Remember ASUs win over UCLA last November? The Sun Devils beat the Bruins 34-9 at Sun Devil Stadium. And it wasnft your run-of-the-mill 34-9 rout with a dominating performance by the winning team.
ASU tied a major college record by scoring 4 defensive touchdowns in the game. Their offense managed only 2 field goals and 122 yards. Their two scoring gdrivesh in the game covered only 28 yards.
The reason I'm bringing this up? This might have to be the way Arizona State wins football games in 2009. Long gone are the days of Dirk Koetters high-flying offense, and shootouts that resembled Playstation 3 matchups. ASU ranked 100th in the nation in total offense (out of 120 teams), and 84th in the nation in scoring?and that includes the seven defensive touchdowns and one safety the defense put on the board.
The point is, the 2008 offense struggled with Rudy Carpenter at the helm. Love him or hate him, Carpenter was still one of the most experienced quarterbacks in the nation a year ago. As of right now, senior Danny Sullivan is the number 1 signal caller heading into spring ball. Hefs thrown a total of 87 passes in his Sun Devil career. Hefs backed up by two sophomores in Samson Szakacsy and Chasen Stangel, one redshirt freshman in Jack Elway and one true freshman, Brock Osweiler, who have combined to throw 0 passes in college football.
Keegan Herring, a running back who led the team in rushing twice in his four year career, is gone. Top receiver Mike Jones, and leading tight end Andrew Pettes also have extinguished their eligibility.
Offensive coordinator Rich Olson returns despite rumors of interest by head coach Dennis Erickson to move in a different direction. Erickson is loyal to his guys, and Olson is one, but DE will be calling the plays this season for the Sun Devils.
I donft mean to be the voice of gloom and doom, but in a conference known for explosive offenses, ASU is going to need someone to step up and be a playmaker in 2009. Otherwise, it could be a long season in Tempe.
