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Arizona State managing loads with spring game approaching

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Arizona State managing loads with spring game approaching


TEMPE — As Arizona State football enters the final week of its spring session, the Sun Devils look to be ramping up at just the right time for head coach Kenny Dillingham. Or maybe a little too much?

Managing the team’s workload was one of the main points of emphasis for Dillingham, as Thursday’s practice ended right at the two-hour mark.

Over the past few weeks, most practices have started at 9 a.m. and ended at noon.

“We monitor every movement in our player loads essentially. Our player loads have been 11% to 13% higher per practice,” Dillingham said. “The last player load was a little higher than what we wanted, which is a good thing. But we wanted to de-load them a little bit, take some helmets off and take the banging off before we have a great, hard long practice on Saturday.”

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Arizona State quantifies “load” by combining yardage moved, top speeds and acceleration by position groups. Coaches use “loads” to measure how hard the team is practicing.

Dillingham and Co. can even compare workloads from last spring to this spring, which he said is 14% higher this year.

Could this defense win a championship?

Arizona State’s defense has been getting praise throughout spring from Dillingham and defensive coordinator Brian Ward.

The secondary, in particular, has had standout after standout. Whether it is Keith Abney II, Xavion Alford or Cole Martin, the secondary has shined. Add Javan Robinson’s name to the list of standout defensive backs.

Robinson, a redshirt sophomore, has already taken a leadership role in the cornerback room after transferring in from Washington State, where he played three games in Ward’s system as a freshman prior to the defensive coordinator making his way to Tempe before last year.

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“I’m loving it out here, loving the atmosphere and loving our team so far,” Robinson said. “The only thing that is different is I feel like my role. Our cornerback room is really young, and I’m one of the older guys. So it was like just teaching those guys what to do, what not to do and taking those guys under my wing. That’s my role.”

Robinson praised cornerbacks coach and recruiting guru Bryan Carrington, whose coaching style he appreciates.

“He allows us to go out there and play,” Robinson said. “He allows us to make mistakes, and then he coaches up while we’re watching film. While we’re on the field, he doesn’t really say a lot to us because he wants us to go out there and feel it out ourselves and play, and then we’ll just coach it up later.”

Redshirt senior Ed Woods, who has appeared in 32 games for the Sun Devils, stressed the importance of making sure everyone does the little things right.

“I try to push the younger guys, making sure they are on time to class and doing the right things when no one is looking. That is what really matters at the end of the day,” Woods said. “Everybody is going to do the correct thing when people are looking, just making sure that they’re doing the extra stuff off the field like watching film.”

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With both a veteran presence and youthful expertise, the secondary can take the defense to new heights during the 2024 season.

Spring game next Friday

Arizona State has three more practices until its annual spring game next week on April 26.



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Ex-Utah running back Mike Mitchell commits to Arizona

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Ex-Utah running back Mike Mitchell commits to Arizona


In producing one of the top rushing offenses in the country this past season, Seth Doege relied on several ball carriers to churn out more than 200 yards per game at Marshall. That looks to be the plan at Arizona as well, as the Wildcats have added a second running back from the NCAA transfer porttal since hiring Doege as offensive coordinator last month.

The UA has earned a commitment from former Utah rusher Mike Mitchell, who will have three seasons of eligibility remaining. He joins ex-Texas State running back Ismail Mahdi in a backfield that also includes returners Kedrick Reescano and Kayden Luke and incoming freshman Wesley Yarbrough.

The 6-foot, 211-pound Mitchell played in 10 games this past season for the Utes, rushing for 158 yards and a touchdown on 47 carries as a redshirt freshman. He had three carries for two yards against Arizona in September.

Mitchell was a 3-star prospect from Florida in the 2023 recruiting class, picking Utah over Florida State, Louisville and Washington State, among others.

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He is Arizona’s 18th transfer pickup this offseason, 11th on offense and second running back. The Wildcats have also landed four offensive linemen, three receivers, a tight end and a quarterback.



