Okay.

We lost. That much is clear, and we had an excellent chance to tie it at the end on our 2-point conversion attempt. So, I can't complain; our defense was excellent and our offense did its part by actually putting 12 points on the board.

But why do we keep having to discuss Pac-10 officials? It seems like never a week goes by where there isn't some complaint about lackluster officiating, from missed calls to inconsistencies in the treatment of each scenario.

Tonight, Omar Bolden was flagged for pass interference on a play that Jason Sehorn found to be nothing more than a well defended pass deflection. As a matter of fact, I nearly jumped out of my chair when I saw the flag come in out of the corner of the screen.

What exactly did he do wrong, sir official, sir? Was his form too pristine? His deflection too overwhelming? Did he really impede the receiver's ability to catch the ball? Absolutely, because he jumped and smacked it away. This wasn't pass interference, it was excellent pass defense.

On the ensuing drive by Arizona State, Chris McGaha was whacked right before the ball got to him on a long distance throw from Rudy Carpenter. Expecting a reciprocal call, I quickly realized that no flag was coming. It's funny listening to Sehorn blow up on air; his reaction along the lines of "this is difficult to watch" really resonates with me and bothers me at the same time.

As the Pac-10, Tom Hansen and his cronies have the obligation to provide us with superior officials. If these are the best we can do, ASU is at a constant disadvantage. It's embarrassing to watch these referees ruin the integrity of our sport.

Another thing I couldn't help but notice was the clock management. Every time we got a first down on our march late in the 4th quarter, the clock seemed to run 3-4 seconds longer than it should have, after the whistle blew. I don't want to go out on too big of a limb and call shenanigans on the time keeper, but come on. This is your job, you should be able to do it correctly. If you can't flick a switch when you hear a whistle, you are in dire need of some help.

But anyway, let me quickly talk about the game itself.

• Troy Nolan came up huge with that INT returned for a TD; he is a workhorse that I am truly proud to have on our team.
• The offensive line was a leaky faucet again tonight.
• Carpenter needs protection, but he also needs to look a little harder for open men. This is a problem that is not a recent development.
• I dislike Pac-10 officials. Oh, I already mentioned that.
• Jacquizz Rodgers is impossible to bring down; it's downright ridiculous to see 5 defensive Sun Devils fall down when they try to tackle him. Terrell Carr should be ashamed of that tackle attempt he had; he was made to look plain silly by a 5'7" running back.
• The Sun Devils are now 2-6, and the Beavers are in control of their own destiny to go to the Rose Bowl. Does anyone remember 2007 anymore? I sure seem to have forgotten that magical season.

The Pac-10 got off to a strong start as a whole last week, collecting six victories (two of which came against Pac-10 foes). The biggest victory of the week was UCLA's triumph over #18 Tennessee, in a game that was nearly impossible to watch in the first half.

This week, BYU rolls into Washington, Oregon State crosses the country to play Penn State, and Stanford takes on the Sun Devils in a battle of unbeaten squads. USC and UCLA have much-deserved off weeks after their victories in week 1.

On to the prognoses...

#15 BYU Cougars @ Washington Huskies. Saturday, September 6, 12:10 PM Pacific.

I was wrong last week when it came to my prediction about UCLA having "no chance" against Tennessee. Dead wrong. Tennessee was not nearly as good as I gave them credit for; it was probably all the SEC bias that gets tossed around on ESPN.

This week, I am willing to make another bold statement. Washington has no chance against BYU. QB Max Hall has looked phenomenal and will throw all over the Husky secondary.

UW QB Jake Locker gives Washington a change to keep this close, but if he falters at all, down they go, like a dogsled team falling into a frozen lake during the Iditarod.

Prediction: BYU 45, Washington 28

Oregon State Beavers @ #19 Penn State Nittany Lions. Saturday, September 6, 12:30 PM Pacific, ABC.

The Beavers take on the Nittany Lions in Beaver Stadium... in Pennsylvania. What a coincidence, huh? Penn State is implementing a new quarterback for 2008, junior Daryll Clark. He looked good against Coastal Carolina, going 11/14 for 146 yards and a touchdown before getting pulled in the blowout victory.

On the other side of the coin is the OSU attack. Led by QB Lyle Moevao and WR Sammie Stroughter, the air game picked up 404 yards against Stanford in week 1's losing effort. The interceptions Moevao threw were backbreakers, and ended up being the difference between victory and defeat.

I can't help but wish for a huge upset, seeing as I think Penn State is perpetually overvalued, but in reality it just won't happen. Oregon State is known for being awful at the start of the year, and they won't go into one of the most hostile stadiums in the country and walk away with a win.

Prediction: Penn State 42, Oregon State 17

Continue reading this post »

The student section was rowdy and ready for another season of college football. After taking a beating in the Holiday Bowl at the hands of Texas, Rudy Carpenter and the boys looked prepared to show their fans that they are a legitimate Pac-10 contender.

