Arizona State Blows Past No. Arizona 30-13

2008 Arizona State Sun Devils Head Coach: Dennis Erickson

Arizona State Sun Devils

Aug. 30
Arizona State 30 ... Northern Arizona 13
Arizona State had no problems with NAU as Dimitri Nance ran for two short scores, Thomas Weber connected on three field goals, and Rudy Carpenter connected with Kerry Taylor on a 52-yard touchdown pass on the way to a 30-0 lead. Northern Arizona scored the final 13 points, highlighted by a three-yard Brian Riley touchdown catch. ASU outgained NAU 481 yards to 308.
Player of the game: Arizona State QB Rudy Carpenter completed 22 of 28 passes for 388 yards and a touchdown, and he led the team with 40 rushing yards on five carries.
Stat Leaders: Northern Arizona - Passing: Lance Kriesien, 17-31, 152 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Alex Henderson, 22-74. Receiving: Conrad Meadows, 4-9
Arizona State - Passing: Rudy Carpenter, 22-28, 388 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Rudy Carpenter, 5-40. Receiving: Michael Jones, 6-162
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... One sack. For all the good things that happened for Arizona State in the win over Northern Arizona, the biggest key was the one sack. NAU might not be LSU when it comes to rushing the passer, but it was still a good start for an offensive line that did nothing in pass protection last year. Now the running game has to be more effective. There will be problems any time Rudy Carpenter is the leading rusher.

- 2008 ASU Preview
- 2007 ASU Season

2008 Schedule
CFN Prediction: 7-5
2008 Record: 1-0

Aug. 30 No. Arizona W 30-13
Sept. 6 Stanford
Sept. 13 UNLV
Sept. 20 Georgia
Sept. 27 OPEN DATE
Oct. 4 at California
Oct. 11 at USC
Oct. 18 OPEN DATE
Oct. 25 Oregon
Nov. 1 at Oregon State
Nov. 8 at Washington
Nov. 15 Washington State
Nov. 22 OPEN DATE
Nov. 28 UCLA
Dec. 6 at Arizona

2007 Schedule
CFN Prediction: 7-5
2007 Results: 10-3

Sept. 1 San Jose State W 45-3
Sept. 8 Colorado W 33-13
Sept. 15 San Diego St W 33-14
Sept. 22 Oregon State W 44-32
Sept. 29 at Stanford W 41-3
Oct. 6 at Wash St W 23-20
Oct. 13 Washington W 44-20
Oct. 27 California W 31-20
Nov. 3 at Oregon L 35-23
Nov. 10 at UCLA W 24-20
Nov. 22 USC L 44-24
Dec. 1 Arizona W 20-17
Holiday Bowl
Dec. 27 Texas L 52-34

2008 Recruiting Class

Star of the Class

Lawrence Guy DT 6-5 270 Las Vegas, Nev. (Western HS)
Big, athletic defender and one of the finest, most versatile defensive linemen in the country...unquestionably the most talented player in the state of Nevada...an excellent pass-rushing force along the defensive line...can play either defensive end or tackle...has tremendous speed for his size, running a 4.8 40-yard dash...causes fits for opposing offensive linemen and wreaks havoc in the backfield for quarterbacks and ballcarriers...is regarded as having incredibly light feet and is excellent in pursuit...has the ability to dominate the line of scrimmage with his aggressive, physical style of play...has the frame to add size and be a weapon at defensive tackle...listed as the No. 67 overall player in the nation by Scout.com

Potential Instant Impact Players

Eugene Germany DE 6-4 270 Pomona, Calif. (Mt. San Antonio JC)
An elite talent that has been regarded as one of the nation's top defensive forces at both the high school and junior college levels...brings experience to ASU from having played both FBS and junior college football...is a phenomenal pass-rusher, whether lined up along the interior or the edge of the defensive line...will join the Sun Devils in the fall and has two years to play two at ASU...is one of five junior college transfers to sign with ASU...incredibly athletic with excellent size...in his only season at Mt. San Antonio in 2007, he helped lead the Mounties to its first berth in the California Community College championship game since 1970 and earned Region IV All-State First-Team honors...started 12 games during the 2007 season and totaled 36 tackles (26 solo), 18.0 tackles-for-loss, 9.5 sacks, 13 quarterback hurries, three pass deflections and one fumble recovery...registered a season-high 2.5 sacks against Saddleback on Nov. 10, 2007 and a season-best 3.0 tackles-for-loss against Moorpark on Nov. 24, 2007 ...played at the University of Michigan during the 2004-05 seasons, redshirting in 2004 and playing in eight games as a freshman in 2005...originally signed a letter of intent with USC out of Pomona High School in 2004 but did not attend the school

