2006 Arizona State Sun Devils Season, Game Recaps, Scores and Reviews
Dec. 24
Hawaii Bowl
Hawaii 41 ... Arizona State 24
Colt Brennan set the single season record for touchdown
passes, passing Houston's David Klingler, throwing for five scores as part of a
38-point second half to blow open a tight game. Arizona State held a 10-3
halftime lead helped by a 37-yard touchdown catch from Brandon Smith, and then
Brennan and WR Jason Rivers got hot connecting on a 38-yard score on the first
drive of the second half and finishing with a 79-yard play to put the game out
of reach. Along the way, Brennan connected with Ryan Grice-Mullen for two
scores, including a 36-yard play to close out a 99-yard drive that gave Brennan
the record. ASU got within three on a four-yard Michael Jones touchdown catch,
but an eight play, 80-yard drive finishing with a Davone Bess touchdown put
Hawaii comfortably back up. For the game, Hawaii outgained ASU 680 yards to 391. Player of the game ... Hawaii QB Colt Brennan completed
33 of 42 passes for 559 yards and five touchdowns with an interception, WR Jason
Rivers caught 14 passes for 308 yards and two scores. Stat Leaders: Arizona State - Passing:
Rudy Carpenter, 13-26, 191 yds, 2 TD Rushing: Ryan Torian, 18-160, 1 TD Receiving:
Michael Jones, 5-72, 1 TD Hawaii - Passing: Colt Brennan, 33-42,
559 yds, 5 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Nate Ilaoa, 18-97. Receiving: Jason
Rivers, 15-308, 2 TD Notes & Thoughts ... Can we all stop doubting Colt
Brennan now? While his receivers did a great job of cranking out yards after the
catch against Arizona State, Brennan put the ball in perfect positions. Half the
battle is getting the ball to the right guy on the move in places they can make
plays. ... What was Dirk Koetter doing at the end of the game with time
management? His defense had done nothing to suggest it slow down the Hawaii
attack, even when the momentum was on ASU's side, yet with less than four
minutes to play and down by two scores, he chose to punt the ball. Five plays,
95 yards, 79-yard catch-and-run for a score from Jason Rivers, ball game. ...
More than any other game this season, the loss to Hawaii showed how desperately
ASU missed having a Derek Hagan like gamebreaker. Give credit to the Sun Devils
for keeping the game close, but the offense brought a knife to a gun fight. ...
Hawaii's offense gets all the publicity, and rightly so, but that defense hits
like a ton of bricks. It doesn't always come up with plays, but it can pop.
Nov. 25
Arizona State 28 ... Arizona 14
Arizona State got up 21-0 in the first quarter on three Rudy
Carpenter touchdown passes. He connected with Chris McGaha for
26-yard scoring pass on the first drive of the game, and then things
got a little strange. ASU set up for a punt on fourth and eight,
switched back to the offense, and Carpenter threw a 38-yard scoring
pass to Jamaal Lewis. After Arizona had problems with a punt,
Carpenter hit Zach Miller for a seven-yard score. Arizona put up 14
points in the second quarter on a six-yard Syndric Steptoe catch and
a 22-yard Mike Thomas touchdown grab, but starting QB Willie Tuitama
was knocked out of the game and the Arizona offense wasn't the same.
The Sun Devils closed out the scoring with a one-yard Dimitri Nance
touchdown run after David Smith picked off Adam Austin. Player of the game ... Arizona State LB Josh Barrett
made 11 tackles and two tackles for loss Stat Leaders: Arizona State- Passing:
Rudy Carpenter, 17-25, 214 yds, 3 TD, 1 INT Rushing: Ryan Torian, 24-139. Receiving:
Zach Miller, 8-61, 1 TD Arizona - Passing: Adam Austin, 11-30, 99
yds, 1 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: Chris Henry, 16-38. Receiving:
Syndric Steptoe, 6-42, 1 TD Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ...
ASU played Arizona like it had nothing to lose, and it showed as
Rudy Carpenter appeared to be relaxed and confident in his throws,
while the offensive line did a great job of opening up holes for
Ryan Torian. Glossed over was the defensive performance that held
the Wildcats to 168 yards of total offense and bottled up hot RB
Chris Henry. Now the Sun Devils are off to a bowl game salvaging a
disappointing year, and maybe Dirk Koetter's job.
