Courtesy of Arizona State University Athletics Dept.Michael Jones sleeps a little too much. By his own admission, he plays video games more than he should and he’s a bit of a homebody.
He doesn’t party with his teammates and he watches a lot of television.
Aside from that, he’s gold.
Jones is the star redshirt junior wide receiver on the Arizona State football team, centerfielder for ASU’s baseball team – which made the 2006 College World Series – a volunteer at the Boys and Girls Club in Houston and was the high school prom king.
Oh, and for good measure, he’s an absolute terror against cornerbacks and safeties around the nation.
When he lines up opposite the San Diego State football team secondary at 7 p.m. Saturday in Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Ariz., SDSU (0-1) coaches will be wishing he was still lying in bed playing PlayStation.
“(The Sun Devils) have some guys that can play on Sundays,” head coach Chuck Long said. “They will challenge us with their passing attack. They have some good receivers.”
Calling Jones a “good receiver” might be understating his abilities.
Though Jones is less fit than his teammates because of his baseball responsibilities, he’s been a revelation on the field for ASU (2-0), tallying 159 receiving yards along with three touchdowns in the Sun Devils’ first two games, both easy victories.
“It’s not really that difficult to prepare for both sports at the same time,” Jones said. “I wake up everyday looking forward to playing games. I look at myself in the mirror as a guy in college who plays both sports and I know a lot of people don’t have that opportunity.”
Jones’ head coach, Dennis Erickson, is thrilled that he’s willing to put in the effort with his glove and on the gridiron.
“Mike really has developed,” Erickson said. “He’s playing hard all the time. He’s big and tall, rangy, tough and he’s having a great year.
“He’s made a huge difference.”
The only people not impressed, or at least not excited, by Jones’ talents are the Aztecs’ inexperienced cornerbacks and safeties.
In its opener last week, SDSU gave up 469 passing yards against a collection of average receivers and an above-average quarterback. This week, the results might not be so different.
ASU’s offense is led by redshirt junior Rudy Carpenter, who’s thrown for 466 yards and five touchdowns. He’ll be drooling over the space his receivers create between themselves and the Aztecs’ secondary.
Jones is modest about his chances to pad his stats against SDSU, but the truth need not be uttered to be made apparent.
“We haven’t seen too many weaknesses in (the SDSU secondary),” Jones said. “They’re young but very talented. We give them all the praise in the world.”
As for Jones’ efforts this season, he’s humble, but not blind to the fact.
“I think I’ve made the plays when my number’s been called,” Jones said. “I want to improve on my conditioning and blocking a bit more, but you can always improve on everything. You’re never perfect.”
NEWS AND NOTES
?Senior guard Brandyn Dombrowski’s playing status is still unknown. He sent a waiver to the NCAA in connection with an ongoing academic issue, but Long doesn’t know if he will be eligible to play against the Sun Devils.
?Sophomore safety Nick Sandford, senior linebacker Freddy Dunkle and redshirt freshman linebacker Andrew Preston are questionable for the ASU game because of various injuries.
?Despite helping to allow 469 passing yards last Saturday against Washington State, senior safeties Corey Boudreaux and Ray Bass, senior cornerback Scotty James and sophomore cornerback Aaron Moore will all start against the Sun Devils, according to Long.
