House Of Sparky

House of Sparky - one of the top 100 college sports blogs!

2008-11-20T05:45:30Z

House of Sparky - one of the top 100 college sports blogs!

The crew over at learning XL, a site dedicated to top 100 lists on various subjects like networks for change, sites for scholars, and search engines for writers, has posted a great list of their top 100 college sports blogs. Lo and behold, House of Sparky clocks in under one of the top school blogs. Thanks for the love!

Men's Basketball Moves to 2-0

2008-11-20T02:11:07Z

It might not have been a pretty win, but it was a win nonetheless. A team's first road game of the season is never easy, and the game against the Aztecs of San Diego State proved to be no different. The Sun Devils started out looking sluggish and lethargic while falling behind early. As coach Sendek put it "We took a punch right between the eyes and then we took a number of body blows." The difference in this one was that the team wasn't afraid to stand up and fight back.

Even a virus can't stop James Harden from leading the Sun Devils to victory by netting 18 points and hitting a key three-pointer to give the Devils a lead they never looked back on. Harden and Kuksiks combined for nearly half the Sun Devils points and Abbott contributed another 13 points. Pendergraph struggled with fouls all game as he seemed somewhat overmatched. The Devils need him to pick up his game in order for them to fight their way through the season. ASU has 5 days off before they play their next game against Pepperdine(1-2) in Tempe on the 23rd @ 2:00 MT.

Arizona and ASU: Two Schools Going In Opposite Directions

2008-11-18T23:02:00Z

Historically, Arizona has held the perch of college basketball greatness in the southwestern desert. No other school in the region could hold a candle to the consistency of the Wildcat basketball program,a team that has made the NCAA tournament in each of the last 24 seasons.

Unfortunately for UA fans (and no one else), their long-awaited collapse is finally at hand. In an ironic twist, it just so happens that right at the same time, the Sun Devil basketball program is on a meteoric rise to stardom. The timing is so antagonizingly perfect that it must be chronicled.

Jerryd Bayless, in much greener pastures.

In the meantime, the 2008 college football season began with Arizona finally appearing to be as good as advertised. Starting off with a 4-1 record, when a Sun Devil fan looked at the recent standings and saw their beloved ASU squad standing at 2-6, it felt as though the world was ending in Tempe, with calls for Rudy Carpenter to be benched, and Offensive Coordinator Rich Olson to be fired.

But now, as we take a gander at the standings, we see ASU has won 2 in a row, and is now 4-6 with two games left to play. Their schedule is at home vs. UCLA, and on the road to Tucson to take on the Wildcats in the season finale. Arizona, on the other hand, has gone 2-3 since their 4-1 start, and is now 6-4 and has two home games to close out the season, against Oregon State and ASU.

Oregon State is not to be taken lightly, and I believe they will take care of business against UA, making them 6-5. UCLA is a poor team, and ASU should beat them at home. That would make ASU 5-6.

That would ensure that it was down to the Territorial Cup game to decide the fate of UA and ASU in the bowl season. Would ASU resurrect their season and go to a bowl? Or would UA return the favor and keep ASU out of the postseason?

Should ASU and UA both finish 6-6, ASU would actually be 5-4 in conference play, with UA being 4-5. ASU would go to a superior bowl, and have another year of bragging rights over the boys down south.

In the end, there is nothing sweeter than beating Arizona. ASU has gotten particularly used to the feeling, winning the last 3 football matches and sweeping the men's basketball series last year. Inevitably, it can only continue, as UA scrambles to save their basketball program from the depths of mediocrity and at the same time maintain a professional atmosphere in a football program led by a bumbling coach, Mike Stoops.

You will see this face again soon.

Poll

Will ASU and UA both finish 6-6?

ASU Alum Dustin Pedroia Wins AL MVP!

2008-11-18T20:30:55Z

ASU Alum Dustin Pedroia Wins AL MVP!

Pedroia, the pride of ASU, has become the first 2B to win the award in over 50 years. The little man led a depleted Boston squad (no Manny after the trade, Ortiz injured...) deep into the playoffs, and within a game of the World Series.

He beat out Justin Morneau of the twins by 60 points in the voting.

His 2008 MVP stat line:

157 games played
653 At-Bats
118 runs
213 hits
54 doubles
2 triples
17 home runs
83 runs batted in
50 walks
52 strike-outs
20 stolen bases
1 caught stealing
.326 average
.376 on-base percentage
.493 slugging percentage
.869 on-base plus slugging

C.W.'s note: This guy was a beast at 2B. It's difficult to say that anyone else held more value for their team in the American League this past season.

ASU Basketball? So hot right now.

2008-11-18T20:26:42Z

ESPN.com has a 2008 hot and NOT article up right now, and it had an interesting little tid bit in there...

HOT? Yeah. ASU NOT? U of A. who else?

Arizona State: The program is so rising so quickly, its former radio analyst is now the head coach at Arizona. Bah-dump-bump. But seriously folks, Herb Sendek engineered the nation's best turnaround last season (from eight wins to 21) and with James Harden leading a pack of five returners, the Sun Devils are as hot as their desert address.

Arizona: Lute Olson left, came back, left, came back and left for good. We think. Nic Wise rolled his ankle; an attack of teamwide leg cramps cut short an exhibition game; and the new head coach, Russ Pennell, spent last year talking about games rather than coaching them. Honestly, Susan Lucci needs to get on the bench of this soap opera. Chase Budinger and Wise have an awful lot of melodrama to overcome to keep the Wildcats' string of 24 consecutive NCAA bids alive.

That is what I am talking about. Eat it up future recruits. Tempe is the place to be.

Game Recap: ASU 31 - WASU 0, 4-6 Now

2008-11-17T16:51:00Z

So, homecoming day win over Washington State, everything is good right? Sort of.

Would have liked to see much more of a beat down. We were the second lowest scoring Pac-10 team against WASU (UCLA put up 28 against them) while every other Pac-10 squad scored over 50 against them! Stanford beat them 58-0, Arizona won 59-28, USC won 69-0, Oregon won 63-14, Cal won 66-3... You get the idea.

I like the shut out - first one since 1996 against #1 Nebraska..but they were also shut out by Stanford 58-0, who we beat 41-17. Take that how you will, I have no idea what it means.

Penalties, again, were a HUGE problem. 10 for 104 yards. Ridiculous, that over a field length's worth of penalties. Not sure how you fix that other than to coach the players up much more than they have been.

