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.
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2008 ASU Preview
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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 |
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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.
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