-- Offensive Coordinator Rich Olson was named one of the top coordinators of the week by Rivals.com. The Devils' convincing offensive performance against Stanford put up 472 total yards, including 345 through the air.
-- ASU LB Gerald Munns was named the Pac-10 defensive player of the week for his performance against Stanford.
-- Rumors of ESPN GameDay coming to town for the ASU-Georgia game have been swirling. According to various sources, if they were to select Tempe for the weekly show, the set would be located on the SRC's Intramural fields. Last time the GameDay crew came (USC in 2005) they set up in Lot 59N, and had a good view of the stadium and the buttes from the Northeast. My suggestion for location would be the steps of Old Main, it's a little more scenic than the SRC fields.
-- Four of the ballots for the AP Poll had ASU ranked #8 in the country. The Devils' lowest ranking was 25th in one ballot. In unrelated news, that voter got voted as the bad voter of the week. The Devils' average ranking was 14.5 and their median ranking in the 65 ballots was 14.
Showing posts with label ESPN. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ESPN. Show all posts
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Friday, September 5, 2008
Weekly News, Notes, & More
-- The absence of Sparky at midfield created quite a stir this past week, as rumors swirled about the university phasing out the iconic imp.
Well rest assured, Sparky is back on the field. Although still not at the 50 yard line, Sparky will be on the south side on the 25 yard line. The north 25 yard line will feature the Sun Devil Stadium 50th Anniversary logo.
-- Contrary to the news reported across the ESPN Ticker on Thursday night's football game, WR Mike Jones and RB Keegan Herring are expected to play this Saturday against the Furd. Herring missed a game for the first time in his career last week against NAU as he nursed a sore hamstring, but has been running at practice this week and is ready to get back on the field. Jones is expected to play after he sat out two practices with a strained achilles. According to Erickson, Jones "ran pretty good" and he "would be surprised if he didn't play." Also returning this week from an injury is RB Shaun DeWitty. DeWitty, ASU's biggest running back, sat out last week's game with a hamstring injury.
-- QB Rudy Carpenter will start his 33rd straight game on Saturday, he and Purdue's Painter lead all quarterbacks in the nation in most consecutive starts.
-- From the ESPN "Ten Things to Watch for Saturday" list:
2. Put '55' to bed: A 41-3 victory doesn't raise many fretful eyebrows for a winning team, but Arizona State bludgeoned Stanford by that count in its 2007 Pac-10 opener, while -- eyebrow arch now! -- giving up five first-half sacks. Thus commenced a storyline that continues today with the oft-repeated stat of 55 sacks yielded last year by the Sun Devils OL. Stanford's defensive front is stout, winning the battle at the line of scrimmage last Thursday against Oregon State. If the rebuilt Sun Devils offensive line, however, can at least reach a stalemate, then...
3. Given time, Carpenter will shine: If Arizona State QB Rudy Carpenter isn't running for his life against Stanford, he will pick apart the Cardinal secondary, which won't match up with the Sun Devils skill and depth at WR, even if Michael Jones is limited by a toe injury. Oregon State and its outstanding WRs piled up over 400 yards passing; Carpenter could equal that.
8. What about Gerhart's encore?: Stanford running back Toby Gerhart ate up Oregon State with 147 yards on 19 carries and two TDs. The 230 pounder has the speed to get to the corner and the size to make things difficult once he breaks the line of scrimmage. He shredded the Beavers typically rugged run defense, so what will he do against the Sun Devils? If there's not a lot of room for Gerhart and the Cardinal running game, then things will be much harder for Stanford, which struggled to establish its passing game against the Beavers and is thin at receiver.
Well rest assured, Sparky is back on the field. Although still not at the 50 yard line, Sparky will be on the south side on the 25 yard line. The north 25 yard line will feature the Sun Devil Stadium 50th Anniversary logo.
-- Contrary to the news reported across the ESPN Ticker on Thursday night's football game, WR Mike Jones and RB Keegan Herring are expected to play this Saturday against the Furd. Herring missed a game for the first time in his career last week against NAU as he nursed a sore hamstring, but has been running at practice this week and is ready to get back on the field. Jones is expected to play after he sat out two practices with a strained achilles. According to Erickson, Jones "ran pretty good" and he "would be surprised if he didn't play." Also returning this week from an injury is RB Shaun DeWitty. DeWitty, ASU's biggest running back, sat out last week's game with a hamstring injury.