Some good things - defense, obviously. A shut out is always good. Doing it like this is even better. Aside from the penalties, the defense held WASU to 130 total yards. 7 yards rushing on 24 carries is amazing. We got to the quarterbacks, we have an interception and a fumble recovery. Defense is a definite strong point on this team.

The running game looked good, for once. Taking out Rudy's "carries" we ran 32 times for 150 yards. Everyone got in on the action. Keegan Herring looked pretty bad in the first half, while DeWitty looked solid (6 per carry). The second half belonged to Nance and Bass who ran 16 times for 82 yards. Nance also had 23 yards receiving.

The passing game was eh. Rudy was 17/25 for 213 yards, 3 TDs, and 0 INTs. Mistake free. Big play free. Stud of the day was Kyle Williams, who had 2 receptions for 72 yards and 2 TDs. Everyone else had less than 40 yards receiving. Kerry Taylor had a td. Best thing that can be said is that 11 different players had receptions. Mike Jones disappeared.

Dexter Davis now has 9 sacks and has been named to the Hendricks watch list, so that is pretty cool. Nixon has 4 ints, and has become a good cover linebacker.

Team won. Bye week before UCLA at home on the 28th.

EDIT: To temper too much joy, these last two wins have come against ESPN's top two BOTTOM 10 teams.

1. Washington 0-8 "How the West Was Won": The winless Huskies need to discover how a team from the West can win at least one

2. Washington State 1-8 "Code of the West": In the 2008 season, the code is losing -- and the Cougars are definitely following that code.

BCS Bowl Projections: November 16, 2008

2008-11-17T02:43:04Z

Last week, I did my first BCS bowls projections. This week, after some interesting games were played on Saturday, I have decided to update my projections.

Without further ado, here are your House of Sparky-Sanctioned BCS Bowl Games! As a side note, allow me to point out the BCS rules: the BCS rotates its at-large selections by year. "January 2009 games: Fiesta, Sugar, Orange" is the rotation for this round. Also, read this interesting nugget:

5. After completion of the selection process as described in Paragraph Nos. 1-4, the conferences and Notre Dame may, but are not required to, adjust the pairings taking into consideration the following:

  A. whether the same team will be playing in the same bowl game for two consecutive years;
  B. whether two teams that played against one another in the regular season will be paired against one another in a bowl game;
  C. whether the same two teams will play against each other in a bowl game for two consecutive years; and
  D. whether alternative pairings may have greater or lesser appeal to college football fans as measured by expected ticket sales for the bowls and by expected television interest, and the consequent financial impact on Fox and the bowls.

The pairings may not be altered by removing the Big 10 Champion or Pac-10 champion from the Rose Bowl.

So, even though Oregon State has already played (and lost) to Penn State, they will still meet again in the Rose Bowl if things go according to plan.

Bowl Game	Participants	Winner
Orange Bowl	Miami (FL) Hurricanes vs. Boise State Broncos	Boise
Rose Bowl	Oregon St. Beavers vs. Penn St. Nittany Lions	PSU
Fiesta Bowl	Texas Longhorns vs. USC Trojans	Texas
Sugar Bowl	Alabama Crimson Tide vs. Cincinnati Bearcats	Bama
BCS Championship	Texas Tech Red Raiders vs. Florida Gators	Tech

North Carolina is currently 3-3 in ACC conference play. Their schedule, however, is favorable, with games against 4-6 NC State and 4-6 Duke to close out the season. The driver's seat is held by both Maryland and Miami (FL), who are both 4-2 in the ACC.

Maryland has a tough finish ahead, playing Florida State (7-3, 4-3 ACC) and Boston College (7-3, 3-3 ACC), two teams with decent records and shots at the conference crown. All three of these teams are in the ACC Atlantic, and the winner of that section will play the winner of the ACC Coastal on December 6 to decide who will host the Orange Bowl.

Georgia Tech, at 4-3 in the ACC, has only one ACC game left: vs. Miami (FL). If they win, they are going to the ACC Championship unless UNC wins out, and then due to UNC's 28-7 victory over GT on November 8, UNC will go to Tampa for the ACC Championship Game.

The story gets even more convoluted when we look at Virginia Tech. 3-3 in the ACC thus far, they have already beaten UNC and GT but lost to Miami (FL). Should they beat Duke and Virginia, they will be 5-3 in the conference.

Long story short, I anticipate Miami (FL) and Florida State in the ACC Championship game.

As for the selection of Cincinnati to the Sugar Bowl, they don't want another SEC vs. WAC competition. Since they have priority over the Orange bowl this year, you can bet they will select the only other option, the Big East Champion Cincinnati Bearcats.

Should Utah go undefeated, they will take away Boise State's at-large berth. I don't know if they can beat BYU though, as this remains to be seen. I don't want to live in a world where a 12-0 Boise State team plays in some non-BCS bowl (like in 2004).

Live Blogging As The Cougars Invade Tempe: WSU @ ASU, 3:30 PM MST

2008-11-15T19:59:55Z

This afternoon on a warm, sunny day in Tempe, Washington State takes the field against the Sun Devils in a battle of conference bottom-feeders. At 1-9, Wazzu is awful. At 3-6, ASU is not much better. I expect ASU to take care of business, but still.

Keep your eyes peeled on this game thread, because I will be in the press box reporting live on the game, with insights and analysis you won't find anywhere else.

1:46 PM: I am in the press box, and just watched Jacquizz (edit: James) Rodgers explode for a touchdown against Cal to tie it at 7 in the first quarter. Down on Frank Kush Field, some kids are attempting field goals at the north end, and two undisclosed players are tossing a ball on the south end. No fans in the stadium yet, and most purple ProEm shirts are seated and waiting for the action to begin.

2:00 PM: Drinking a Coke Zero and getting a little antsy. I have to wait another hour and a half for this game?

2:16 PM: The press box is an interesting place, filled with media and scouts from the NFL. No specific teams will be divulged, but it is good to know that there are players on ASU (or, I suppose, WSU) that the professional teams think are worth looking at.

2:25 PM: The truly dedicated student fans are in the stands, with the front rows of sections 31, 32, and 33 covered in gold. Right now, I'd say there are 80-100 students in the section, sitting in the warm sun and getting more sober by the minute. Get back out into the tailgate! The field is being used by some WSU players to stretch.

