The Devils' Clint Floyd, a true freshman who has started the past two games at safety, suffered a lacerated kidney (hopefully that's not as painful as it sounds), and will be out anywhere from two to four weeks. Also in the injury department, back up offensive lineman Matt Hustad will be out for the season after suffering an injury that will require a second knee surgery.
ASU's next opponent, Oregon, is expecting quarterback Justin Roper to be back near full strength and possibly start when the Ducks visit Tempe on October 25th. It will either be him or current starter Jeremiah Masoli, neither one being all to impressive. The Ducks' rank eighth in the Pac-10 in passing yards per game and their pass defense ranks ninth in the conference. Do you think we'll still stubbornly stick to the run against Oregon?
Showing posts with label ASU. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ASU. Show all posts
Friday, October 17, 2008
Thursday, October 9, 2008
At Least the Economy is Good..oh wait.
All good things must come to an end they say. It's true in the case of the economy, summer vacation, and the Suns' playoff runs. It's also true in the case of Rudy Carpenter. Carpenter's streak of 36 consecutive starts appears like it will come to a conclusion this saturday as the Devils take on USC.
Carpenter sprained his left ankle last week against California in the fourth quarter of the Devils loss and has been in a boot this week. He was without the boot Wednesday night at practice but did not participate in practice except for a few throws on the side with his ankle heavily taped.
Backup quarterback Danny Sullivan is expected to get his first career start. The junior has played in 17 games as a backup since 2006. Carpenter's current streak of 36 starts is the second longest of its kind in the nation.
The Devils are 27 1/2 point underdogs and have the 113th ranked rushing offense in the country, out of 120 teams.
Earlier this week ASU looked like they may get a break as USC starting quarterback Mark Sanchez was nursing an injured knee after injuring his knee against Oregon last week. However, the SC quarterback has responded with a good week of practices and is basically day-to-day. All-American lineback Rey Maualuga is also good to go against ASU on Saturday after sitting out last week due to a sprained knee. If Sanchez is unable to start the job will fall to Mitch Mustain, a transfer who was just No. 4 on the USC depth chart last week.
Carpenter sprained his left ankle last week against California in the fourth quarter of the Devils loss and has been in a boot this week. He was without the boot Wednesday night at practice but did not participate in practice except for a few throws on the side with his ankle heavily taped.
Backup quarterback Danny Sullivan is expected to get his first career start. The junior has played in 17 games as a backup since 2006. Carpenter's current streak of 36 starts is the second longest of its kind in the nation.
The Devils are 27 1/2 point underdogs and have the 113th ranked rushing offense in the country, out of 120 teams.
Earlier this week ASU looked like they may get a break as USC starting quarterback Mark Sanchez was nursing an injured knee after injuring his knee against Oregon last week. However, the SC quarterback has responded with a good week of practices and is basically day-to-day. All-American lineback Rey Maualuga is also good to go against ASU on Saturday after sitting out last week due to a sprained knee. If Sanchez is unable to start the job will fall to Mitch Mustain, a transfer who was just No. 4 on the USC depth chart last week.
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Notes on this Weekend's Game
The Devils will not only host the #3 Georgia Bulldogs, 12,000 of their closest friends, and an ABC National Audience, but will also be celebrating "Champions Weekend." ASU will be honoring former player Randall McDaniel and former coach John Cooper Saturday night, as they will be inducted into the National College Football Hall of Fame in December. McDaniel will also see his number immortalized on the pressbox facade with the likes of Pat Tillman, Danny White, Whizzer White, Bobby Mulgado, John Jefferson, Mike Haynes, and Ron Pritchard. This is something slightly similar to the night where ASU named the playing field after Frank Kush. The Devils did so at halftime of a nationally televised game against #1 Nebraska and ended up shutting out and stunning the top ranked Cornhuskers 19-0. Does the similarity mean much? Not really, but i'll take anything at this point to help our cause this weekend. McDaniel is arguably the best offensive lineman to ever play for the Sun Devils. He was selected in the first round of the NFL draft after helping ASU win the 1987 Rose Bowl and was a first team All-Pac 10 selection twice. He had a 14 year NFL career and earned 12 Pro Bowl appearances en route to being named to the NFL's All-Decade team. Coach John Cooper was head coach at ASU from 1985-87, leading the Devils to three bowl games and having an overall record of 25-9-2 in Tempe. Cooper led the Devils to their first Rose Bowl berth in 1987 and beat Michigan to finish the season ranked #4 in the country.
