In the continuing quest to spark the rushing game, Arizona State expects to give more touches to true freshman Ryan Bass, the high school All-American from Corona, Calif.
Bass had only eight carries entering Saturday's game against Oregon, producing nothing memorable. But that changed in a lopsided loss to the Ducks. Running 10 times, all in the second half, the 5-foot-10 Bass totaled 56 yards. His 5.6 yards-per-carry average was the best from an ASU back carrying at least 10 times.
"(He's) a guy that can make you miss,"
ASU coach Dennis Erickson said. "He's got really good feet (and a) strong lower body that can break athletes."
Erickson said Bass has gained 15 pounds since his arrival, but the 205-pound freshman said it's "actually 20,"
spread over his upper body. To date, no one has discovered a way to measure confidence, but Bass said that also has increased since he made his college debut against Northern Arizona, running twice for 6 yards.
"I'm getting used to the pace of the game, so I'm getting a lot more confident,"
Bass said. "My ball security (also) has gotten a lot better. Coaches have been working with me on that."
Arizona State enters Saturday's game at Oregon State averaging 87 rushing yards per game. Only five of 119 Bowl Subdivision teams average fewer. After the opener against NAU, Bass ran once against Stanford but didn't get a carry against UNLV, Georgia and California. He ran five times for 22 yards against Southern California and injured his right hamstring, which still isn't 100 percent.