2:40 PM: There is no TV broadcast of this game, and for good reason. Sun Devil Trivia: Frank Kush began his head coaching career at Arizona State in 1958.

2:48 PM: Thomas Weber is practicing his field goal attempts. He was true on all his tries from 47 yards, and now he is practicing 52 yard field goals. Weber is still in a cast from his broken arm. His first attempt was wide right. His second was a perfect kick that hit the "a" in Allstate.

2:57 PM: The wide receivers and running backs are running drills. They started with quick slant routes, trying to catch hard-thrown balls. Now they are working on over the shoulder catches. McGaha dropped a slant pass and looked furious with himself; Nance dropped one as well and didn't seem quite as upset. But that is just visual emotion, who knows how he truly feels.

3:00 PM: The stadium is still nearly empty, with only small pockets of fans currently seated. The student section is naturally the most full at this point, and I imagine that fans will filter in as the game nears closer. It is far too nice out in Lot 59 to come this WSU/ASU 35 minutes early.

3:07 PM: On my right is a TV broadcasting Minnesota @ Wisconsin, and my thoughts are with the hurt Badger on the field. Apparently, they are bringing out an ambulance and taking him to the nearest hospital. Hopefully he isn't permanently damaged. You can read the live blogging from Camp Randall at The Daily Gopher.

3:25 PM: 11 minutes to kickoff. Running with the Devils begins playing over the loudspeakers, and the tunnel is made for the team to run out of. Let the excitement build!.... The stadium is woefully underfilled, but there is a solid stream of maroon and gold coming through the turnstiles.

3:32 PM: The fireworks have fillled the air with smoke, but it is quickly dissipating. The weather conditions: clear, sunny skies, 81 degrees, humidity level 9%, Winds SE at 7 mph. In honor of homecoming, the Sun Devils are wearing old-school helmets! Recreation of the old design, worn from 1976-1979. A maroon sun with a gold ASU letting in the middle.

3:35 PM: The Sun Devils are going to receive the kickoff, driving towards the north endzone. Kyle Williams is back in the lineup for ASU today, ready to return the kick. Washington State tried some trickery immediately, trying an onside kick in a regular kickoff formation. #37 Mike Callaghan caught it and the Sun Devils start with a overthrown pass to an open Chris McGaha.

3:40 PM: The Sun Devils had an opportunity to inflict some early damage on the Cougars, and on 3rd and 8 Carpenter completed a pass to Kerry Taylor for the first down. Now at the Cougar 47, the Devils are well on their way to a score. DeWitty is currently the feature back.

3:41 PM: Rudy was sacked on consecutive plays by the Cougars. With their new 3-4 formation, I am surprised that they are able to get so much pressure on Carpenter up to this point. Weber's punt flies out the back of the end zone, and Lopina starts the drive for the Cougars at the 20. Their first play is a run by Tardy for 4 yards.

3:45 PM: The Devils blitzed 5, and Lopina was able to get it out just in time for a 30 yard passing gain. Now at the Sun Devil 44, their drive continues. Lopina just got tackled by Wooten. for a loss, and now it is 3rd and 15. They complete a 11 yard pass, but it is not enough to get a first down, or into field goal range. But with a 1-9 record, what can you do? The Cougs are going for it on 4th and 4. Lopina rolls out right and completes a pass to #85, Jeshua Anderson. First down at the 28 for the Cougs.

3:48 PM: The Cougars aren't doing anything fancy, but basic out routes are working against the Sun Devils. They are attempting to emulate USC's offensive plan against ASU, but without the team speed the Cougars are finding themselves tackled behind the line fairly frequently. On 4th down, the Cougars unsuccessfully attempt a 41-yard field goal, and the first bullet of the afternoon is avoided by ASU.

3:52 PM: Keegan Herring has checked into the game for the Sun Devils, and on his first attempt loses 3 yards. 2nd and 23, Rudy finds Pettes open and he gains a handful of yards. 3rd down and very long.

3:53 PM: More of the same mediocrity from ASU, unable to move the ball at all. Weber once again punts, but this time it is a beauty: rolls all the way to the Cougar 13.

3:57 PM: Lopina nearly throws a pick, but Nolan is unable to reel it in. That was a golden opportunity for a team with no momentum. 2nd down, RB Staden loses 3 yards, and now it is 3rd and 13. ASU shows blitz from its LOLB and MLB, but drops back into zone coverage. WSU is unable to gain any yardage on the inside slant pass, but ASU was offsides, and now it is 3rd and 8. WSU in shotgun with 2 RBs. ASU sends 5 and Lopina is sacked by Dexter Davis! Loss of 6. Punt!

4:02 PM: McGaha shakes a defender and gains a bunch of yards, down to the 32. On the next play, Herring gains 4 on the ground, and it is 2nd and 6. McGaha is the target once again, and he picks up a Sun Devil first down with a 14 yard gain. The offense looks like it is finally clicking. Here ends the first quarter. Boy, this game is moving quickly so far.

Start of 2nd Quarter

4:05 PM: The offensive cannot take advantage of field position inside the 5 yard line, and Weber is now attempting an extra-point distance field goal. It's good!

3-0 ASU

4:08 PM: There is a flag down on the return. Holding on WSU, and they now start their drive at the 14 yard line. As if they needed a longer road to the end zone. Lopina passes to Brandon Gibson for no gain. Another passing play, this time to Anderson, but they only pick up 3 yards, and it is 3rd and 7 from the 16.5 yard line. Out of the shotgun, Lopina finds Tardy, but he is one yard short of the first. WSU will punt again.

4:14 PM: Carpenter is "sacked" as he ran out of bounds behind the line of scrimmage. On 2nd and 13, he passes to Kimbrough for a 11 yard gain. 3rd and 2.

4:15 PM: Carpenter's pass incomplete to Jones. It looked like pass interference to me, as the Cougar was riding him all the way across the field. Punt time.

4:17 PM: At this point, I am going to move the commentary to the "comments" section; it will be easy for you to join the conversation with me there.

#15 ASU 1-0: 80-64 win over Mississippi Valley State

2008-11-15T16:06:17Z

Entering the season with our first preseason ranking since 1991-92 (when we immediately lost 2 of 3 in the Maui Tournament), we have a lot of work to do to live up to the ranking.