An additional note about getting prepared for this weekend's game: ABC set up their quarterback "eye-in-the-sky" camera today at Sun Devil Stadium and are on campus to start setting up for the national broadcast come Saturday evening. Also, the Georgia fans are rolling into town. There were about a dozen or so walking around campus and the stadium today at various times.
An additional note about getting prepared for this weekend's game: ABC set up their quarterback "eye-in-the-sky" camera today at Sun Devil Stadium and are on campus to start setting up for the national broadcast come Saturday evening. Also, the Georgia fans are rolling into town. There were about a dozen or so walking around campus and the stadium today at various times.
Final Thoughts on the UNLV Game
I could write a book on my thoughts regarding the UNLV loss, but in order to not stir up emotions that have taken four days and multiple therapy visits to quell this will be just a short segment of notes.
First things first, UNLV made some amazing plays. They didn't give up when they were down 20-3, whether or not that's from the play calling is another whole issue, but the Rebels made ESPN highlight reel plays in that fateful fourth quarter. Secondly, our coaches and the players were caught looking forward to Georgia, no doubt about it. I believe our playcalling conservativeness was a result of the coaches asking themselves how they could best prepare the team to beat Georgia and the answer was to establish the run. By establishing a run game the Devils' coaches were hoping to get Georgia to then prepare for the run more, allowing them to throw the ball more effectively against the Dawgs. Our 20-3 lead then backfired on us because we were led to believe that our gameplan would work, but as the game wore on the running backs wore down and were less and less efficient and the Rebels made some great plays in shutting down our run game. The coaches had a preconcieved notion of running the ball a lot and that led to a stagnant offense with little emotion as it lacked a dynamic aspect to the playcalling. The blocked field goal attempt was a result of the left guard missing his block due to poor technique on the play and is an unfortunate mental mistake. There is absolutely no reason we should have lost that game but that is why we watch college football and play the games. Does this mean the Devils aren't a championship caliber team, not at all. Even the vaunted Trojans lost last year to lowly Stanford at home, the only difference being that was an even larger upset and it was a conference loss for the Trojans. This loss only hurts our pride, it might be in manslaughter proportions, but with Georgia and the rest of the Pac-10 on the schedule the Devils can put the loss behind them as a fluke.
Bottom line is this: Rehashing the game and second guessing will do nothing to change the score. Arizona State needs to put this loss behind them, take the frustration and anger from the loss and turn it into desire, passion, and determination to come out and play their finest game against the Georgia Bulldogs. Can the Sun Devils salvage the season? No, because the season isn't at a point to salvage. One non-conference fluke loss where we got caught looking ahead isn't going to cost anyone their job or ruin the season. The Devils are still 1-0 in the conference, where even a second place finish should challenge for a BCS bowl. So what can you do? Come out Saturday and cheer with a chip on your shoulder. Be as loud as you can and show the SEC and the nation that UNLV got lucky coming into Sun Devil Stadium and catching the Devils off guard. The sleeping giant has awoken.
