Happy Friday Cougs, and welcome to another spring fish wrap, 2011 style. Today we hit on opponent #10 on the ’11 WSU schedule, and it’s old friend Dennis Erickson and his ASU Sun Devils who are next up. So how do Denny’s Devils look coming outta spring ball? Let’s check ’em out.
2010 was kinda strange down Tempe way. After all, Erickson came into the season squarely planted on the so-called “hot seat”, where it was win or else time at ASU. After a breakthrough 2007 season that saw ASU go 10-3, Erickson had seemingly underachieved the next two years, with losing seasons in ’08 and ’09. All the critics started to notice that Erickson was getting older, and his one-back offense that he championed back in the 80’s and 90’s seemed to be at a point where opposing defenses had figured it out. ASU had lost a lot of talent coming into 2010, and given a relatively tough schedule playing at Wisconsin plus five Pac-10 road games, it looked like a real possible end for Denny. But a funny thing happened on the way to Erickson’s retirement party – they turned it around.
First, Erickson put aside his one-back offense, the main scheme he had been living with since he broke into the BCS ranks at WSU in 1987.
It was tough to do that, to go away with what you are comfortable with and what has worked for so many years. I mean let’s face it, in the real world here on planet earth, we are naturally inclined as human beings to, you know, fall back to what you know best and are most comfortable with, and for Erickson, it was his one-back offense. But Denny bit the bullet and brought in Noel Mazzone to coordinate the offense, and in doing so changed up the offensive scheme to a shotgun offense designed to spread the field, with shorter, quicker passes and making life a little better for his QB in the process. This was an offense that saw their QB’s sacked an amazing 55 times back in 2007, when the one-back saw the QB under center the majority of the time. And while there were some growing pains, so far it looks like a change for the better.
For example, in Mazzone’s first season at ASU, the passing stats in 2010 improved across the board as a team, and were the best in the Erickson era in Tempe. They passed for an average of 286 yards per game, by far the most under Erickson at ASU (263 ypg back in ’07 was the previous high-water mark). The completion percentage was just over 60% (60.1), the best since they hit 61% in 2007. And overall they got 23 TD passes out of Steven Threet and Brock Osweiler at QB, up from the 16 TD passes they got just the year before. And the sacks, well, it wasn’t great, but they still came in at 31 allowed by the offensive line. Not a wonderful number by any stretch, and they finished 7th in the conference in sacks allowed. But when you consider that’s 24 LESS sacks than just three years ago, well, hey, it’s progress!
Best of all, ASU closed the season strong when it all looked lost, winning three of their last five games of the 2010 schedule, including the last two games. AND, their only two losses in those last five were very close ones in Stanford (17-13) and USC (34-33). In those two losses, they missed a 41-yard field goal with a 1:30 left vs. USC that would have won the game, and against Stanford, they had a 13-10 fourth quarter lead. It isn’t a stretch to think that ASU could have won those last five games overall, and the narrative would have been a lot different right now. Instead we could have been talking about an 8-4 bowl team instead of 6-6 and home for the holidays (note – ASU didn’t get to go bowling last year at 6-6 due to a rule that you can’t count more than one win over an FCS foe towards bowl eligibility in a single season).
This year, ASU has some serious expectations. With a lot of starters back from last year (at least 16 overall), seven home games, AND with the way they closed out 2010? One can understand why the projections are for a first or second place finish in the Pac-12 south! And oh yeah, they’ve got the whole new Nike “rebranding” thing going for them, which is cool…..
As the following video suggests, maybe 2011 really is time for ASU?
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-eDUB4k4C_w&w=425&h=272]LAST TIME vs. WSU: The Devils absolutely steamrolled the Cougs on a warm evening in Tempe, as ASU ran away with a 42-0 wipeout of WSU. ASU would outgain the Cougs 493-264, as Steven Threet absolutely carved up the WSU D by throwing for 300 yards and 3 TD’s. In the process, WSU basically sleepwalked through an uninspiring-at-best performance that saw many on the interwebs connect the dots and decide that Paul Wulff was done in Pullman. It was THAT bad.