Mississippi Valley State (Southwestern Athletic Conference Champ, 17-16 2008, lost in opening round to UCLA in NCAA tournament) played us awfully hard, hit 40% of their three point attempts, closed the lead to only 9 (50-41) in the second half, and junior Shannon Behling had 18 points. But, we still won so..

On to the Sun Devils. While I would have liked to have seen a blow out, MVS was at least an NCAA tourney team (while we weren't..hmm..)

We shot 57.8% from the field. We should have attempted a lot more shots, and Sendek notes that

"We really held the ball too much," Sendek said. "The ball didn't move freely. Everybody who caught it just kind of made sure it was orange, made sure it was a sphere, and then we passed it. Our offense is going to work better when we move the ball more freely and more sharply."

This is not just lip service - it really was true, and I expect the offense to settle down into more of a groove as they work out the early seasn jitters. We shot mediocre from the line (71%), okay from three (35%) and were pretty good about not committing fouls (16).

As a team we were solid, but not spectacular.

Individual performances.

James Harden - pimp. 24 points (6/11 FG, 0/4 3P, 12/16 FT), 3 rebounds, 10 assist (2 to) 3 steals in 30 minutes. A solid line. Great to see Harden dishing the ball out like that because our point guards had little production tonight. Harden on being such a player:

"I guess that's how I always am," Harden said. "I'm a playmaker. I get my teammates shots. I try to create for them as much as possible. That's pretty much my game. Today, I think I did an OK job of doing that."

Yes, you did James. Our Pac-10 title hopes rest on Harden's shoulders this year, so it is good to see him responding to all these preseason 1st and 2nd team All-American nods in a strong way.

The Point Guards, Jamelle McMillan (who started) and Derek Glasser:
Since we have two point guards, both of whom play about equal time (McMillan 21 mins, Glasser 23) we will look at them as a tandem. McMillan has yet to live up to his hype (he was ranked by scouts as a 93 and a top 100 recruit. Harden was a 97) but that is alright, I expect some strides forward this year.

They did not score much and did not shoot that well, 9 points (2-5 FG, 0-3 3P, 5-6 FT) which is to be expected. McMillan shot 36% from three last year, so I dont mind seeing him put up some shots, but Glasser is absolute garbage. 31% last year, but in big games it was about 10%. (Oregon 1-7, USC 0-5, Wash St 1-5, UCLA 2-6). They had 1 combined rebound, 6 assists to 2 turnovers, and 3 steals. Not a lot of production for 44 combined minutes. That is ok, the ball was in Harden's hands most of the possessions.

Ty Abbott: 32 mins, 18 points (8-13 FG, 2-6 3P, 0/0 FT), 8 rebounds, 4 assist 1 turnover, 1 block.

Abbott had excellent efficieny on the other hand. Not quite Harden-esque, but 18 points in 32 minutes is great. He shot well, although it would be nice to see him drawing some fouls instead of relying on his outside shot so much. 8 boards is great to see out of the undersized guard. He also was economical with the ball.

Rihards Kuksiks: The 6'6 sophomore who played 4 minutes in our first 7 Pac-10 games combined last season, and then ended up starting by the end of the year, is poised for a breakout season as our starting SF/PF. The guy can shoot (37% 3P last year). He played 33 mins, shot 4-7 (4-7 from 3P, ha) and scored 12. 3 Rebs, 1 assist to 3 turnovers (eh..), and 1 steal.

If he wants to be effective as a college 3 or 4 he will need to improve his ball skills and improve his defense.

Pendergraph - the senior emotional leader only played half the game, had 10 points, 5 rebounds, and did not miss a shot. Solid, and I would like to see more of this. No more 18 foot jumpers this season Jeff.

The Bench:
Boateng played 11 mins, had 1 rebound 1 steal and did nothing else. Hope his ball handling had improved.

Shipp - 12 mins, 7 points? I will take it. Shipp has seen his playing time slowly decrease as Sendek's recruits have come in, but he still provides solid depth off the bench.

Kraidon woods - only 3 mins.

Taylor Rohde - the 6'8 225 pound Freshman recruit out of Phoenix got his college debut. Ranked as the #44 power foward in the country for 2008, and an 87 by Scouts Inc, Rohde played 12 minutes had 1 rebound, 2 assists and went scoreless. A scouting report on Rohde:

Rohde is an excellent all-around player who possesses a very good understanding of the game and is highly skilled. He has a solid looking frame with fairly long arms, a decent set of shoulders, and solid overall length. He has a great pair of hands as he can finish with either hand. Despite only being a decent athlete (doesn't have a lot of bounce) he's a solid rebounder - has very good instincts in the paint area. He's very skilled in the post - has a nice up-and-under move - and can use the glass very well on his turn-around jump shot. Defensively, he plays good position defense but lacks the quickness to guard athletic post players. Overall, Rohde is a fine basketball player, but he may struggle to score and defend against most "fours" in the Pac-10 (verbal to Arizona State).

2007 Pangos All-American Camp

Rhode will not "wow" you with athleticism, but his savvy and skills are a sight to see.

not as heralded as Coy, but ranked the same as Coy, and played in the first game... His size will be extremely valuable to the team.

Good start boys.

Sun Devils Focused, Ready For Spotlight

2008-11-15T01:08:37Z

With Arizona State's basketball season opening Friday night against the Mississippi Valley State Delta Devils, the stage has been set for a Sun Devils team spurred and motivated by unusually optimistic expectations.

Senior Jeff Pendergraph and sophomore James Harden both return from last season's 21-13 campaign, which once again gives the Sun Devils two of the best players in the Pac-10 at their disposal.

Surrounded by the competent guard play of Ty Abbott, Derek Glasser and Jamelle McMillin, ASU is poised to make a Pac-10 championship run against their SoCal rivals USC and UCLA.

Other veterans looking to make a mark on the 2008-2009 season include junior Eric Boateng and sophomore Rihards Kuksiks.

Boateng and Kuksiks both gradually improved over the course of their first seasons in maroon and gold, and are now respectable role players for Herb Sendek's club.

Lost on this laundry list of quality players is true freshman Johnny Coy, who told us back in October that "it's pretty much a dream come true to meet a coach like Coach Sendek and to be a part of this program."

Despite being 6'7" tall, Coy is a natural shooting guard. His size and length allow him to be versatile around the perimeter, and defensively allows him to give a little space to smaller opponents.