First things first, UNLV made some amazing plays. They didn't give up when they were down 20-3, whether or not that's from the play calling is another whole issue, but the Rebels made ESPN highlight reel plays in that fateful fourth quarter. Secondly, our coaches and the players were caught looking forward to Georgia, no doubt about it. I believe our playcalling conservativeness was a result of the coaches asking themselves how they could best prepare the team to beat Georgia and the answer was to establish the run. By establishing a run game the Devils' coaches were hoping to get Georgia to then prepare for the run more, allowing them to throw the ball more effectively against the Dawgs. Our 20-3 lead then backfired on us because we were led to believe that our gameplan would work, but as the game wore on the running backs wore down and were less and less efficient and the Rebels made some great plays in shutting down our run game. The coaches had a preconcieved notion of running the ball a lot and that led to a stagnant offense with little emotion as it lacked a dynamic aspect to the playcalling. The blocked field goal attempt was a result of the left guard missing his block due to poor technique on the play and is an unfortunate mental mistake. There is absolutely no reason we should have lost that game but that is why we watch college football and play the games. Does this mean the Devils aren't a championship caliber team, not at all. Even the vaunted Trojans lost last year to lowly Stanford at home, the only difference being that was an even larger upset and it was a conference loss for the Trojans. This loss only hurts our pride, it might be in manslaughter proportions, but with Georgia and the rest of the Pac-10 on the schedule the Devils can put the loss behind them as a fluke.
Bottom line is this: Rehashing the game and second guessing will do nothing to change the score. Arizona State needs to put this loss behind them, take the frustration and anger from the loss and turn it into desire, passion, and determination to come out and play their finest game against the Georgia Bulldogs. Can the Sun Devils salvage the season? No, because the season isn't at a point to salvage. One non-conference fluke loss where we got caught looking ahead isn't going to cost anyone their job or ruin the season. The Devils are still 1-0 in the conference, where even a second place finish should challenge for a BCS bowl. So what can you do? Come out Saturday and cheer with a chip on your shoulder. Be as loud as you can and show the SEC and the nation that UNLV got lucky coming into Sun Devil Stadium and catching the Devils off guard. The sleeping giant has awoken.
Friday, September 5, 2008
ASU-Stanford Game Preview & Breakdown
As we get ready for the Pac-10 opener against Stanford on Saturday, let's break down the match-ups and preview the other conference games this weekend.
-- Quarterbacks -- Devils
The edge here is way in favor of the Sun Devils. QB Rudy Carpenter was the model of efficiency last week, completing 22-28 passes for 388 yards, the most yards by a Sun Devil quarterback in a season opener ever. Carpenter also tied a school record for most consecutive completions with 13 straight succesful passes. Stanford's QB, Travita Pritchard, won a three-way battle for the spot in the preseason and didn't have impressive passing numbers in his opening game against the Beavers. He didn't make a crucial mistake in the close game however, expect that to change against the ASU defense.
-- Running Backs -- Stanford
Stanford running back Toby Gerhart, who has a brother on the ASU team, rumbled for 147 yards and 2 touchdowns in the Cardinal's win. Gerhart missed most of last year with an injury, but returned to form and is a very powerful runner who can be difficult to tackle. The Sun Devils running game struggled a bit in their opener against the 'Jacks, as QB Carpenter led all rushers with 40 yards on QB scrambles. Expect a boost to the running game this week however, as Herring and DeWitty return to the rotation. Also, NAU ran an unique defense that made running the ball extremely difficult. Just because of these few question marks last game, all of which have a reasonable answer however, I give a slight edge to the Cardinal run game.
-- Wide Receivers -- Devils
The Sun Devils will be winning this battle nearly every game this year. A talented receiving corps will look to create havoc for defenses and help Carpenter put up some big numbers in his senior season. The group is led by Mike Jones, who is nursing a strained achilles but should play come Saturday. Jones had six catches for 162 yards last week and had a bad-luck fumble as he reached for the endzone on one long reception. Look for Taylor and Robinson to see a lot of passes thrown their way in this game too, especially if the Cardinal key against the Devils run game. And of course, Chris McGaha should see his fair share of Carpenter's throws.
-- OL vs. DL -- Draw
The Sun Devils have the stronger defensive line, with defensive ends Dexter Davis and Luis Vasquez leading the attack. Both are relentless in their pass rush and should create problems for Pritchard all game long. Davis recorded two sacks last weekend against NAU. Also watch for DT David Smith for the Devils, a somewhat undersized DT, he makes up for it with speed and savvy.
The Cardinal get the slight advantage of the offensive lines. Stanford's front line isn't overwhelming and will struggle with the Devils defensive front, but until the ASU line proves itself against a formidable opponent the edge goes to the visitor's offensive line.