-- QB Rudy Carpenter will start his 33rd straight game on Saturday, he and Purdue's Painter lead all quarterbacks in the nation in most consecutive starts.
-- From the ESPN "Ten Things to Watch for Saturday" list:
2. Put '55' to bed: A 41-3 victory doesn't raise many fretful eyebrows for a winning team, but Arizona State bludgeoned Stanford by that count in its 2007 Pac-10 opener, while -- eyebrow arch now! -- giving up five first-half sacks. Thus commenced a storyline that continues today with the oft-repeated stat of 55 sacks yielded last year by the Sun Devils OL. Stanford's defensive front is stout, winning the battle at the line of scrimmage last Thursday against Oregon State. If the rebuilt Sun Devils offensive line, however, can at least reach a stalemate, then...
3. Given time, Carpenter will shine: If Arizona State QB Rudy Carpenter isn't running for his life against Stanford, he will pick apart the Cardinal secondary, which won't match up with the Sun Devils skill and depth at WR, even if Michael Jones is limited by a toe injury. Oregon State and its outstanding WRs piled up over 400 yards passing; Carpenter could equal that.
8. What about Gerhart's encore?: Stanford running back Toby Gerhart ate up Oregon State with 147 yards on 19 carries and two TDs. The 230 pounder has the speed to get to the corner and the size to make things difficult once he breaks the line of scrimmage. He shredded the Beavers typically rugged run defense, so what will he do against the Sun Devils? If there's not a lot of room for Gerhart and the Cardinal running game, then things will be much harder for Stanford, which struggled to establish its passing game against the Beavers and is thin at receiver.
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Devils Picked To Win; Some Injury News
-- ESPN's Feldman in his weekly predictions chose the Devils as 49-20 victors in the opener against the 'Jacks. He went on to add that NAU's best hope would be to pressure Carpenter consistently. My guess is that the Devils will have made enough adjustments on offense over the offseason to combat the high number of sacks and the pressure Rudy had to endure last season to make this feat for the Lumberjacks next to impossible. Look for the offensive line to exceed expectations this season as they play to prove the doubters wrong. He goes on to say that the quick ASU passing game will burn NAU, although he could see the Lumberjacks' passing game doing some damage too. My gut feeling is that NAU will put up 10 points or so in the first three quarters and then tack on a touchdown at the end in scrub time.
-- Possibly sitting out the NAU game will be RB Keegan Herring. Herring has been nursing a sore hamstring and has missed the past two days of practice. Coach Erickson has said that he would not risk playing Keegan if it would potentially keep him out for a longer period of time down the road. If Herring does in fact sit against the 'Jacks, Dimitri Nance would get the majority of the carries with Jarrell Woods and Ryan Bass also seeing action. Shaun DeWitty is unlikely to play in the NAU game, also because of a hamstring injury.
-- Oregon QB Nate Costa, who injured his knee last week in practice, will miss his second consecutive season. While repairing a partially torn meniscus, surgeons found a torn ACL. Costa missed last season due to an injury on the same knee. Justin Roper will start for the Ducks when they host Washington on Saturday.
-- Possibly sitting out the NAU game will be RB Keegan Herring. Herring has been nursing a sore hamstring and has missed the past two days of practice. Coach Erickson has said that he would not risk playing Keegan if it would potentially keep him out for a longer period of time down the road. If Herring does in fact sit against the 'Jacks, Dimitri Nance would get the majority of the carries with Jarrell Woods and Ryan Bass also seeing action. Shaun DeWitty is unlikely to play in the NAU game, also because of a hamstring injury.
-- Oregon QB Nate Costa, who injured his knee last week in practice, will miss his second consecutive season. While repairing a partially torn meniscus, surgeons found a torn ACL. Costa missed last season due to an injury on the same knee. Justin Roper will start for the Ducks when they host Washington on Saturday.
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Students Sell-Out; More ESPN Notes
-- With demand as high as ever, ASU has sold out of its' student season ticket allotment this morning at around 10am, leaving a lot of upset students without tickets for the season. The tickets went on sale at the end of last semester however, so there isn't a whole lot of ground for frustrated students to complain on.