Nov. 18
UCLA 24 ... Arizona State 12
Brandon Breazell caught a 56-yard touchdown pass to start the
scoring and put the game away with a 35-yard touchdown grab, while
the UCLA defense held Arizona State to 264 yards and no touchdowns.
The Sun Devils managed four Jesse Ainsworth field goals, but stayed
alive until late holding the Bruins to a 24-yard Justin Medlock
field goal in the second half before Breazell's second touchdown.
The two teams combined to convert just seven of 30 third down
chances. Player of the game ... UCLA WR Brandon Breazell caught
two passes for 91 yards and two touchdowns Stat Leaders: Arizona State- Passing:
Rudy Carpenter, 11-30, 149 yds, 1 INT Rushing: Ryan Torian, 19-77. Receiving:
Zach Miller, 4-36 UCLA - Passing: Patrick Cowan, 14-24, 187
yds, 2 TD
Rushing: Chris Markey, 18-49. Receiving:
Chris Markey, 4-14 Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ...
Did the loss to UCLA mean the end of the Dirk Koetter era? Even with
six wins, a bowl game is far from a sure-thing without a win over a
red-hot Arizona team to finish up the regular season. The offense
wasn’t able to turn drives into touchdowns against the Bruins
settling for four field goals. Rudy Carpenter simply hasn’t been
consistent throughout the year, and there’s not enough of a running
game to fall back on.
Nov. 11
Arizona State 47 ... Washington State 14
Arizona State exploded with 562 yards helped by the team's
best half of the year with a 30-7 halftime lead on two Rudy
Carpenter touchdown passes, a three-yard Ryan Torian scoring run and
three Jesse Ainsworth field goals. Washington State tied it early on
a nine-yard Charles Dillon touchdown catch, but a 23-point ASU run
all but put it away. The Cougars opened the second half with a
six-yard Jed Collins touchdown, but the Sun Devils countered with 17
unanswered points highlighted by a 62-yard Brandon Smith touchdown
catch. Player of the game ... Arizona State QB Rudy Carpenter
completed 16 of 24 passes for 334 yards and three touchdowns with an
interception Stat Leaders: Arizona State- Passing:
Rudy Carpenter, 16-24, 339 yds, 3 TD, 1 INT Rushing: Ryan Torian, 19-84, 1 TD. Receiving:
Zach Miller, 6-84 Washington State - Passing: Alex Brink,
14-30, 161 yds, 2 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: Dwight Tardy, 11-21. Receiving:
Brandon Gibson, 5-51 Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ...
Where did that come from? Arizona State finally, finally,
finally looked like Arizona State blowing away Washington State with
pop from the passing game and surprising balance. With a new-found
confidence, Carpenter might finally be on track spreading the ball
around well and making all the right decisions. The Sun Devils even
had a running game tearing off 196 yards, while the defense allowed
just 192 yards. Finally bowl eligible, the pressure is now off just
a little bit going into the home date with UCLA. With all the
problems throughout the year, wins over the Bruins and against
Arizona would do wonders for the Dirk Koetter era.
Nov. 4
Oregon State 44 ... Arizona State 10
Oregon State scored on its first five possessions, with
Yvenson Bernard running for two scores, Alexis Serna hitting a
51-yard field goal, and Matt Moore throwing a touchdown pass and
running for a five-yard score on the way to a 31-7 lead. The Sun
Devils got their final points on a 32-yard field goal with :20 left
in the first half and was shut down the rest of the way, while OSU
scored 13 unanswered points. Serna hit kicks from 22 and 32 yards
out and Tony Carrasco ran for an eight-yard score. Player of the game ... Oregon State RB Yvenson Bernard
ran 24 times for 66 yards and two touchdowns Stat Leaders: Arizona State- Passing:
Rudy Carpenter, 9-27, 124 yds, 2 INT Rushing: Keegan Herring, 15-69, 1 TD. Receiving:
Zach Miller, 4-57 Oregon State - Passing: Matt Moore,
17-31, 282 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Yvenson Bernard, 24-66, 2 TD. Receiving:
Sammie Stroughter, 5-95 Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ...
The Sun Devils want to go to a more balanced offense to take the
heat and pressure off Rudy Carpenter, but that only works if there's
a little bit of production through the air. While Carpenter has been
off, he still doesn't have any deep weapons to help out. Even though
Zach Miller is a nice go-to target, Carpenter needs play makers who
can turn short passes into big gains. Even so, there's no reason for
Carpenter to complete just nine of 27 passes like he did against
Oregon State.