Tonight, we will find out the initial results of fall practice. Will any new players break into a significant role? These answers may be inconclusive based on the quality of our opponent (Mississippi Valley State) but ASU should know better than to underestimate a bad team.

Until the Sun Devils prove otherwise, they are expected to be competitive with every team they face this season. This is such a new phenomenon to ASU fans that it is difficult to even believe.

Get out tonight and wear gold.

Breaking Down The Washington State Cougars

2008-11-14T21:28:32Z

Despite the building excitement here in Tempe over tonight's season-opening doubleheader for both the Men's and Women's basketball programs, we still have some football left to play.

Without further ado, I present to you the enemy: (1-9) Washington State Cougars.

Continue reading to get all the important stats.

Passing

		Passing									Rushing					Sacks
	G	Rating	Comp	Att	Pct	Yds	Y/G	Y/A	TD	INT	Rush	Yds	Y/G	Avg	TD	Sack	YdsL
Kevin Lopina	6	83.1	57	102	55.9	569	94.8	10.0	0	10	41	41	6.8	1.0	3	-	-
Gary Rogers	4	91.4	34	68	50.0	352	88.0	10.4	2	4	18	26	6.5	1.4	1	-	-
J.T. Levenseller	2	59.6	4	9	44.4	40	20.0	10.0	0	1	3	-18	-9.0	-6.0	0	-	-
Marshall Lobbestael	5	103.1	53	103	51.5	571	114.2	10.8	4	4	24	-99	-19.8	-4.1	0	-	-

Rushing

		Rushing					Receiving
	G	Rush	Yds	Y/G	Avg	TD	Rec	Yds	Y/G	Avg	TD
Dwight Tardy	8	91	326	40.8	3.6	2	9	63	7.9	7.0	0
Logwone Mitz	9	70	319	35.4	4.6	2	3	8	0.9	2.7	0
Chantz Staden	9	50	137	15.2	2.7	2	6	41	4.6	6.8	0
Christopher Ivory	5	28	136	27.2	4.9	1	2	1	0.2	0.5	0
Marcus Richmond	2	11	50	25.0	4.5	0	0	0	0	0	0
Kevin Lopina	6	41	41	6.8	1.0	3	0	0	0	0	0
Gary Rogers	4	18	26	6.5	1.4	1	0	0	0	0	0
Jeshua Anderson	9	4	17	1.9	4.3	0	26	259	28.8	10.0	2
Brandon Gibson	10	7	6	0.6	0.9	0	48	587	58.7	12.2	2
Daniel Wagner	1	1	-2	-2.0	-2.0	0	0	0	0	0	0
J.T. Levenseller	2	3	-18	-9.0	-6.0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Marshall Lobbestael	5	24	-99	-19.8	-4.1	0	0	0	0	0	0

Receiving

		Receiving
	G	Rec	Yds	Y/G	AVG	TD
Dwight Tardy	8	9	63	7.9	7.0	0
Logwone Mitz	9	3	8	0.9	2.7	0
Chantz Staden	9	6	41	4.6	6.8	0
Christopher Ivory	5	2	1	0.2	0.5	0
Jeshua Anderson	9	26	259	28.8	10.0	2
Brandon Gibson	10	48	587	58.7	12.2	2
Devin Frischknecht	6	14	188	31.3	13.4	1
Ben Woodard	7	14	180	25.7	12.9	0
Daniel Blackledge	4	9	70	17.5	7.8	0
Kevin Norrell	4	5	53	13.2	10.6	0
Tony Thompson	3	4	30	10.0	7.5	0
Michael Willis	4	4	28	7.0	7.0	1
Jared Karstetter	2	2	21	10.5	10.5	0
Benny Ward	2	2	3	1.5	1.5	0

Kicking

		Field Goals								PAT
	G	0-19	20-29	30-39	40-49	50+	FGM	FGA	PCT	XPM	XPA	PCT	pts
Wade Penner	2	-	-	-	-	-	0	0	nan%	5	6	83.3%	5
Nico Grasu	1	-	-	-	-	-	2	2	100.0%	6	6	100.0%	12
Nico Grasu	6	-	-	-	-	-	3	6	50.0%	5	6	83.3%	14

Looking at the stats, it is pretty clear that we are facing a truly horrible team. Their best receiver is Brandon Gibson, who has 48 catches for 587 yards.

Washington State's unsettling quarterback situation is currently led by Kevin Lopina, who has a startling 0/10 TD/INT ratio. If that was Rudy Carpenter, his pink shirt would be burned in effigy in front of Old Main.

In last week's loss to Arizona, Lopina was 8/15 with 94 yards and 2 interceptions. Apparently, he fractured his spine on September 20th, and is playing hurt. His backup, freshman J.T. Levenseller, was 2/5 with an interception.

On the other side of the ball, things are looking equally grim. Check out this quote:

The Cougars unveiled a new 3-4 defensive scheme that featured Matt Mullennix and Fevaea'i Ahum at the defensive ends, and Turpin, who got his first start, at nose tackle. The trio accounted for 12 tackles and one sack.

"We got to a point where we're so thin where we can't even line up four players that have a legitimate amount of experience at all on the defensive line," Wulff said. "So if you go to a three-down-line look, it at least helps us there and gives us at least an extra backup that we wouldn't have in a four-down-line look."

Now, lets take a quick look at Washington State's 2008 schedule. Legitimately, they could end up winning 3 games this season, with a game in Pullman against an equally horrible Washington team, and a road matchup against a Hawaii squad that has nothing on last year's "Colt Brennan Experience."

Football Schedule

Oklahoma St.	Sat 08/30	L 13 - 39
California	Sat 09/06	L 3 - 66
@ Baylor	Fri 09/12	L 17 - 45
Portland St.	Sat 09/20	W 48 - 9
Oregon	Sat 09/27	L 14 - 63
@ UCLA	Sat 10/04	L 3 - 28
@ Oregon St.	Sat 10/11	L 13 - 66
USC	Sat 10/18	L 0 - 69
@ Stanford	Sat 11/01	L 0 - 58
Arizona	Sat 11/08	L 28 - 59
@ Arizona St.	Sat 11/15	3:30 PM MST
Washington	Sat 11/22	1:00 PM MST
@ Hawaii	Sat 11/29	9:05 PM MST

In the end, ASU looks poised to win their fourth game of the season in a satisfying fashion on homecoming weekend here in Tempe.

