2010 Arizona State Sun Devils Football Preview

2009 Results: 4-8, No Bowl

Head Coach: Dennis Erickson (4th year, 19-18 @ ASU, 135-68-1 Overall)

Home Venue: Sun Devil Stadium (71,706)

The past two seasons have been a crushing disappointment in Tempe. After Dennis Erickson’s debut season in 2008 produced the school’s first ten win campaign since their last Rose Bowl trip in 1996, the Sun Devils have only managed to win nine games total in the last two years! The halcyon days of Jake ‘The Snake’ Plummer have never seemed further away as ASU has lost to rival Arizona in each season and the offense, an Erickson specialty, has wasted a generally strong defensive effort. Can Arizona State finally score some points this season and earn a bowl bid?

OFFENSE

The offense has truly been the culprit for the team’s failures in the past two seasons, finishing 8th in ’08 and 9th in ’09 in the Pac Ten in scoring while averaging 22 points per contest in both years. Can this group finally get on track with a lot of new faces in the lineup?

The position battle that everyone will be watching in camp is at quarterback, where junior Steven Threet will battle with mammoth sophomore Brock Osweiler for the starting job. The last time we saw Threet, he was being trampled at Michigan during the 2008 season. He sat out last season after transferring to play in a system to fit his talents and he should be much more successful than he was in Rich Rodriguez’s system. However, the 6’8” Osweiler is breathing down his neck after a strong spring, so both players will probably see the field in the early going.

The bad news is that the rest of the skill players have virtually no experience. Juniors Kerry Taylor (23 catches, 276 yards in ‘09) and Gerrell Robinson (26 catches, 261 yards) are the top two returning wide receivers but neither caught a touchdown pass last season! Meanwhile, the tailbacks are equally green, as sophomore Cam Marshall (280 yards, 2 TDs) is the only runner on the roster who logged a single carry in 2009.

Finally, Arizona State’s O-Line is going to be heavily inexperienced. Only one starter returns after senior Jon Hargis hurt his knee in the spring and will likely miss the entire 2010 season. However, things might not be as bad as their experience level would indicate. Junior Brice Schwab impressed in the spring after spurning USC to sign with the Sun Devils out of junior college and he should start this fall. He was listed with redshirt freshman Evan Finkenberg atop the depth chart at the two tackle positions and both were highly praised for their play.

In the end, there are simply too many unknowns to confidently predict a turnaround campaign for ASU this fall. The quarterback position is undecided and the O-Line in front of them is one of the league’s weakest. On top of those concerns, there is almost zero experience at wideout or tailback and it seems unlikely that a completely revamped group with a new offensive coordinator will suddenly emerge as a powerhouse offense. Expect another season of struggle on the scoreboard for the Sun Devils.

DEFENSE

It’s really been a shame that the offense has been so poor in the last two seasons, because Arizona State has finished in the top half of the conference in scoring defense in each of the last three years. That excellence was highlighted by last season’s 2nd place finish in the Pac Ten by allowing only 21 points per contest. It is somewhat ironic that the Sun Devils have been so impressive on defense while struggling to score points, as Erickson is widely known for his offensive background. Can the defense continue their first-rate play in 2010?

The first impression is very positive because the defensive line is going to be stacked. Senior Saia Falahola (26 tackles, 4 sacks) and junior Lawrence Guy (37 tackles, 4.5 sacks) are one of the toughest pair of defensive tackles in the conference and should be rocks against the run this fall. Junior end James Brooks (17 tackles, 3.5 sacks) should also be a strong player after emerging as a sophomore last season. There is also good depth from a group that has been tough against the run for three consecutive years. While I’m somewhat concerned about their ability to generate a consistent pass rush, I have no doubt that this will be an excellent line.

The linebackers should round out another stout unit against the rush, as sophomore Vontaze Burfict (69 tackles, 2 sacks) was the Pac Ten Freshman of the Year in 2010. While he’s the only returning starter from last season’s team, the two new outside ‘backers should be quite effective this season. Juniors Brandon Magee (34 tackles, 2 sacks, 1 INT) and Shelly Lyons (17 tackles) were actually teammates of Burfict’s from high school and this group should have great chemistry from the get go. Expect them to round out one of the conference’s best run defenses.

ASU should also get a boost in the secondary with the return of junior corner Omar Bolden, (redshirted due to injury after three games last season) who started almost every game in ‘07 and ’08 as an underclassman. He paired with senior LeQuan Lewis to form a solid tandem in the spring and they should be a solid tandem to build around. While the safeties are a concern, a lot of players saw the field last season due to injuries and junior Clint Floyd is highly thought of by the coaching staff. With a solid pair of corners, I’m confident that Arizona State will continue to play well against the pass in 2010.

It looks like the Sun Devils will be significantly better on defense than offense this fall…….again. The D-Line is deep and talented, the linebackers are going to be very effective with one of the league’s brightest young stars and the defensive backs will flourish with the return of their best coverage defender. Expect another top defense from Arizona State in 2010.

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SCHEDULE

The Sun Devils’ schedule is a decidedly mixed bag. While they have to visit Wisconsin (expected to be ranked in the top 10) outside of Pac Ten play, their other two games are at home against D-1AA opponents, all but assuring them of a 2-1 mark before they start conference games. However, Pac Ten play is going to be very tough, as they have five road games and have to go to Washington, Oregon State, Cal, USC and rival Arizona! The good news is that winnable home games against Washington State and UCLA come in the second half. If the Sun Devils can hold serve at home, they have a great shot at bowl eligibility.

OUTLOOK

The Sun Devils had a bit of hard luck last season, recording a 1-5 record in games scored decided by ten points or less. The key in every single one of those losses was that ASU posted a negative turnover margin, something they’ll have to be careful to avoid in 2010. In many respects, this team looks very similar to last year’s four win squad: They’re going to be dynamite on defense but their offense is suspect, to say the least. However, the defense is going to keep them in every game this season as there really isn’t a single dominant team in the conference.

The schedule dictates that Arizona State will need to pull off at least one road upset from a difficult six game list and that will be a daunting task, considering that their only road wins in the last two seasons have come against a 0-12 Washington team in ’08 and a 1-11 Washington State team in ’09. While I think they’ll match the last two seasons and only win one away contest, it will be a season-ending victory at Arizona to earn bowl eligibility at their rival’s expense. Highlighted by one of the league’s best defenses, the Arizona State Sun Devils are my choice to finish 8th in the Pac Ten Conference in 2010.

PREDICTED RESULT: 6-6 (4-5 Pac Ten)