Oct. 28
Arizona State 26 ... Washington 23 OT
Arizona State answered Washington's
47-yard overtime field goal from Michael Braunstein with a 25-yard
touchdown pass to Brent Miller for the win. ASU QB Rudy Carpenter
started off the scoring with a 12-yard touchdown pass to Jamaal
Lewis and Keegan Herring made it 20-6 with touchdown runs from 19
and 65 yards out, but Washington came roaring back in the fourth
quarter with WR Sonny Shackelford throwing a 41-yard touchdown pass
to Anthony Russo and scoring on a four-yard pass from Johnny
DuRocher, who filled in for an injured Carl Bonnell, with 2:19 to
play to force overtime. Player of the game ... Arizona State RB Ryan Torian ran
23 times for 98 yards and caught three passes for 30 yards. Stat Leaders: Arizona State- Passing:
Rudy Carpenter, 16-22, 170 yds, 2 TD Rushing: Ryan Torian, 23-98 Receiving:
Keegan Herring, 3-43 Washington - Passing: Carl Bonnell, 9-23,
67 yds, 2 INT
Rushing: Louis Rankin, 25-67 Receiving: Louis
Rankin, 6-46 Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ...
Talk about a season saver, Arizona State
got the desperately needed win over Washington before dealing with
tougher-looking Oregon State and Washington State teams. It's not a
stretch to say this was a job-saver for head coach Dirk Koetter.
There was offensive balance with Ryan Torian once again carrying the
bulk of the offensive load, but when the offense needed a key play,
it turned back to Rudy Carpenter and the passing game. As big as
this road win was, there are concerns. 16 penalties for 127 yards
was inexcusable, and the passing game has to be sharper on third
downs to win over the next two weeks.
Oct. 21
Arizona State 38 ... Stanford 3
Arizona State had no problems with a punchless Stanford attack
holding it to 145 yards of total offense with just a 35-yard Aaron
Zagory field goal breaking up the perfect game. ASU QB Rudy
Carpenter just missed on one pass, while Ryan Torian and Keegan
Herring each won twice on the way to a 31-0 lead. Dimitri Nance
closed things off with a 13-yard run in the fourth quarter. Player of the game ... Arizona State QB Rudy Carpenter
completed 14 of 15 passes for 160 yards and a touchdown Stat Leaders: Arizona State- Passing:
Rudy Carpenter, 14-15, 160 yds, 1 TD Rushing: Ryan Torian, 17-90, 1 TD. Receiving:
Zach Miller, 4-32 Stanford - Passing: T.C. Ostrander, 7-25,
66 yds, 1 INT
Rushing: Anthony Kimble, 11-83 Receiving:
Richard Sherman, 3-38 Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ...
Arizona State needed an easy blowout, and it got it from a
near-perfect game for three quarters from the offense along with a
great game from a defense that had no problem with Stanford's anemic
attack. The only concern was with the penalties committing ten for
95 yards, but that's nitpicking in a game like this. Now the
momentum has to carry over in winnable road games at Washington and
Oregon State to get back in the hunt for strong bowl game.
Oct. 14
USC 28 ... Arizona State 21
USC won the game with Chauncey Washington and a pounding
running game holding on with things got tight in the fourth quarter,
and going ahead with a two-yard Washington scoring run with 4:29 to
play. The Trojans appeared to be on their way to a blowout taking a
21-0 lead on a two-yard C.J. Gable run and two John David Booty
scoring passes including a 14-yard lob that made Dwayne Jarrett the
Pac 10's all-time leader in touchdown catches. But ASU chipped back
with a six-yard run from Ryan Torian late in the first half and an
eight-yard pass to Zach Miller early in the third. Keno Walter-White
picked off a Booty pass for a 37-yard touchdown to tie it, and then
things got interesting. Player of the game ... USC RB Chauncey Washington ran
22 times for 108 yards and a touchdown. Stat Leaders: Arizona State- Passing:
Rudy Carpenter, 21-21, 124 yds, 1 TD Rushing: Ryan Torian, 20-57, 1 TD. Receiving:
Zach Miller, 4-36, 1 TD USC - Passing: John David Booty, 12-25,
148 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Chauncey Washington, 22-108, 1 TD Receiving:
Dwayne Jarrett, 6-60, 1 TD Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ...