Check back later for more Men's basketball coverage.

House Of Sparky Interviews Johnny Coy

2008-10-17T00:39:54Z

-Good times.

UPDATE: With ASU's regular season beginning tonight, I moved this up to the top of the blog for your perusal once again. Look forward to more Johnny Coy interviews over the course of the season right here at House of Sparky.

Johnny Coy, a Missouri native who was a two-sport standout in high school, took a few minutes with House Of Sparky this afternoon to discuss the transition to college and his outlook on the basketball season.
    Coy, a 7th round draft pick of the Philadelphia Phillies in the 2008 MLB Draft (Coy didn't sign), has also been offered a spot on the ASU baseball team under the tutelage of Coach Pat Murphy.
   At 6'7", Coy towers over this interviewer. He has a friendly demeanor and a good attitude.
   "Really early in my recruiting, my first offer was to Arizona State. I got really close to Coach Sendek, and my family got really close to him," Coy said. "It's pretty much a dream come true to meet a coach like Coach Sendek and to be a part of this program."
   A consummate team player, Johnny Coy will do anything it takes to help the team win, at all costs. "All the guys are really close-knit guys, they're all like brothers. It really makes it easy for me to be able to fit in."
   Coy is really excited for both the baseball and basketball seasons, offering that he believes that Herb Sendek and Pat Murphy are the two best coaches in the nation.

House Of Sparky: How was it moving from Missouri to Arizona? It's a little hotter, isn't it?

Johnny Coy: Yeah, it's really different. I came over here in the summer. I was here for the whole second session of summer. It was really hot, and I wasn't used to it. Everything is so different here than back home. I'm getting used to it though, the heat's not bothering me anymore, and now it's starting to cool down a little bit, and it's starting to get really nice.

House Of Sparky: Tell us about the adjustment from high school to college.

Coy: It's going pretty good; it's a tough process for everybody, no matter who it is. The pace of the game, everything. Even the weights, conditioning, it's all a pretty big jump, but I think I'm doing pretty good so far.

House Of Sparky: In your bio, it said you went to the College World Series this summer.

Coy: Yeah, it was my first time ever going. It's only two hours away from where I live, which isn't that far at all. It's kind of weird that I've never been before, but I got to go last summer, and I went to every single game, sat almost front row. It was a really great experience, and hopefully someday I'll get to play in it.

House Of Sparky: It's a little disappointing that Fresno State beat out ASU.

Yeah I know. I didn't actually know I was going to come to Arizona State until the day before they got eliminated. I was going to play basketball here, but I didn't know if I was going to play baseball out here or not. Like an hour before the game, Coach Murphy called and was like "Do you want to play baseball out here? We really want you to come out here and play baseball." It's a dream come true, and I was really excited.

House of Sparky: Whom do you admire the most on the ASU basketball team?

Coy: It's hard; I mean everyone on the team is a leader, all the older guys help the younger guys a lot. They're all really vocal, and everybody is a leader in their own way. We're going to be a pretty good team this year.

House Of Sparky: Past and present, who are your favorite basketball players?

Past would probably be Larry Bird. I loved watching him play. My number is 33. I watch highlight clips of him all the time on Youtube. Present would be Kobe Bryant, he's always been my favorite player since I knew who Kobe Bryant was.

House Of Sparky: Do you try to emulate their moves?

Coy: Uh, I try to. It's a little tough, but I try to sometimes.

House Of Sparky: Still working on it?

Coy: (laughs) yeah.

Pat's Run Set For April 18th, 2009

2008-11-13T17:13:50Z

Pat's Run Set For April 18th, 2009

I am looking forward to Pat's Run. Last year it was a great experience, and in 2009 House of Sparky will be throwing together a "House of Sparky Support" Group.

Members of this site can register under our group and may be able to get a discount. We will work this out at a future date. I just wanted to remind everyone that this will be occurring, and to get ready for a 4.2 mile walk/run!

Pac-10 Power Poll, Week 11

2008-11-13T16:58:57Z

Ranking	Team	Pts Total
1.	USC	59 (5)
2.	Oregon State	52 (1)
3.	California	44
4.	Oregon	43
5.	Arizona	42
6.	Stanford	30
7.	Arizona State	24
8.	UCLA	18
9. (t)	Washington State	9
9. (t)	Washington	9

This is the first week in a while USC hasn't received all the first place votes. It is also the first week in recent memory that the Cougars aren't in sole possession of last place: their performance against Arizona warranted promotion.... to the 9th spot.

Check out how we voted after the hump.

CougCenter

1. Oregon State
2. USC
3. Oregon
4. Arizona
5. Cal
6. Stanford
7. Arizona State
8. UCLA
9. WSU
10. UW

UW Dawg Pound

no ballot this week

Building the Dam (OSU)

USC
OSU
Cal
Arizona
Oregon
Stanford
ASU
UCLA
UW
WSU

California Golden Blogs

oregon over asu because 3 of us like the ducks better, but the points work out the same

USC    50
Cal    42
OSU    38
Oregon    35
Arizona    35
Stan    25
ASU    18
UCLA    17
UW    9.5
WSU    4.5

House of Sparky (ASU)

1. USC
2. Oregon State
3. Arizona
4. Oregon
5. California
6. Stanford
7. Arizona State
8. UCLA
9. Washington State
10. Washington

Addicted to Quack (Oregon)

USC
OSU
Arizona
Cal
Oregon
Stanford
ASU
UCLA
Washington
WSU

Conquest Chronicles (USC)

1. USC
2. Oregon
3. Cal
4. Oregon St.
5. Arizona
6. Stanford
7. ASU
8. UCLA
9. WSU
10. UW

BCS Bowl Projections

2008-11-12T00:33:12Z

In the runup to the BCS Bowl season, there have been many recent victims (Penn State, Texas) that have fallen out of the top spots and into the mix for a lesser BCS bowl. In the spirit of the unexpected nature of college football, I have decided to project our BCS Bowls for January 2009.

Bowl Game	Participants	Winner
Orange Bowl	North Carolina Tar Heels vs. Cincinnati Bearcats	UNC
Rose Bowl	USC Trojans vs. Penn State Nittany Lions	USC
Fiesta Bowl	Texas Longhorns vs. Ohio State Buckeyes	Texas
Sugar Bowl	Alabama Crimson Tide vs. Boise State Broncos	Bama
BCS Championship	Texas Tech Red Raiders vs. Florida Gators	Tech

It is my opinion that Utah will lose to Brigham Young in the last game of their regular season, dropping them out of the BCS picture (much to the relief of the BCS). In their place, Ohio State will ascend into the picture, playing an interesting matchup between them and Texas in Glendale.

