,000 dollars. Whoever is announced as the new head coach will need to make it a priority to make ASU a financially attractive destination. Arizona State graduates 12,000+ students a year. There are over 600,000 alumni living in the state alone. As Soelle said, everyone from the top down needs to step up their game if ASU wants to compete for championships. Administrators, coaches, players, and now more than ever, fans.
–
The defense was the Achilles heel of this team on Saturday afternoon and really throughout the season. Arizona was able to bully its northern rivals on the ground. Stop me if you’ve heard this before, but the inability to stop the run burned the Sun Devils on multiple possessions throughout the afternoon. The Wildcats ran for 280 yards, but it felt like a lot more. 214 came courtesy of running back Michael Wiley, whose number 6 was being chased by a pack of already burned Sun Devil defenders for most of the second half. He scored three touchdowns from 51, 12, and 72 yards out. ASU didn’t lay a hand on him on any of the three.
As bad as the run defense was on Friday and for all of 2022, in the waning moments of the Territorial Cup, it gave the offense a chance to win the game.
Following a back-breaking strip sack of Trenton Bourguet with ASU driving to tie or take the lead late in the fourth, a pair of rushes netted Arizona nine yards. A Wildcat first down would mean victory formation. The defensive front held on third down, stuffing a predictable run for no gain. Shaun Aguano used his final timeout to stop the clock ahead of the decisive fourth down. Soelle’s career as a Sun Devil was about to end one way or another. He squeezed every last drop out of his time as captain, going up to each defensive lineman prior to the snap and offering words of encouragement and motivation before taking his place behind them.
“I told my D line, this is the game right here. I need someone to make a play up front,” Soelle explained. “If anything, re-establish the line of scrimmage, so it’s not even close to being a first down.”
It wasn’t. TJ Pesefea barreled through the line and cracked Arizona running back DJ Williams before he could sniff the line of scrimmage. An embattled ASU defense had held up when it was needed most, something that can serve as a good memory lost in the fray of a nightmare season for those players on that side of the ball.
“TJ made a hell of a play,” Soelle continued. “Salute to all those (D linemen) they battled all year. Salute to all my teammates on the defensive side.”
Although the offense had flourished all day in order to keep the Sun Devils in the ballgame, it couldn’t capitalize one last time following the dramatic turnover on downs. After getting to midfield with the help of a small Bourguet scramble and a late hit for a personal foul, ASU went backward with a false start. Then Bryan Thompson couldn’t hang on to a shallow crossing route that would have at least cut the distance to the sticks in half. On 2nd-and-13, the ASU pass protection that had been rock solid for three and a half quarters faltered for the second straight drive.
Bourguet climbed the pocket but was hit as he threw, sending the ball fluttering in the air and into the outstretched arms of Arizona defensive back Isaiah Taylor. As the Wildcat sideline exploded in jubilation, the middle of the field was strewn with devastated Sun Devils, specifically their quarterback, who grew up rooting for the Wildcats as a native of Tucson.
“They brought a corner blitz; you gotta tip your cap to them; they made a great play,” Bourguet said. “I grew up going to games here; I didn’t miss one from the time I was born until I was 14 years old. It’s crazy how it all worked out, but I wouldn’t change anything for the world.”
Despite the nightmare of a season that these players had just endured, the overwhelming emotion they displayed following its most painful loss was gratitude. Adversity creates bonds, and these guys just spent three months dealing with enough adversity to last them their entire football careers. The sting was palpable for Soelle, who is part of a small crew of seniors who had never lost to Arizona before Friday.
“Tough. It’s tough. I hate losing to that team,” Soelle said as he continued to fight through tears. “I’ve been fortunate to never have to feel that feeling. Felt it today. I challenge my teammates in that locker room to hold on to that feeling. Remember it, and don’t ever let it happen again.”
Kyle Soelle, along with players like Trenton Bourguet, Case Hatch, Merlin Robertson, and more, are the type of men that you hang your hat on as a fan. Their legacies won’t be defined by this 3-9 disaster, but it’s a stain nonetheless. Ultimately, Soelle’s passion and devotion to the program should be what he’s remembered for in Tempe.
“I love this program,” he reiterated. “I always want to see it do great things. I want to apologize to Sun Devil nation for not getting it to that level,” Soelle grimaced. “But I know that me and my teammates played our asses off. At the end of the day, that’s all you can ask for.”