So Arizona State is never going to be the explosive team everyone
was expecting. While that's fine, that means there needs to be more
physical play from both sides of the ball. The defense got run over
by USC late, while the offensive line isn't getting enough of a push
up front for the running game. There's still time to change things
around with the tough part of the Pac 10 schedule out of the way. If
the offense can just be efficient, and the D can come up with some
bigger stops, there shouldn't be problems against Stanford or
Washington over the next two weeks.
Sept. 30
Oregon 48 ... Arizona State 13
Jaison Williams caught first quarter
touchdown passes from 13 and 33 yards out on the way to a stunning
31-3 Oregon run that was finally broken up by a 100-yard kickoff
return for a touchdown by Terry Richardson in the third quarter.
Dennis Dixon threw two touchdowns passes and Brady Leaf came on late
to add another, but the real story was the Duck defense that held
ASU to 175 yards of offense and a mere 33 passing yards. The Sun
Devil offense only produced two Jesse Ainsworth field goals. Player of the game ... Oregon WR Jaison Williams caught
ten passes for 137 yards and two touchdowns Stat Leaders: Oregon- Passing: Dennis
Dixon, 19-30, 215 yds, 3 TD Rushing: Jonathan Stewart, 12-142 Receiving:
Jaison Williams, 10-137, 2 TD Arizona State - Passing: Rudy Carpenter,
6-19, 33 yds, 1 INT
Rushing: Ryan Torain, 19-113 Receiving:
Michael Jones, 1-9 Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... Take a
big, deep breath, ASU. After getting bombed by Oregon and California
by a combined score of 97 to 44, now things could completely go into
the tank with a road trip to USC. It's vital for Rudy Carpenter and
the offense to relax and just start winging it. The offense is
playing tight with the passing game having a nightmare of a time
getting anything going with only 33 yards through the air. While the
passing game needs Carpenter to start playing like a D-I quarterback
again, it also needs a receiver to step up and be the second coming
of Derek Hagan to start hitting on more deep plays. With a tight end
like Zach Miller, there's no excuse to not have more production on
third downs. On the positive side, Ryan Torian is running well.
Sept. 23
California 49 ... Arizona State 21
California got huge plays on both
sides of the ball going on a 34 point run in the first half on four
Nate Longshore touchdown passes and an 80-yard punt return for a
score from DeSean Jackson. The defense got into the act in with two
interceptions for scores highlighted by a 47-yard play by Daymeion
Hughes with just :26 left in the first half. Arizona State put up
414 yards of total offense and got two Rudy Carpenter touchdown
passes, but five turnovers proved too costly. Player of the game ... California CB Daymeion Hughes
made ten tackles and two interceptions taking one for a score Stat Leaders: California- Passing: Nate
Longshore, 18-26, 270 yds, 4 TD, 1 INT Rushing: Marshawn Lynch, 17-124 Receiving:
Robert Jordan, 5-83 Arizona State - Passing: Rudy Carpenter,
16-36, 177 yds, 2 TD, 4 INT
Rushing: Ryan Torain, 24-191, 1 TD Receiving:
Nate Kimbrough, 4-44 Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... Sam Keller, where are you? Rudy
Carpenter doesn't have any of the same magic of last year appearing
to press way too hard to make things happen and making way too many
mistakes. Against Cal, he not only had a hard time getting the
offense moving until it was too late, but he killed any hope of a
comeback with an awful throw for a pick six in the final minute of
the first half. The defense didn't do anything to bail the offense
out failing to come up with a big stop. The Sun Devils need a far
stronger performance next week against Oregon or things could get
ugly with a date against USC to follow.
Sept. 16
Arizona State 21 ... Colorado 3
Arizona State didn't explode against
Colorado; it didn't need to. Rudy Carpenter threw two touchdown
passes and Ryan Torian ran for an eight-yard score to overcome an
earl y3-0 deficit on a 29-yard Mason Crosby field goal. The Sun
Devils outgained the Buffs 430 yards to 219, but penalties and four
turnovers kept the game close. Colorado helped with three turnovers
of its own. Player of the game ... Arizona State CB Justin Tryon
made seven tackles one sack and recovered one fumble. Stat Leaders: Colorado- Passing: Bernard
Jackson, 8-18, 86 yds, 1 INT Rushing: Hugh Charles, 20-109 Receiving:
Hugh Charles, 2-30 Arizona State - Passing: Rudy Carpenter,
21-37, 248 yds, 2 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: Keegan Herring, 9-82 Receiving: Zach
Miller, 5-45, 1 TD Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ...