2010 OFFENSIVE STATS
RUSHING OFFENSE: 139.3 YPG, 7th in the Pac-10/78th in the country
PASSING OFFENSE: 286.4 YPG, 2nd in the Pac-10/15th in the country
SCORING OFFENSE: 32.2 PPG, 3rd in the Pac-10/28th in the country
TOTAL OFFENSE: 425.7 YPG, 5th in the Pac-10/29th in the country
2011 RETURNING STARTERS – OFFENSE: 8 starters are back on offense, and you can make it 9 if you count QB Brock Osweiler as a true returning starter.
TOP RETURNING OFFENSIVE PLAYER: While Brock Osweiler showed a ton of potential late in 2010, he’s still pretty green when it comes to experience. There are a lot of skill guys up and down the roster who are back for 2011, but if we have to pick the best, we’ll go with junior running back Cameron Marshall.
Marshall is a tough combination of power and speed, packing 223 pounds on his 5-11 frame. He was all Pac-10 Honorable Mention for the 2010 season, and led the team in rushing yards (787, 5.2 yards per carry), rushing TD’s (9) and had over 1,000 yards of total offense, as he chipped in another 227 receiving yards on 21 catches out of the backfield. And despite fitting the mold as a punishing runner at 223 lbs, he has “home run” ability, with a couple of 70+ yard runs in his career. ASU returns the top six rushers from last year, so they will probably roll with a committee approach out of a deep, talented group of backs, but Marshall will likely still get the majority of touches at running back.
2010 DEFENSIVE STATS
RUSHING DEFENSE: 119.7 ypg, 1st in the Pac-10/16th in the nation
PASSING DEFENSE: 245.2 ypg, #8 in the Pac-10/101st in the nation
TOTAL DEFENSE: 364.9 ypg, #5 in the Pac-10/57th in the nation
SCORING DEFENSE: 25 ppg, #5in the Pac-10/55th in the nation
2011 RETURNING STARTERS – DEFENSE: ASU brings back seven starters from last year’s D.
TOP RETURNING DEFENSIVE PLAYER: Layup time – It’s Vontaze Burfict.
One of the most physical, punishing, intimidating players in the Pac-12, Burfict is a two-time first team All-Pac-10 selection in his first two years at ASU. He made a splash as a frosh in ’09 with 69 tackles, but took a leap forward last year with 90 tackles and 8.5 for loss as a sophomore. The 6-3, 243-pounder is fast, tough and mean, and, well, the video says it all.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KvcsffTQojI&w=425&h=349]Frightening.
He is on pretty much every All-American team this preseason, from Athlon’s to Phil Steele to Playboy, and there is no reason to expect anything less than a monster junior year from Burfict.
TOP POST SPRING BALL QUESTIONS
1) Is if FINALLY Osweiler’s time at QB? It sure looks that way, especially when you consider how good he looked late last year and even better this spring. After Steven Threet was lost to concussions late last season (concussions so severe that Threet is now permanently on the sidelines), Osweiler took over and was almost flawless in the last two games of the year. He ripped up UCLA for 380 yards and four TD’s, and then followed it up with 267 yards and a TD in a double-OT win over Arizona to end the year. Osweiler didn’t throw an interception in 2010, and it really looked like everything was falling into place for him at the end of the year. He had a huge spring game too, and in the process, was making some throws so amazing that he had one columnist draw up comparisons to none other then Ben Roethlisberger.
The former Gonzaga basketball recruit has a rocket for an arm and moves surprisingly well for a 6-8 QB, rushing for a net of 124 yards last year. He was sacked seven times however in limited playing time, but those numbers should improve as he gains valuable experience on the field. There is no doubt he is THE guy for the QB spot coming into fall camp, and it’s impossible not to be impressed by the way last year finished up. The question is, with a team that is highly touted and with a strong sense of momentum around Osweiler right now, is he really ready to lead the team to play up to the preseason buzz?