Here It Is: James Harden and Briann January on the Cover of Sports Illustrated

2008-11-11T20:39:44Z

Pretty awesome cover. The Sun Devils have arrived!

"(New York, November 10, 2008) – Sports Illustrated’s 2008 College Basketball Preview issue hits new...

2008-11-10T18:59:25Z

"(New York, November 10, 2008) – Sports Illustrated’s 2008 College Basketball Preview issue hits newsstands on Wednesday with six regional covers featuring North Carolina, Connecticut, Notre Dame, Pittsburgh, Arizona State and Oklahoma. The Tar Heels are SI’s choice for the No. 1 men’s team in the land, while on the women’s side UConn gets top billing. In the preview issue, college basketball fans will find scouting reports for the top 20 men’s teams, complete with a five-minute guide that includes players to watch, preseason All-America teams and a projected field of 65 for the 2009 NCAA Tournament."

ASU gets its own cover? Somewhere in Tucson, Lute Olsen just fell in the shower.

Sports Illustrated Press Release

What is this?? A victory? 39-19 over Huskies

2008-11-09T09:33:41Z

If i may toot my own horn a moment - toot, toot - I nearly called the score (I predicted 34-17) of this ultimately lopsided contest.

Frankly, things were a little dicey until about midway through the 3rd quarter. Washington managed a 19-16 lead with 8:53 to play, but after that our boys were able to take over.

Shaky special teams play, as usual, nearly cost us the win. Weber is not a college punter. Sorry, kid. You lucked into a Groza by hitting a bunch of easy field goals last year, and now your cracks are starting to show. The blocked punt was terrible.

Defense stepped up like they should against this crummy offense. 3 turnovers were forced, two picks by the linebackers, and a fumble return for a TD by Nolan. Got a safety. Held them to 52 yards rushing and a 1.9 yard per carry average. Sacked Fouch again and again. Forced Fouch into a 32.5% comp and made the huskies throw the ball 40 times. Goodwin broke out for 5 for 99, but other than him Washington's playmakers were held in check.

On offense we finally came alive in the second half. Rudy looked steady, but it is hard not to look good against Washington. Really, all the plusses are tempered by the fact that we were facing the Huskies (no offense, but you guys are just a horrible, horrible team. All the gimmicky plays really say, "hey..we know we can't win legitimately...so...")

But. Rudy still completed 71% of his passes, Mike Jones finally had another big game (11 rec, 146 yds, 2 tds) and actually used his size against smaller DBs. Keegan Herring FINALLY carried the ball more than 15 times and had a huge game (22 car, 144 yards, 1 td) and looked quick out of his cuts, explosive through the hole, and healthy.

A couple things though - why can't McGaha get open? Where is the blocking on kick returns? (15 average is awful) And will this victory lead to anything? I really don't know what to take away from this other than we beat the only winless team in D1 football. And really, I expect a big win next week against WASU too, because they have been crushed at every turn. We manhandled Stanford, and Stanford beat them 58-0. So this team's next real test will be against UCLA.

At least we broke that losing streak.

**EDIT** - I would be remiss if I did not mention the PENALTIES. 12 for 92 yards is absolutely unacceptable. The way the coaching has gone on this team is extremely distressing. And 7-14 on 3rd down against Washington...hmmm..

Previewing the Washington Game

2008-11-07T17:06:37Z

Showdown in the Emerald City. Let me begin by saying that if ASU loses this game - and they very well might - I will have to think that big changes will be coming for the team. Coaching, personnel, everything.

With that out of the way, lets take a look at the game. ASU (2-6) travels to Washington (0-8) to play at one of the most beautiful stadiums in the country. I am from Seattle, and must say that I hold a fond place in my heart for Husky Stadium. Seating 72,500 and offering arguably the most scenic view in colleg football (right on Union Bay, you can see the Cascade Mtns, Space Needle, floating bridge, and Mt. Rainer..) the stadium rocks.

via www.autumnspectacle.com

However, aside from the stadium, the Huskies really do not have much going for them this year. Their coach has already been let go, they have not won a game, and their stud sophomore Jake Locker has not played since week 5 due to a broken right thumb.

The team is not well coached, and simply does not have a lot of weapons - whether that is due to poor recruiting or poor coaching, I am not really sure. The one thing I can say about them is the nearly every one of their starters is a lower classmen. The future looks at least semi-bright. Or not so dim.

Let's take a look at some of the guys we will see tomorrow.

QB - Ronnie Fouch, Sophomore, 6'1 203 LBS
2008 stats - 79/165, 993 YDS, 47.9 CMP%, 4 TD - 7 INT, 97.95 RAT, 10 SACK

via cache.gettyimages.com

Heading into the season, the Huskies expected their Freshman phenom Locker to come out of the gates hard and lead them to a resurgent season, but Locker has been hampered by injuries all season and this has forced Willingham to play Fouch. An extremely inaccurate passer, Fouch has never completed more than 53% of his passes in a game he has started and has completed less than 50% in 4 out of his 5 games where he played the majority of the snaps. He also is not the threat Locker is in the running game. Really, if ASU sees Fouch throwing 25 or more times against them, we should be hopeful that a win is forthcoming. The guy just is not ready to start in college football - whether that is because his coaches havent placed him in a position to win, his supporting cast is lacking, or he just isnt that great.

RB - Terrance Dailey, Freshman, 5-10 194 LBS
2008 stats - 39 ATT, 174 YDS, 4.5 AVG, 1 TD, 1 REC, 9 YDS

via cache.gettyimages.com

A fairly highly recruited tailback/fullback hybrid who got his first carry in week 6 against Arizona, Dailey's numbers are slightly misleading. Against Notre Dame, USC, and Arizona he rushed 23 times for 72 yards (3.1) average. Weak. While he had a solid game against Oregon State (16 rushes for 102 yards) 59 of them came on his long TD run. Take that out and his game is 15 rushes for 43 yards. Ew. He also is not involved/not a threat in the passing game.

While he has talent, Washington's offense is simply inept. Their leading rusher, still, is Jake Locker - and he hasnt played since September.