-- Linebackers -- Stanford
Most likely the best group on the Stanford defense, their linebackers will use plenty of blitzes to try and test the ASU O-Line and force Carpenter to make rush decisions. For the Devils, Mike Nixon leads the linebacking corps, a somewhat underrated (myself included in underrating them) group on the strong Sun Devil defense.
-- Defensive Backs -- ASU
ASU's Troy Nolan, Rodney Cox, and Terell Carr will make Pritchard think twice before going downfield with a pass. These DBs are much improved over the Beavers secondary the Cardinal faced last year and I'm predicting come away with at least an interception from Pritchard.
-- Special Teams -- ASU
ASU's All-Everything Utility Man, Thomas Weber, handles every facet of the kicking game for the Devils. The Groza Award winner connected on all three field goals last week and averaged 43 yards per punt, with two punts inside the twenty. On kick-offs he averaged 67 yards and had three touchbacks in seven attempts. The Cardinal K, Aaron Zagory, made two of three field goals last week. He hit from 41 and 42 yards out and missed a 49 yard attempt. Their punter averaged 45 yards per punt, with one inside the twenty.
The Devils line up two big play returners on kick-offs in Kyle Williams and Chris McGaha. Williams will also handle most punt return duties. Watch for Williams to take one back to the promised land this weekend.
-- The 'X' Factor -- ASU
This is one of the few legit upset games this weekend in college football. Stanford is much improved and has lost two straight to the Devils by ridiculously lopsided scores. The Cardinal will go on to upset quite a few teams this year in the Pac-10 as they keep improving under Harbough, but with all that being said with the Cardinal already having knocked off Oregon State in Week 1 the Devils won't be overlooking them in Week 2. Add that with the 100+ temperature, 9,400 students, and 68,000 fans in the House of Heat and we have a Sun Devil victory. ASU must not overlook or underestimate this team though, as they are no longer the Pac-10 cellar-dwellers.
Other Pac-10 games this week include Arizona against Toledo, California travelling to Washington State, #18 Oregon hosting Utah State and former ASU assistant Brent Guy, Oregon State going to Happy Valley to face #19 Penn State and JoePa, and the 15th ranked Stormin' Mormons heading to the Pacific Northwest to take on Washington.
-- Quarterbacks -- Devils
The edge here is way in favor of the Sun Devils. QB Rudy Carpenter was the model of efficiency last week, completing 22-28 passes for 388 yards, the most yards by a Sun Devil quarterback in a season opener ever. Carpenter also tied a school record for most consecutive completions with 13 straight succesful passes. Stanford's QB, Travita Pritchard, won a three-way battle for the spot in the preseason and didn't have impressive passing numbers in his opening game against the Beavers. He didn't make a crucial mistake in the close game however, expect that to change against the ASU defense.
-- Running Backs -- Stanford
Stanford running back Toby Gerhart, who has a brother on the ASU team, rumbled for 147 yards and 2 touchdowns in the Cardinal's win. Gerhart missed most of last year with an injury, but returned to form and is a very powerful runner who can be difficult to tackle. The Sun Devils running game struggled a bit in their opener against the 'Jacks, as QB Carpenter led all rushers with 40 yards on QB scrambles. Expect a boost to the running game this week however, as Herring and DeWitty return to the rotation. Also, NAU ran an unique defense that made running the ball extremely difficult. Just because of these few question marks last game, all of which have a reasonable answer however, I give a slight edge to the Cardinal run game.
-- Wide Receivers -- Devils
The Sun Devils will be winning this battle nearly every game this year. A talented receiving corps will look to create havoc for defenses and help Carpenter put up some big numbers in his senior season. The group is led by Mike Jones, who is nursing a strained achilles but should play come Saturday. Jones had six catches for 162 yards last week and had a bad-luck fumble as he reached for the endzone on one long reception. Look for Taylor and Robinson to see a lot of passes thrown their way in this game too, especially if the Cardinal key against the Devils run game. And of course, Chris McGaha should see his fair share of Carpenter's throws.