Yeah, ASU is 3-0 winning all its game by
comfortable margins, but something's missing. This isn't the
explosive, blow-'em-up attack of previous years; the swagger isn't
quite there. That can quickly change over the next three weeks
against California, Oregon and USC. It would help if Rudy Carpenter
could find some of the same efficiency he showed throughout all of
last year. Interceptions have been a problem early on. Penalties
were a big issue against Colorado.
Sept. 9
Arizona State 52 ... Nevada 21
Arizona State blew the doors off the Wolf Pack on both sides
of the ball as Rudy Carpenter threw a career-high five touchdown
passes with three coming in the first half on the way to a 31-7 lead
before Jeff Rowe hit Marko Mitchell for a nine-yard score with :14
left. ASU picked up where it left off as Carpenter connected with
Shaun DeWitty for a 22-yard score and Terry Richardson for a 25-yard
touchdowns for a 45-14 lead after three quarters. Early on, Nevada
tied it at seven on a 23-yard Ezra Butler interception return for a
score, but ASU returned the favor with a Ryan McFoy 30-yard
pick six. Player of the game ... Arizona State QB Rudy Carpenter
completed 17 of 26 passes for 333 yards and five touchdowns with an
interception Stat Leaders: Nevada- Passing: Jeff
Rowe, 17-29, 163 yds, 1 TD, 2 INT Rushing: Robert Hubbard, 12-71. Receiving:
Marko Mitchell, 5-41, 1 TD Arizona State - Passing: Rudy Carpenter,
17-26, 333 yds, 5 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Ryan Torian, 8-70, 1 TD. Receiving: Zach
Miller, 5-53, 1 TD Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... Now
that's what Arizona State is supposed to look like. The Sun
Devils ripped apart Nevada
for 486 yards as Rudy Carpenter showed a tremendous command of the
offense bombing away for 18.3 yards per completion. The defense
wasn't bad with four takeaways including three interceptions. The
offense is going to need to be even sharper over the next month with
road game against Colorado, California, and USC and a home date with
Oregon.
Aug. 31
Arizona State 35 ... Northern Arizona
14
It took a little while, but Arizona State finally knocked off
Northern Arizona with a fourth quarter interception for a touchdown
from Chris Baloney and a fantastic 15-yard touchdown run from Keegan
Herring. ASU QB Rudy Carpenter didn't exactly pick up where he left
off last year, but he threw for 261 yards and two touchdowns with an
interception. The Lumberjacks started off hot with Alex Watson
catching touchdown passes from 80 and 60 yards out, but the
offensive line couldn't keep QB Jason Murrietta upright to make
generate much more offense. Player of the game ... Arizona State LB Derron Ware
made eight tackles, three sacks and four tackles for loss Stat Leaders: Northern Arizona- Passing:
Jason Murrietta, 15-20, 259 yds, 2 TD Rushing: Alex Henderson, 14-47, 3 TD. Receiving:
Alex Watson, 11-206, 2 TD Arizona State - Passing: Rudy Carpenter,
17-24, 261 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Dimitri Nance, 1 -61, 1 TD. Receiving:
Rudy Burgess, 7-112 Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... After a
the bizarre controversy with the quarterback situation, Arizona
State needed to come out and paste Northern Arizona. It took way too
long to put the game away despite being two steps faster on offense
and unstoppable at getting into the backfield on defense. Rudy
Carpenter was fine, but nothing special. Rudy Burgess proved he's a
legitimate number one receiver who should make a sleeper run at
All-Pac 10 honors. The secondary will have to play much more
consistent next week against Nevada.
Oh sure, the last few seasons under head coach Dirk Koetter have
been explosive with times of unbelievable offense and enough
excitement to think the corner is about to be turned, and then WHAM.
Something happens to ruin all the fun.
Last season's team was a brilliant disappointment with the talent to
push the two most athletic teams in America, LSU and USC, up until
the last minute, but it lost both games. After all the fireworks and
all the big numbers, the 2005 Sun Devils' best win was over ...
Northwestern? Rutgers? The be elite you have to beat the elite, and
this year's team has the makeup to beat the best of the best. At
least it does on offense.