RB - Brandon Johnson, Sophomore, 5'9 207 LBS
2008 Stats - 50 ATT, 117 YDS, 2.3 AVG, 2 TD

via cache.daylife.com

The second leading rusher on the team behind Locker in terms of carries, Johnson has been stymied by his line and his lack of burst. Sort of a Nance-esque rusher, Johnson had his most productive game against USC last week, which doesn't say much. 18 ATT, 54 YDs, for a 3 average. The team is averaging 2.8 per carry, so the bulk of the problem is the entire run game.

WR - D'Andre Goodwin, Sophomore, 5-11, 175 LBS
2008 Stats - 44 REC, 533 YDS, 12.1 AVG, 1 TD, 7 ATT, 17 YDS, 2.4 AVG

via media.scout.com

The kid is a stud. A soph who is on pace for over 60 receptions and 800 yards, despite all the instability at QB. He has caught at least 5 passes a game this year, and has had 4 games with over 80 yards and has only been shut down against USC (and really, who hasn't been?). He had a monster game against Oregon State, (5 rec, 136 yards) and will probably be matched up against Omar Bolden. An unknown recruit out of high school, Goodwin will be an interesting player to watch on Saturday.

No other wide outs on Washington have over 20 receptions, and only two others have over 10. Freshmen Jermaine Kearse (16 for 224, 2 TDs) and Devin Aguilar (17 for 207). Both those guys are freshman though, and prone to inconsistency, so it is hard to say what the Huskies will get out of either of them on Saturday.

Defensive Playmakers
DE - Daniel Te'o-Nesheim, Senior, 6'4 263 LBS
2008 stats - 37 TACK, 4.5 TFL, 3 SACK

via farm2.static.flickr.com

The fact that the Huskies leading sacker has only 3 sacks is telling. The defense is really a major weak point of this team. The senior lineman is a hustle guy, but for perhaps the first time all season, we might not have to worry about pressure on our QB and Rudy can have plenty of time to stare down his favroite receiver before throwing an interception.

MLB - Mason Foster, Sophomore, 6'1 229 LBS
2008 stats - 66 TACK, 7 TFL, 1 INT, 3 PD

via cache.gettyimages.com

The leading tackler on the team, Mason has been a solid player all year for the Huskies. He has been solid against the run and has been decent in coverage. Other than him though, the defense has not had a lot of playmakers. This happens when you give up 42 points per game to opposing offenses though...

Team Analysis and Prediction

TEAM STATISTICS	WASH	OPP
SCORING	113	333
Points Per Game	14.1	41.6
FIRST DOWNS	142	194
Rushing	49	104
Passing	73	81
Penalty	20	9
RUSHING YARDAGE	716	1946
Yards gained rushing	974	2084
Yards lost rushing	258	138
Rushing Attempts	259	336
Average Per Rush	2.8	5.8
Average Per Game	89.5	243.2
TDs Rushing	10	23
PASSING YARDAGE	1505	1896
Att-Comp-Int	259-129-7	208-147-3
Average Per Pass	5.8	9.1
Average Per Catch	11.7	12.9
Average Per Game	188.1	237.0
TDs Passing	5	21
TOTAL OFFENSE	2221	3842
Total Plays	518	544
Average Per Play	4.3	7.1
Average Per Game	277.6	480.2
KICK RETURNS: #-Yards	44-750	18-405
PUNT RETURNS: #-Yards	4-22	16-216
INT RETURNS: #-Yards	3-0	7-90
KICK RETURN AVERAGE	17.0	22.5
PUNT RETURN AVERAGE	5.5	13.5
INT RETURN AVERAGE	0.0	12.9
FUMBLES-LOST	14-7	11-2
PENALTIES-Yards	36-288	65-605
Average Per Game	36.0	75.6
PUNTS-Yards	47-1770	20-789
Average Per Punt	37.7	39.5
Net punt average	32.2	35.3
TIME OF POSSESSION/Game	29:01	30:59
3RD-DOWN Conversions	54/118	52/93
3rd-Down Pct	46%	56%
4TH-DOWN Conversions	4/8	7/12
4th-Down Pct	50%	58%
SACKS BY-Yards	5-44	20-162
MISC YARDS	0	0
TOUCHDOWNS SCORED	15	45
FIELD GOALS-ATTEMPTS	3-8	7-8
ON-SIDE KICKS	0-0	0-0
RED-ZONE SCORES	13-19 68%	34-38 89%
RED-ZONE TOUCHDOWNS	12-19 63%	28-38 74%
PAT-ATTEMPTS	14-15 93%	42-45 93%
ATTENDANCE	328728	194618
Games/Avg Per Game	5/65746	3/64873
Neutral Site Games		0/0

They have just been dominated this season, and if we don't manage over 30 points and at least a 2-3 touch down lead - we are as bad as we all think we are.

I say we go on the road and end this losing streak.

ASU 34 - WASH 17

Ryan Torain Suffers Torn ACL, Out For Season. Who Will The Broncos Pick Up Now?

2008-11-07T19:38:09Z

Many of my readers have been closely monitoring the status of Ryan Torain, who suffered an undisclosed knee injury in last night's NFL game between the Denver Broncos and the Cleveland Browns.

In the first half, Torain amassed 68 yards on 12 carries with a touchdown. He was looking like the feature back we expected to see. Unfortunately, he went down yet again with an injury, this time one that will sideline him for the rest of the season: a torn anterior cruciate ligament.

First of all, what is a torn ACL? Allow me to consult with my good friends over at Conquest Chronicles, who feature injury reports on common sports ailments.

The very in-depth article can be seen here, and it will enlighten you to the seriousness of the issue that Torain is now facing.

Here is an image from Conquest Chronicles.

Torain was the "it" running back for the remainder of the 2008 NFL season. He was going to lead your fantasy team from mediocrity to greatness, just like Ryan Grant did in 2007. This fantasy is not to be, unfortunately. Not after this horrible piece of news.

via i.tsn.com

With Ryan Torain out of the picture, Denver is down to an ailing Selvin Young and their rookie fullback, Peyton Hillis. Despite looking good last night, I am not sure that Hillis is either a fantasy or Bronco savior, and I fully expect the Broncos to pick up a running back in the high risk, high reward mold (Edgerrin James, anyone? It is a matter of time before he is cut by the Cardinals, in my opinion).