-- ESPN's Ivan Maisel predicted that the 2008-09 season would be a far less chaotic one than last year's season of upsets. While discussing Georgia and their 17 returning starters and USC's eight returning starters on defense, he had this to say about the wealth of experience and continuity that will favor the top teams this year...
"It's as if college football took a page from Major League Baseball before free agency, when you knew who played for which team. Al Kaline played right field for the Tigers. Willie Mays played center field for the Giants. And Rudy Carpenter played quarterback for the Sun Devils.
Oh, check that. Carpenter plays for No. 15 Arizona State now, and this is only his fourth season as starter. It just seems as if he's been around since the '60s."
Isn't it nice to have one of those players who never seems to graduate? Back in the day, Rich Alexis of Washington was one of those players who never seemed to leave, partially because they find ways to make your annual game miserable. Jesse Ainsworth might be able to be considered for that role, although how much so by opposing fans is a question. In an era of college sports where the top players hardly stay four years, it's an unusual feeling, so let's enjoy it.
-- A very interesting note from ESPN's Ted Miller regarding Pat Tillman and his still continued legacy at ASU...
"Pat Tillman, American war hero and former Arizona State All-American, will be one of eight former Sun Devils inducted into the school's Hall of Fame this year.
Tillman's life was an extraordinary one, and the woman who raised him, Mary Tillman, has intrepidly led a campaign to force the government to tell the truth about her son's friendly fire death in Afghanistan. She then wrote a book about him and her experience, "Boots on the Ground by Dusk."
So it figures that she would have wisdom to share with ASU's incoming student-athletes, which she did during an orientation seminar last week.
As for the Hall of Fame class, Tillman will be joined by his former coach, Bruce Snyder. The other inductees are Eric Allen (football), Jacinta Bartholomew (track and field), Brandie Burton (golf), Lisa Dacquisto (softball), Markus Mollica (wrestling) and Jeremy Veal (basketball).
The inductees will be honored at the Hall of Fame football game on Oct. 25 vs. Oregon at Sun Devil Stadium/Frank Kush Field. "
-- ESPN's Ivan Maisel predicted that the 2008-09 season would be a far less chaotic one than last year's season of upsets. While discussing Georgia and their 17 returning starters and USC's eight returning starters on defense, he had this to say about the wealth of experience and continuity that will favor the top teams this year...
"It's as if college football took a page from Major League Baseball before free agency, when you knew who played for which team. Al Kaline played right field for the Tigers. Willie Mays played center field for the Giants. And Rudy Carpenter played quarterback for the Sun Devils.
Oh, check that. Carpenter plays for No. 15 Arizona State now, and this is only his fourth season as starter. It just seems as if he's been around since the '60s."
Isn't it nice to have one of those players who never seems to graduate? Back in the day, Rich Alexis of Washington was one of those players who never seemed to leave, partially because they find ways to make your annual game miserable. Jesse Ainsworth might be able to be considered for that role, although how much so by opposing fans is a question. In an era of college sports where the top players hardly stay four years, it's an unusual feeling, so let's enjoy it.
-- A very interesting note from ESPN's Ted Miller regarding Pat Tillman and his still continued legacy at ASU...
"Pat Tillman, American war hero and former Arizona State All-American, will be one of eight former Sun Devils inducted into the school's Hall of Fame this year.
Tillman's life was an extraordinary one, and the woman who raised him, Mary Tillman, has intrepidly led a campaign to force the government to tell the truth about her son's friendly fire death in Afghanistan. She then wrote a book about him and her experience, "Boots on the Ground by Dusk."
So it figures that she would have wisdom to share with ASU's incoming student-athletes, which she did during an orientation seminar last week.
As for the Hall of Fame class, Tillman will be joined by his former coach, Bruce Snyder. The other inductees are Eric Allen (football), Jacinta Bartholomew (track and field), Brandie Burton (golf), Lisa Dacquisto (softball), Markus Mollica (wrestling) and Jeremy Veal (basketball).
The inductees will be honored at the Hall of Fame football game on Oct. 25 vs. Oregon at Sun Devil Stadium/Frank Kush Field. "
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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