ASU

Running back Kalen Ballage has been one of ASU football's spring standouts

Doug Haller
azcentral sports
Arizona State running back Kalen Ballage at spring football practice on Tuesday, March 31, 2015, in Tempe.

The spectator watched the sophomore running back break a tackle and dart to the open field. He turned to the man beside him and asked: "How big is No. 9?"

Kalen Ballage stands 6-foot-3. He weighs 227 pounds. And through eight practices, he's been one of Arizona State's top players of the spring.

"Kalen Ballage – wow," coach Todd Graham said after Tuesday's practice.

Graham has done this in the past – attached the three-letter word to a player's name. Then, as the week or month unfolds, the player can't sustain that level of exclamation and the "wow" disappears like a tumbleweed in a dust storm.

This could be different.

Ballage turned heads last season. He was a four-star recruit, a running back with a linebacker's size and a sprinter's speed. He broke off a few runs in preseason practice – juking this way and that – impressing onlookers. Then, he hurt his back. And although Ballage played as a true freshman – and turned in a huge kickoff return in the Sun Bowl – he never was the same.

"When we were at Camp (Tontozona) last year, he went through some injuries and I think he was a little unsure of himself, so the physicality wasn't really there," running backs coach Bo Graham said. "But now he's been back in the weight room. He's cleaning. He's squatting. He's concentrating on that core strength. He's a big fella. You look at him and you think, 'Man, that guy's got to be physical.' "

So that was the spring challenge: Kalen, run strong. Kalen, be physical.

Kalen, for the love of Frank Kush, knock some people down.

Ballage – who rushed for just 126 yards last season -- showcased his improvement during a short-yardage session Tuesday. ASU keeps track of the offense's explosive plays and the defense's tackles for loss, calling them out for all to hear.

Ballage got hit in the backfield and bounced off, turning a negative play into a first down.

"Explosive No. 3, offense!"

Another play, another first down.

"Explosive No. 4, offense!"

"He got hit in the backfield three times and won, made the first down," Todd Graham said. "I told him, 'You got to improve your hands and your physicality,' and man, I am really encouraged by that."

The key:

"Really just keeping your pad level down and keeping your feet moving," Ballage said. "There's going to be times when the blocking doesn't always work and you can't always blame that on the offensive line. The defense, they have a plan, too -- to stop us as well. Sometimes their plan works, so you got to be mobile. If you're getting hit, you got to be able to counter that and still get some yards out of it."

Keep two things in mind.

One: ASU -- with Ballage, sophomore Demario Richard and junior De'Chavon Hayes – has a talented backfield. And two: Graham is a defensive-minded coach.

Therefore, no one should be surprised that Graham also had Ballage working with the defense Tuesday, practicing his pass-rushing skills.

Asked about it after practice, Graham dismissed the question. "We're just messing around," he said. Pressed on it later, he admitted Ballage might get a few defensive snaps this season.

"To be continued," Ballage said about his defensive future. "That's all I can really say. Coach Graham called me into his office. He likes what he sees out of me. He wants me on the field at all times, no matter what it is. We have a lot of great running backs, so getting me on the field is just something he wants to do whether it's special teams, maybe a little bit of defense. He's been talking about it for forever. I don't know if he'll actually go through with it."

Ballage knows his future is at running back. He knows he's a play-maker. But if he has to do it on defense, too – no problem.

"I want to help the team," he said. "That's how I've always been. Ever since I was young, before I came here, I played a lot of different positions. Wherever the coach put me, that's what I did. And I never complained about it."

PHOTOS: Arizona State spring football practice