-- OL vs. DL -- Draw
The Sun Devils have the stronger defensive line, with defensive ends Dexter Davis and Luis Vasquez leading the attack. Both are relentless in their pass rush and should create problems for Pritchard all game long. Davis recorded two sacks last weekend against NAU. Also watch for DT David Smith for the Devils, a somewhat undersized DT, he makes up for it with speed and savvy.
The Cardinal get the slight advantage of the offensive lines. Stanford's front line isn't overwhelming and will struggle with the Devils defensive front, but until the ASU line proves itself against a formidable opponent the edge goes to the visitor's offensive line.
-- Linebackers -- Stanford
Most likely the best group on the Stanford defense, their linebackers will use plenty of blitzes to try and test the ASU O-Line and force Carpenter to make rush decisions. For the Devils, Mike Nixon leads the linebacking corps, a somewhat underrated (myself included in underrating them) group on the strong Sun Devil defense.
-- Defensive Backs -- ASU
ASU's Troy Nolan, Rodney Cox, and Terell Carr will make Pritchard think twice before going downfield with a pass. These DBs are much improved over the Beavers secondary the Cardinal faced last year and I'm predicting come away with at least an interception from Pritchard.
-- Special Teams -- ASU
ASU's All-Everything Utility Man, Thomas Weber, handles every facet of the kicking game for the Devils. The Groza Award winner connected on all three field goals last week and averaged 43 yards per punt, with two punts inside the twenty. On kick-offs he averaged 67 yards and had three touchbacks in seven attempts. The Cardinal K, Aaron Zagory, made two of three field goals last week. He hit from 41 and 42 yards out and missed a 49 yard attempt. Their punter averaged 45 yards per punt, with one inside the twenty.
The Devils line up two big play returners on kick-offs in Kyle Williams and Chris McGaha. Williams will also handle most punt return duties. Watch for Williams to take one back to the promised land this weekend.
-- The 'X' Factor -- ASU
This is one of the few legit upset games this weekend in college football. Stanford is much improved and has lost two straight to the Devils by ridiculously lopsided scores. The Cardinal will go on to upset quite a few teams this year in the Pac-10 as they keep improving under Harbough, but with all that being said with the Cardinal already having knocked off Oregon State in Week 1 the Devils won't be overlooking them in Week 2. Add that with the 100+ temperature, 9,400 students, and 68,000 fans in the House of Heat and we have a Sun Devil victory. ASU must not overlook or underestimate this team though, as they are no longer the Pac-10 cellar-dwellers.
Other Pac-10 games this week include Arizona against Toledo, California travelling to Washington State, #18 Oregon hosting Utah State and former ASU assistant Brent Guy, Oregon State going to Happy Valley to face #19 Penn State and JoePa, and the 15th ranked Stormin' Mormons heading to the Pacific Northwest to take on Washington.
Monday, August 25, 2008
ESPN Pre-Season Previews & More
-- ESPN Gameday analyst Kirk Herbstreit has published his annual Herbie Awards, his choices for the top players, coaches, teams, and fans in college football this season. It's well documented that Herbstreit doesn't like the Sun Devils, I'd be surprised if he picked us to win against NAU this weekend, but it now appears that Herbstreit has fallen victim of the UA Kool-aid. The evidence:
-- # 6 Best WR -- Mike Thomas, Arizona. Although talented, Thomas is definately not a top six WR. Enough said here.
-- # 2 Best TE -- Rob Gronkowski, Arizona. Gronkowski belongs on the list, perhaps not at #2, but close enough.
-- # 5 Best Old School QB -- Willie "My Head Hurts" Tuitama. Uhhh...huh? Tuitama is not even a top QB in the Pac. I'd rank him probably third or fourth, maybe if I wasn't feeling too well second. Where's the love for Rudy, Kirk? Almost the consensus pick for top QB in the conference, Rudy Carpenter gets looked over by Herbstreit and his Kitty lovin' rankings.
-- # 1 Going Bowling for First Time in A While -- Arizona. One of the ten worst schedules in the nation will get you to a bowl. It's amazing that the UofA hasn't been to a bowl game in 10+ years in an age where all you have to do is go .500.