2) What’s up with the defense? There are so many talented starters coming back for 2011, and it’s easy to fall in love with the ability of Burfict and start going gaga over what could be in ’11. But it’s important to note that both starting D-tackles from last year’s top-ranked rushing defense have left the program in Lawrence Guy and Saia Falahola. Plus, first-team All-Pac-10 corner Omar Bolden was lost to a torn ACL in spring ball, a tough blow for a secondary that gave up a lot of yards last year. There are some capable replacements on hand up front, including Bo Moos, the 286-lb tackle and grandson of Bill Moos, and Will Sutton. But will the d-line replacements be up to task? Can they keep opposing offensive linemen occupied and in turn, allow the linebackers in Burfict, Colin Parker and Brandon Magee flow to the ball and make plays? As Coug fans, we know how disastrous it can be if you don’t have d-tackles who can hold up at the point of attack! But if ASU can get even adequate play up front, the defense should be just fine.
3) And the all-important schedule question? It’s pretty favorable, all things considered. They open with UC Davis, then get Missouri on a Friday night before traveling east to Illinois as they wrap up the non-conference schedule. A doozy closes out September when they host USC in a game that could determine the Pac-12 south champion (note – SC is eligible to win the Pac-12 south, but cannot play in the championship game. Still, SC looks to be ASU’s biggest challenge in the division). Overall ASU has 7 home games, including five conference home games. And they miss Stanford on the other side of the conference too. They do have a tough back-to-back road slate in early October, as they go to Utah and then the biggie, at Oregon in what could be a preview of the Pac-12 title game. But they close the season with three of their last five at home, and the only road games in that stretch are at UCLA and of course, at Pullman. All told, it’s a pretty manageable schedule and quite honestly one of the biggest reasons you can picture ASU in the championship game in December.
POST SPRING RAMBLINGS, DOT-DOT-DOT STYLE.….Even though ASU was just 6-6 last year, they did go 4-2 at home. ASU is now 45-22 in the last 10 years at home, with 2009 the only year in that stretch where they were under .500 in front of ASU nation (3-4). ASU has now won at least 4 home games in nine of the last 10 years…..Erickson is now 141-74-1 in his career, and has always done well at home as well. Erickson is 87-24 at home, while just over .500 on the road (50-46). The road has been tough in his time at ASU though, as the Devils are just 7-13 on the road in the Erickson era…..The Cougs have struggled vs. ASU, losing the last seven games against the Devils. WSU last beat them in 2003, the last time WSU was in a bowl game when they beat Texas in the ’03 Holiday Bowl (as if I needed to remind you of that!). The last time ASU came to Pullman it was a nightmare for Jeff Tuel, as ASU set a school record with 12 sacks for minus-54 rushing yards vs. the Cougs overmatched, bewildered offensive line…..Turnover ratio contributed to a .500 season last year, as ASU was minus-6 in turnover ratio for the season. ASU has now been in the “minus” category in turnover ratio the last two years, both non-winning seasons.….ASU had a tough year defending the pass last year, with their 101st ranked passing defense in terms of yards surreneded. One of the problems has been a lack of pressure in the passing game, as ASU had just 23 sacks last year, tied for the worst in the conference (WSU also had a league-low 23 sacks). It was the third year in a row that ASU had exactly 23 sacks, and the fourth year in a row they failed to get at least 30 sacks for the season (35 sacks in 2006)…..ASU was the king of the close loss last year, losing four games by 4 points or less (20-19 at Big-Ten champ Wisconsin, 31-28 at Oregon St, 34-33 at USC and 17-13 vs. Stanford)…..In a big change from last year, where ASU had one of the most inexperienced offensive lines in the conference coming into 2010, they now have one of the most experienced lines coming back for 2011. ASU returns all five starters on the line for this year, and nine of the top ten from the two-deeps are back as well…..Recruiting is off to a decent start, as ASU already has 8 verbal commitments, the most in the Pac-12 right now. And six of the eight commits are rated three stars by Scout.com. However, Erickson had a lower-rated class signed in February, rated the #64 class in the nation by Scout. On the flip side, Erickson did sign the #26 class in 2010….Some of the best ASU sites clude AZCentral.com’s ASU blog; Houseofsparky.com, part of the SBNation network; PitchforkNation.com, an ASU sports blog; DevilsDigest.com, part of the Scout.com network; and finally, once again, don’t we pretty much HAVE to mention Tempe12.com??
All for now. For the fish wraps on WSU’s nine prior opponents, go here.
Enjoy your Friday, and as always, GO COUGS!
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