Jake Fette is settling into the job the hard way, and the Arizona State true freshman quarterback says the process is starting to feel more natural.
After making his first home start last week and picking up his second win in action, Fette is now chasing another first: a road victory. ASU heads to Central Florida on Saturday afternoon for its second-to-last road game of the regular season, and the Sun Devil quarterback talked through the adjustment after Tuesday practice.
“Definitely expected. When you get thrown into a role like this, I think it's always a little tougher at the beginning, and naturally you want to mold into the starting quarterback role. And I think just the play calling and the people around me, have made it real easy on me the last few weeks, so I've really stepped into it.”
He also pointed to the small details that separate a promising snap from a wasted one.
“We throw a little flat to (tight end) AJ Ia, and I have a bad arm angle, and it gets tipped for a loss instead of a touchdown. So just little tedious things like that.
It's awesome because for the first six weeks. I was standing around watching these guys work.
So just being able to step into that position and work with them and have them work with me, it's been awesome. I think it's just more consistency, more consistency of throwing to these guys.
Earlier in the season, I didn't get (to as) much, but throwing to these guys for a couple of weeks and then just putting it down there, letting them run underneath.”
One part of the offense has come naturally for him from the start.
“That power read stuff, I ran a lot of it in high school, so (it is) something I'm real comfortable with and used to.”
Fette said the bigger shift has been learning how to trust the people around him and grow into the leadership side of the position.
“It really comes down to trusting my guys down the field. They do a great job of getting separation and getting open, so just putting it out there and giving them a chance, but I really don't give mind to that.
I think it kind of just comes naturally, that when you step into the starting quarterback role, you're kind of you kind of mature and you want to be a leader on the team. Just having a couple of weeks of practice under my belt, and feeling way more comfortable within the offense.”
As for UCF, Fette sees a defense that can make life difficult in multiple ways.
“I think they're a real good team, real good defense. They do real well up front. They're good in coverage, so we just need to find little things we could exploit.”
He said the challenge for a young quarterback is learning to read beyond the first look.
“Being a young guy, just recognizing that they are hiding coverages. Not just walking up to the line and seeing what they're doing pre-snap, but also recognizing what's happening post-snap.”
Fette added that time around offensive coordinator Marcus Arroyo and head coach Kenny Dillingham over the weekend has helped sharpen that part of his game.
“I think being up here with (OC Marcus) Arroyo and (HC Kenny) Dillingham during the weekend and really seeing these pictures over and over, it's really helped. For sure.”
He also said the college game has demanded a faster, sharper style than what he was used to before.
“I think really everyone’s bigger and faster. Everything you need to quicken up and shorten up on everything, and It’s hard to run people over in college football.”
Fette and the Sun Devils will keep practicing through the week before making the trip to Florida for Saturday’s Big 12 matchup with the UCF Knights.
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