-- # 3 Movin' On Up -- Arizona. Not a whole lot of places to go but up for them, but ahead of teams like Miami and Ole Miss? I think not.
-- # 4 Coach Who Will Exceed Expectations -- Mike Stoops. There ARE no expectations. I'm not sure a coach on the hotseat can really exeed expectations anyways.
-- Pac-10 Champion Sleeper -- Arizona. I'll wait for you to also nudge your jaw back into place. This one takes the cake my friends. USC is obviously the consensus favorite, but then to call UofA the sleeper? Maybe he misunderstood, after all the UofA has been asleep when it comes to football championships (last winning a title in 1993, it being a co-championship at that, and NEVER representing the Pac-10 in the Rose Bowl, the only school in the Big Ten or Pac Ten not to ever go).
Well those are his UofA picks, now for his ASU ones...
....
....
Well those are his ASU picks.
Notable snubs for the Devils would be Rudy Carpenter for Best Old School QB, Kyle Williams for Best Returner, Keegan Herring in the Best Veteran Running Backs, Our D-Line for Sack Masters or Run Stuffers, and Omar Bolden for CB, those to just name a few.
-- ESPN's Games to Watch
Sept. 20: Georgia at Arizona State (8 p.m., ABC)
The Bulldogs make a rare trip west of the Mississippi River -- they haven't played beyond Baton Rouge, La., since 1967. The Sun Devils won 10 games in coach Dennis Erickson's first season, but they'll have to do a better job protecting quarterback Rudy Carpenter against Georgia's defense.
Oct. 11: Arizona State at USC (TBA)
The Sun Devils were no match for the Trojans in 2007, losing 44-24. Arizona State might be USC's best competition in the Pac-10 this season.
And the Week 15 Upset Alert: Arizona over Arizona State.
-- ESPN's Most Intriguing Games of the Season
Dec. 6: Arizona State at Arizona (8 p.m. ET)
After being outrecruited by the Sun Devils, Wildcats coach Mike Stoops suggested Arizona State was turning into a junior college. If Arizona keeps playing football like a JC, Stoops will be looking for a job in 2009.
-- Regarding Sun Devil injuries, Coach Erickson said that WR Chris McGaha is expected to start against NAU this weekend after missing some practice for an injury. On other injuries, Coach Erickson stated that the Devils should have most of their players available, RB Shaun DeWitty is still a question mark however.
-- Looks like Keegan Herring and Dimitri Nance will see the majority of the playing time at running back. Jarrell Woods could see action in the short yardage situations because of his size. Coach Erickson has said that true freshman Ryan Bass will also see some action in the NAU game.
-- The Sun Devils will see about eight or nine true freshmen play this season. On defense: Josh Jordan, Clint Floyd, Shelly Lyons, Brandon Magee, and Lawrence Guy. Offensively look for Zach Schlink, Ryan Bass, and Gerell Robinson.
-- No News is Not Good News in regards to Oregon's projected starting quarterback Nate Costa. You figured with all of the sealed lips around Oregon's fall practices over the weekend that the injury to Costa was more than a mere stinger and according to reports that were published Monday, the Ducks QB will be out a minimum 8-10 weeks after reinjuring his surgically repaired knee five days ago. Justin Roper will start the season opener against Washington on Saturday at Autzen Stadium. Back-up QBs will be Jeremiah Masoli, a transfer from City College of San Francisco (JUCO National Champion) and true freshman Chris Harper. Roper filled in for Dennis Dixon last season after Dixon was lost due to an injury suffered during the Arizona State game. Roper led the Ducks to a 56-21 Sun Bowl win over South Florida.
-- # 6 Best WR -- Mike Thomas, Arizona. Although talented, Thomas is definately not a top six WR. Enough said here.
-- # 2 Best TE -- Rob Gronkowski, Arizona. Gronkowski belongs on the list, perhaps not at #2, but close enough.