You know your situation is
good when college football's best passer is second string. Rudy
Carpenter, who led the nation in passing efficiency, was magnificent
over the second half of last year with starter Sam Keller out with a
thumb injury, and now the Sun Devils have two All-America caliber signal
callers to run a frightening attack that should put up 35 points a game
before leaving the locker room.
On both sides of the ball, Koetter has
assembled a team that can run, hit, throw, and catch as well as anyone
in the nation. The special teams will be tremendous with Terry
Richardson back returning punts and kicks, and the defense should see
some improvement with the addition of several good JUCO prospects along
with Northwestern transfer Loren Howard and BYU transfer Michael
Marquardt on the line.
So what's missing?
The confidence is certainly there, players like Keller will make
sure of that. The talent is there. The coaching, despite what some Sun
Devil fans think, is there. It's just a matter of putting everything
together and finally coming up with big Pac 10 wins.
In the Koetter era, the best Pac 10 victory came in 2003 beating a decent
Oregon team 59-14. The second best, arguably, was a 27-14 win in
2004 over an Oregon State team that finished 7-5. Yeah, zzzzzzz. Where
are the upsets over USC? How about a win over a mighty Cal team?
ope,
nothing.
To get where ASU needs to go, it has to become a living,
breathing player in in the Pac 10 race. Otherwise, next year we'll be
talking about how the 2007 Sun Devils really, truly have what it takes to
be a national power.
The Schedule: It's
not all that bad outside of road trips to Cal and USC, which could
kill any dreams of a Pac 10 title. The road trip to Colorado will
have the storyline of two former Boise State head coaches squaring
off, but the Sun Devils had better not look past Nevada the week
before. It'll be hard to get into too much of a groove with five
road dates in seven games hurt by the imbalance of the Pac 10
schedule; some have to play five conference road games.
Best
Offensive Player: Junior TE Zach Miller. He likely would've been a
first round NFL pick had he been able to come out as a sophomore
and would've been the most complete prospect in this year's tight
end rich draft. Most of the world knows him for his highlight-reel
catches, but the scouts have taken particular note of how good a
blocker he has become.
Best
Defensive Player: Senior SS Zach Catanese. One of the Pac 10's
biggest hitters and the new leader of the defensive back seven,
Catanese should start to get more notoriety this season. He needs to
make more big plays against the pass, but his main job is helping
make tone-setting stops against the run.
Key
player to a successful season: Senior CB Keno Walter-White. The
ASU secondary struggled last season even by Pac 10 standards. The
safeties will be strong with the return of Zach Catanese and Josh
Barnett, so the corners have to shine. Walter-White has the best
combination of talent and experience, and hopefully players like
Justin Tryon, Chad Green and Chris Baloney can help boost the
production.
The
season will be a success if ... Arizona State wins the Pac 10
title. Enough is enough. There's more than enough experience,
talent, and athleticism to win the title and get to the BCS. There
are some killer league road games to deal with, but there will
always be landmines. A great team has to find a way to get the job
done, and this, flaws and all, has the potential to be a great team.
Key
game: September 23 at California. The Sun Devils and Bears didn't
play last year, but they do now in the new everyone plays everyone
Pac 10 world. The conference opener could be a stepping stone game
for ASU with a chance, for all intents and purposes, to put the Pac
10 title away over the following two games against Oregon and at USC.
A loss wouldn't be a killer, but it would mean there'd be no more
margin for error.
2005
Fun Stats:
- Penalties: Arizona State 114 for 982 yards - Opponents 80 for 666
yards
- Average yards per catch: Arizona State 14.4 - Opponents 14.1
- Sacks: Opponents 36 for 222 yards - Arizona State 22 for 147 yards
The Last Time Arizona State…
…played in a bowl game…2005 (Insight Bowl vs. Rutgers)
…missed a bowl game…2003
…pitched a shutout…1996 (Nebraska)
…was shutout…2004 (Cal)
…scored 50 points…2005 (Northwestern)
…went undefeated…1975
…won a conference title…1996 (Pac-10)
…had a 3,000-yard passer…2004 (Andrew Walter)
…had a 1,000-yard rusher…2001 (Delvon Flowers)
…had a 1,000-yard receiver…2005 (Derek Hagan)
…had a first-round draft choice…2003 (DE Terrell Suggs)