Spencer Gasu DT 6-2 295 Tustin, Calif. (Santa Ana College)
Athletic defensive lineman with excellent size...is very quick off the snap and excels in run pursuit...runs a 4.8 40-yard dash, an excellent time for a player his size...bench presses over 330 pounds...listed as a four-star prospect and the No. 6 junior college defensive tackle in the nation by Scout.com...ranked as the No. 53 overall junior college player in the nation among SuperPrep's "SuperPrep JUCO 100" list...will join the Sun Devils in the fall and compete to replace departed starter Michael Marquardt at defensive tackle...has three years to play two at ASU...earned Second-Team All-America honors as a sophomore at Santa Ana...appeared in 12 games in 2007, totaling 26 tackles (17 solo) seven tackles-for-loss, one sack and one pass breakup

Rest of the Class

Jarrell Barbour	WR	6-3	190	Peoria, Ariz. (Centennial HS)
Ryan Bass	RB	5-10	200	Corona, Calif. (Centennial HS)
Kemonte Bateman	WR	6-1	176	Los Angeles, Calif. (Crenshaw HS)
Deveron Carr	CB	6-0	185	Scottsdale, Ariz. (Chaparral HS)
Terell Carr	CB	5-9	170	Tulsa, Okla. (Pasadena City College)
Jack Elway	QB	6-3	200	Denver, Colo. (Cherry Creek HS)
Steven Figueroa	TE	6-5	225	Tempe, Ariz. (Desert Vista HS)
Clint Floyd	ATH	5-10	180	Los Angeles, Calif. (Crenshaw HS)
Patrick Jamison	OL	6-5	290	Chandler, Ariz. (Hamilton HS)
Jamaar Jarrett	DE	6-5	250	San Marcos, Ca. (Mission Hills HS)
Keelan Johnson	ATH	6-0	200	Mesa, Ariz. (Mesa HS)
Kyle Johnson	OL	6-7	287	Norco, Calif. (Norco HS)
Otis Jones	DL	6-2	275	Lawndale, Calif. (Leuzinger HS)
Josh Jordan	CB	5-10	170	Las Vegas, Nv. (Bishop Gorman HS)
Shelly Lyons	LB	6-2	225	Corona, Calif. (Centennial HS)
Brandon Magee	LB	6-0	230	Corona, Calif. (Centennial HS)
Tom Njunge	OL	6-5	280	Pasadena, Ca. (Pasadena CC)
A.J. Pickens	WR	5-10	175	Chino, Calif. (Don Lugo HS)
Gerell Robinson	WR	6-4	210	Phoenix, Ariz. (Hamilton HS)
Andrew Sampson	OL	6-4	280	Aurora, Colo. (Overland HS)
Zach Schlink	OL	6-4	300	Peoria, Ariz. (Centennial HS)
Max Tabach	S	6-2	205	Scottsdale, Ariz. (Glendale CC)
Zeb Togiai	DL	6-3	265	Phoenix, Ariz. (Desert Vista HS)
Toa Tuitea	DE/TE	6-4	250	Westminster, Ca. (Westminster HS)

2007 Recap

Recap: It was no coincidence that Arizona State’s best season in 11 years was also Dennis Erickson’s first season in Tempe.  The Sun Devils unexpectedly rose to No. 6 in the country with an 8-0 start before being outclassed down the stretch in double-digit losses to Oregon, USC, and Texas in the Holiday Bowl.  The program showed a penchant all year for falling behind early and storming back in the second half, getting plenty of help from the resurgence of third-year QB Rudy Carpenter.     

Offensive Player of the Year: QB Rudy Carpenter

Defensive Player of the Year: LB Robert James

Biggest Surprise: Although Erickson was supposed to have a positive impact on the program, talk of a possible national championship run in November was highly unexpected.  The Sun Devils were more physical and mentally tough than at any time in the Dirk Koetter era, sporting a defense that finished in the top half of the Pac-10 in run and pass defense.   

Biggest Disappointment: The play of the offensive line.  Despite boasting a veteran unit that returned six players with starting experience, the Sun Devil offensive line was often no match for opposing pass rushes, allowing a league-worst 55 sacks over 13 games.       

Looking Ahead: Now that he has momentum, Erickson needs to parlay that into more speed and depth along both lines.  The return of Carpenter for his senior season provides stability, but to remain a player in the Pac-10 in 2008, Arizona State needs to develop reinforcements on the offensive line and in the secondary.