The first thing I noticed was the inexperience of the offensive line really shining through. While statistically looking good on paper, Rudy was flushed out quite often. He showed his mettle and got rid of the ball when he needed to, rather than taking those sacks he was so familiar with.

To be fair to the line, they look promising. There are no guarantees in college football, but if they can give Carpenter 4 seconds to find a receiver, there will be hell to pay.

Continue reading this post »

There is a bevy of Pac-10 and ASU related news barreling down the cardboard tubes that make up the internet, as the opening game comes up this weekend.

I will run through all things remotely ASU related that I can find, and sprinkle in some things that people are saying about our conference rivals.

Kirk Herbstreit, college gamedays quarterback, has chalked up his eighth annual "Herbie Awards."  Naturally banal, Herbstreit manages to completely ignore the Sun Devils, while peppering his rankings with WILDCAT references. Pac-10 sleeper? Coach that will exceed expectations? #3 team that is "movin' on up"? 5th best dropback quarterback? 2nd best tight end? 6th best wide receiver? GOODNESS KIRK! It will be a tad silly when Arizona goes 4-8 and loses to us by 2 touchdowns or more in Arizona.

ESPN's Pac-10 blogger, Ted Miller, checks in with the Pac-10's toughest schedules and puts the Sun Devils squarely in the middle at #5. A lot of his rationale on his rankings seems a tad off. He seems to be giving a lot of credit to the teams who play BYU... hmm.

Miller also throws up his 10 Pac-10 games to watch list, with the Sun Devils taking home 30% of the honors. #3, #4, and #7 respectively, I find it a little odd that Oregon at USC gets number 2, but Georgia at ASU gets number 4? Hmm. And somehow, Oregon at ASU gets #3... I mean, we all love the Sun Devils, but who really thinks the Oregon game is as big of a matchup as the Georgia game? If we beat Georgia suddenly we have national title aspirations...if we don't... eh.

3. Oregon at Arizona State, Oct. 25: This one could be for the Holiday Bowl berth. Or perhaps, if USC plays for the national title, a Rose Bowl. Basically, the Ducks visit to Tempe likely decides who plays second fiddle to USC. The Sun Devils will be looking for revenge after last year's 12-point loss in Eugene, their first defeat in 2007 after an 8-0 start.

4. Georgia at Arizona State, Sept. 20: This is more a test for Georgia, which is the preseason No. 1 in both polls. The Bulldogs haven't traveled outside the Southeast in decades for a non-conference game, but it's worth noting they have been an outstanding road team in the SEC under coach Mark Richt. If the Sun Devils win, it would be a landmark victory announcing the program as a team headed for the elite.

7. Arizona State at California, Oct. 4: Arizona State's biggest win of 2007 in terms of perception was over California, and that shows the lack of big wins among the Sun Devils 10 victories because the Bears were at the time riding a two-game losing streak (it turned out the biggest win was a stunning comeback victory over Oregon State in the Pac-10 opener, but that's not the point here). It's possible that the loser here will fall out of the race for second place.

Oregon seems to be a bit of an enigma heading into the season - some polls value them highly and have them as a trendy sleeper pick, other analysts seem to be discounting them entirely. Obviously Miller feels they will challenge ASU for second place in the Pac-10, and it will be interesting to see if it does come down to that game in October for all the marbles and a Rose Bowl berth.

The Arizona Republic checks in from Sun Devil camp, and everyone will be pleased to see that Chris McGaha has returned to practice after missing the past 10 practices.

There are also some very interesting tidbits. A list of true freshman who will be playing against NAU is listed:

Although personnel discussions continue, Erickson said at least eight true freshmen probably will play this season: defensive end Lawrence Guy, linebacker Brandon Magee, linebacker Shelly Lyons, cornerback Josh Jordan, tailback Ryan Bass, receiver Gerell Robinson offensive lineman Zach Schlink and safety Clint Floyd.

Another option is Andrew Sampson, recently promoted to second-team center because of an ankle injury to redshirt freshman Garth Gerhart.

Asked if he was surprised by any of the freshmen's progress, Erickson mentioned Schlink and Floyd but said, "I think anybody that plays as a freshman is kind of a surprise."

 

Also, this:

ASU expects to pass 50,000 season-ticket packages sold, which would be the most in two decades. As of late last week, about 1,900 ticket packages remained.

Sun Devil nation is coming out this year. Good news, we will need everyone we can get for some tough road games against USC, Oregon, and Georgia.

It seems as though Garth Gerhart has gone down with an ankle injury, and will be out for a few days to help it heal.

This couldn't come at a worse time for Gerhart, as Thomas Altieri returned to the field from his concussion on Friday (just in time to play in the Tontozona road exhibition).

Altieri might have the opportunity to lock down the starting center job in the next few days if he shows strong performances in practice.