-- # 5 Best Old School QB -- Willie "My Head Hurts" Tuitama. Uhhh...huh? Tuitama is not even a top QB in the Pac. I'd rank him probably third or fourth, maybe if I wasn't feeling too well second. Where's the love for Rudy, Kirk? Almost the consensus pick for top QB in the conference, Rudy Carpenter gets looked over by Herbstreit and his Kitty lovin' rankings.
-- # 1 Going Bowling for First Time in A While -- Arizona. One of the ten worst schedules in the nation will get you to a bowl. It's amazing that the UofA hasn't been to a bowl game in 10+ years in an age where all you have to do is go .500.
-- # 3 Movin' On Up -- Arizona. Not a whole lot of places to go but up for them, but ahead of teams like Miami and Ole Miss? I think not.
-- # 4 Coach Who Will Exceed Expectations -- Mike Stoops. There ARE no expectations. I'm not sure a coach on the hotseat can really exeed expectations anyways.
-- Pac-10 Champion Sleeper -- Arizona. I'll wait for you to also nudge your jaw back into place. This one takes the cake my friends. USC is obviously the consensus favorite, but then to call UofA the sleeper? Maybe he misunderstood, after all the UofA has been asleep when it comes to football championships (last winning a title in 1993, it being a co-championship at that, and NEVER representing the Pac-10 in the Rose Bowl, the only school in the Big Ten or Pac Ten not to ever go).
Well those are his UofA picks, now for his ASU ones...
....
....
Well those are his ASU picks.
Notable snubs for the Devils would be Rudy Carpenter for Best Old School QB, Kyle Williams for Best Returner, Keegan Herring in the Best Veteran Running Backs, Our D-Line for Sack Masters or Run Stuffers, and Omar Bolden for CB, those to just name a few.
-- ESPN's Games to Watch
Sept. 20: Georgia at Arizona State (8 p.m., ABC)
The Bulldogs make a rare trip west of the Mississippi River -- they haven't played beyond Baton Rouge, La., since 1967. The Sun Devils won 10 games in coach Dennis Erickson's first season, but they'll have to do a better job protecting quarterback Rudy Carpenter against Georgia's defense.
Oct. 11: Arizona State at USC (TBA)
The Sun Devils were no match for the Trojans in 2007, losing 44-24. Arizona State might be USC's best competition in the Pac-10 this season.
And the Week 15 Upset Alert: Arizona over Arizona State.
-- ESPN's Most Intriguing Games of the Season
Dec. 6: Arizona State at Arizona (8 p.m. ET)
After being outrecruited by the Sun Devils, Wildcats coach Mike Stoops suggested Arizona State was turning into a junior college. If Arizona keeps playing football like a JC, Stoops will be looking for a job in 2009.
-- Regarding Sun Devil injuries, Coach Erickson said that WR Chris McGaha is expected to start against NAU this weekend after missing some practice for an injury. On other injuries, Coach Erickson stated that the Devils should have most of their players available, RB Shaun DeWitty is still a question mark however.
-- Looks like Keegan Herring and Dimitri Nance will see the majority of the playing time at running back. Jarrell Woods could see action in the short yardage situations because of his size. Coach Erickson has said that true freshman Ryan Bass will also see some action in the NAU game.
-- The Sun Devils will see about eight or nine true freshmen play this season. On defense: Josh Jordan, Clint Floyd, Shelly Lyons, Brandon Magee, and Lawrence Guy. Offensively look for Zach Schlink, Ryan Bass, and Gerell Robinson.
-- No News is Not Good News in regards to Oregon's projected starting quarterback Nate Costa. You figured with all of the sealed lips around Oregon's fall practices over the weekend that the injury to Costa was more than a mere stinger and according to reports that were published Monday, the Ducks QB will be out a minimum 8-10 weeks after reinjuring his surgically repaired knee five days ago. Justin Roper will start the season opener against Washington on Saturday at Autzen Stadium. Back-up QBs will be Jeremiah Masoli, a transfer from City College of San Francisco (JUCO National Champion) and true freshman Chris Harper. Roper filled in for Dennis Dixon last season after Dixon was lost due to an injury suffered during the Arizona State game. Roper led the Ducks to a 56-21 Sun Bowl win over South Florida.
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