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Corbin Burnes finds Arizona oasis: Contract details, fantasy impact on Cy Young candidate

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Corbin Burnes finds Arizona oasis: Contract details, fantasy impact on Cy Young candidate


Mitch Stringer-USA TODAY Sports

The Diamondbacks leap out of shadows on Friday evening to reportedly sign ace Corbin Burnes to a six-year, $210 million contract, which includes an opt out following the 2026 season, after the Giants and Blue Jays seemingly balked at his contractual demands. The 30-year-old right-hander fills an obvious need for Arizona’s reeling pitching staff following a half-decade run as one of the most durable aces in baseball, recording a sparkling 2.88 ERA (3.01 FIP), 1.02 WHIP and 29 percent strikeout rate across 816 2/3 innings (134 starts) between the Brewers and Orioles since the pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign. Let’s take a deeper dive into how Burnes impacts Arizona’s rotation mix and his immediate fantasy outlook at Chase Field.

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How does Corbin Burnes’ arrival impact Arizona’s starting rotation?

Burnes provides Arizona’s starting rotation mix with a certifiable front-of-the-rotation ace after the club’s pitching staff allowed the fifth-most runs (4.86 per-game) last season and got just 72 starts combined between their veteran quartet comprised of Zac Gallen, Jordan Montgomery, Eduardo Rodriguez and Merrill Kelly. According to multiple reports, the Diamondbacks are looking to move on from Montgomery, who struggled to a calamitous 6.23 ERA across 117 innings (25 appearances, 21 starts) last year in his Arizona debut, and seems like the most obvious trade candidate prior to spring training. The club also jettisoned some of its pitching depth earlier this month when it shipped former prospect Slade Cecconi to Cleveland as the centerpiece of the Josh Naylor trade. It goes without saying that Burnes’ arrival will make a significant impact for the Diamondbacks given his track record as a durable innings-eater to pair with former top prospect Brandon Pfaadt, who made a career-high 32 starts this past season.

Even with Montgomery potentially being subtracted from the picture, that doesn’t exactly leave a rotation spot for talented youngsters like Ryne Nelson, who posted a serviceable 4.24 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and 126/34 K/BB ratio across 150 2/3 innings (28 appearances, 25 starts) last year during a mini-breakthrough season or Yilber Diaz, who showed some flashes in seven appearances (four starts) last year at the highest level. Nelson is most likely ticketed for a versatile swingman-type role but could still wind up making plenty of starts given the health question marks swirling around Gallen, Kelly and Rodriguez. He’s a name to monitor in deeper mixed leagues as he’s currently being selected just inside the top 400 picks (389th overall), on average, in early NFBC drafts.

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How much does Chase Field alter Corbin Burnes’ fantasy outlook?

Here’s a slight oversimplification: Burnes is unlikely to be significantly impacted by the move to Chase Field, which ranks sixth out of 30 ballparks in Baseball Savant’s park factors over the last three years. It’s undoubtedly a more hitter-friendly offensive environment than the “Walltimore” era of Camden Yards that Burnes operated in last year, but it’s not like Milwaukee’s American Family Field was a pitcher’s paradise earlier in his career. Burnes won’t be completely immune to the high-octane offensive settings that come with the move to the NL West, but he’s done an excellent job in limiting hard contact (including home runs) over the past half-decade, which mitigates some of the immediate risk. Burnes remains a certifiable fantasy ace heading into the 2025 campaign, even if we bake in some slight pullback from a run-prevention standpoint.

The bigger concern from a long-term standpoint is whether he’ll wind up reversing a linear four-year decline in the strikeout department with the move to Arizona. After topping out at a whopping 36.7 percent during the shortened 2020 campaign, Burnes’ strikeout rate continued dipping to a league-average 23 percent mark during his lone season in Baltimore. A quick peek under the hood reveals that he’s generating fewer whiffs these days on his cutter and curveball than previous years, but it’s not exactly a cause for alarm since his previously elite control remains firmly intact. There’s also the possibility that Burnes actually fixed his cutter during the late stages of last year by adding a couple inches of additional horizontal break to the offering, which led to a surge in whiffs. There isn’t a huge margin for error here with Burnes moving forward, especially if his control starts to move in the wrong direction and he starts giving up more hard contact, but his continually declining strikeout rate isn’t a cause for total alarm just yet. It’s possible last September’s results weren’t a late-season mirage and he actually fixed his cutter. We’ll see.