Another offensive lineman, Matt Hustad, has been injured and is standing on the sidelines with a knee injury. With the lack of depth on the OL in the first place, these injuries put further stress on the skill positions.

In other Sun Devil news, Samson Szakacsy has been named the third string QB, beating out Chasen Stangel (last year's scout team QB). Szakacsy was injured last season, and did not have an opportunity to show off his promise. Both Szakacsy and Stangel are redshirt freshmen. Danny Sullivan is still the backup QB.

As for the slot receiver battle between Kerry Taylor and Kyle Williams, the role is still up for grabs. Whoever wins the role will have a fantastic spot in the offense, with the other still being active in 4-wide sets.

Williams said he's looking forward to playing alongside Taylor this season.

"It's going to be me and Kerry on the inside (receiving positions) most likely," Williams said. "When we go to single sets, it will be me or Kerry. Depending on who is tired, I might come in and play for Chris (McGaha) or for Mike. Same with Kerry.

"We've got a hell of a rotation, we really do."

Hopefully the line can stay healthy long enough to give our wideouts the chance to break free this year.

Continuing with our segment of breaking down your 2008 Arizona State Sun Devil football team, lets take a look at one of the most key pieces to Erickson's spread offense: receiver. 

With base sets using 3 receivers, and many formations with 4 and 5 receivers, receiver is one of the most important offensive positions on the team.  With new offensive coordinator Rich Olson making depth and versitility a key issue lets take a look at where we stand.

1. Michael Jones, 6'4 203 LBS, RS Senior

via www.eastvalleytribune.com

Mike Jones. Who? Sorry, I could not help myself. Anyway, the presumed number 1 receiver this season is coming off his most productive year at ASU.  He has developed a solid rapport with Rudy and has become a truly viable option to stretch the field and catch the jump ball.

A fantastic two sport athlete (Jones was selected in the 29th round by the New York Yankees in the 2008 draft) Jones is prepped for a monster year.  The only question marks I have with him are - how tired is he after the long baseball season? and has he put on any strength? Last year he was a little timid in times when he was fighting for the balls against safety help.

Overall, Jones is set and I could easily see another 10 TDs and over 1,000 yards for our big #1 target.

2. Chris McGaha, 6'1 193 lbs, RS JR

via cache.daylife.com

Love this guy. It is not a stretch to call McGaha ASU's "Wes Welker". He catches everything thrown his way, has solid run after catch ability, and is not afraid to go across the middle. Absolutely valuable in a spread offense, McGaha should see his numbers climb further. Hopefully Rudy can find the guy for more than 1 TD this year.

3. Kyle Williams, 5'10 185 lbs, Junior

via blogs.eastvalleytribune.com

2007 Stats - 29 receptions, 360 yards, 12.4 average, 6 TD, Lng 35.

Kyle Williams, son of Chicago White Sox General Manager Kenny Williams, has become an all-purpose threat for the Sun Devils.  He got noticeably more comfortable as the year wore on and has great speed and field vision.  It will be important for him to work on his routes and his focus, because at times he would quit on his routes if he felt the ball was not coming his way.

4. Kerry Taylor, 6'0 191, Soph

See Cory's writeup below.

The DEPTH:

The battle for the last few receiver spots will be pretty intense. Some of the candidates are:

Nate Kimbrough (RS Senior, 6'1, 208) : The former top recruit who has fallen by the wayside.  Kimbrough's injury and disciplinary history is long and storied.  If he can pull it together he could be a weapon.

Gerrell Robinson (Freshman, 6'4, 210): The current top recruit from Erickson's 2007 class, Robinson is a freak of an athlete.  Rated as the #77 player in the nation by Rivals.com and the #1 player in the state of Arizona, Robinson could be one of the team's Freshman Phenoms. If he can adapt to the offense, the sky is the limit. Played three positions his senior year in high school totaling 843 yards through the air, 543 yards on the ground, and 524 yards receiving.

Brandon Smith (RS Junior, 6'2, 213): A no show in 2007 after a promising 2006 campaign, Smith is just hoping to get on the field.  Bulked up by adding 10 pounds of muscle in the offseason and scored a 44 yard touchdown in the spring game for the white team. Wait and see.

Question Marks:
Kemonte Bateman - the highly touted freshman might be academically ineligible...
A.J. Pickens - Redshirt candidate..but good enough recruit that he could earn a spot.

T.J. Simpson - Redshirt freshman who might find his way onto the field at some point.

Dustin Driscoll - Walk on, only here for injury depth.

Tony Simmons - Walk on transfer from University of San Diego.

Allante Battle - Redshirt?

Bryant Piva - Walk on depth

Gerald Montgomery - Walk on depth

Brian Matsumoto - Same thing

Overall - A+

With a gamut of talent, athleticism, and fantastic depth, ASU's WR corps are looking great for the upcoming season. With some established players, and some amazing talent incoming, Rudy has nothing to worry about this season from his receivers..the line is another story.