Volume matters, especially from a fantasy standpoint, which is why Burnes’ extensive track record as a durable fantasy ace keeps him as an early-round selection in all fantasy formats, even as he starts to show some early warning signs of decline. The veteran stalwart is currently being selected in the third round (35th overall), on average, in early NFBC drafts and he’ll most likely wind up going off the board next spring as a borderline top seven starting pitcher in all fantasy formats in the same range as Logan Gilbert, Garrett Crochet, Chris Sale, George Kirby and Jacob deGrom.

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Arizona Lottery Mega Millions, Pick 3 results for Dec. 27, 2024

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Arizona Lottery Mega Millions, Pick 3 results for Dec. 27, 2024


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The Arizona Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.

Arizona offers Powerball, Mega Millions, The Pick, Triple Twist, Fantasy 5 and Pick 3 as well as Scratchers, Quick Draw and Fast Play.

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Lottery players have seen enormous jackpots recently, with previous winners of both the Powerball and Mega Millions breaking into the top 10 largest jackpots in U.S. lottery history. Money raised from Arizona lottery games goes toward funding higher education, health and human services, environmental conservation and economic and business development in the state.

Mega Millions

03-07-37-49-55, Mega Ball: 06, Megaplier: 3

Check Mega Millions payouts and previous drawings here.

Pick 3

4-7-6

Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.

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Fantasy 5

11-14-28-38-41

Check Fantasy 5 payouts and previous drawings here.

Triple Twist

06-08-15-24-33-37

Check Triple Twist payouts and previous drawings here.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news and results

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Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize

All Arizona Lottery retailers will redeem prizes up to $100 and may redeem winnings up to $599. For prizes over $599, winners can submit winning tickets through the mail or in person at Arizona Lottery offices. By mail, send a winner claim form, winning lottery ticket and a copy of a government-issued ID to P.O. Box 2913, Phoenix, AZ 85062.

To submit in person, sign the back of your ticket, fill out a winner claim form and deliver the form, along with the ticket and government-issued ID to any of these locations:

Phoenix Arizona Lottery Office: 4740 E. University Drive, Phoenix, AZ 85034, 480-921-4400. Hours: 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, closed holidays. This office can cash prizes of any amount.

Tucson Arizona Lottery Office: 2955 E. Grant Road, Tucson, AZ 85716, 520-628-5107. Hours: 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, closed holidays. This office can cash prizes of any amount.

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Phoenix Sky Harbor Lottery Office: Terminal 4 Baggage Claim, 3400 E. Sky Harbor Blvd., Phoenix, AZ 85034, 480-921-4424. Hours: 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Sunday, closed holidays. This office can cash prizes up to $49,999.

Kingman Arizona Lottery Office: Inside Walmart, 3396 Stockton Hill Road, Kingman, AZ 86409, 928-753-8808. Hours: 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, closed holidays. This office can cash prizes up to $49,999.

Check previous winning numbers and payouts at https://www.arizonalottery.com/.

Winning lottery numbers are sponsored by Jackpocket, the official digital lottery courier of the USA TODAY Network.

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Where can you buy Arizona lottery tickets?

Tickets can be purchased in person at gas stations, convenience stores and grocery stores. Some airport terminals may also sell lottery tickets.

You can also order tickets online through Jackpocket, the official digital lottery courier of the USA TODAY Network, in these U.S. states and territories: Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Idaho, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Puerto Rico, Texas, Washington, D.C., and West Virginia. The Jackpocket app allows you to pick your lottery game and numbers, place your order, see your ticket and collect your winnings all using your phone or home computer.

Jackpocket is the official digital lottery courier of the USA TODAY Network. Gannett may earn revenue for audience referrals to Jackpocket services. GAMBLING PROBLEM? CALL 1-800-GAMBLER, Call 877-8-HOPENY/text HOPENY (467369) (NY). 18+ (19+ in NE, 21+ in AZ). Physically present where Jackpocket operates. Jackpocket is not affiliated with any State Lottery. Eligibility Restrictions apply. Void where prohibited. Terms: jackpocket.com/tos.

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by an Arizona Republic editor. You can send feedback using this form.



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