I cannot wait for tonight’s game—this has been a very long offseason.

Expectations for the season

Dennis Erickson needs to win at least 8 games to save his job. He’s been building this team for too long.

The defense will be generally solid, especially against the run. We have enough talent on the offensive side of the ball to really challenge opposing teams. Team speed will be on display all season long.

With high expectations, new uniforms, and some experience, this team may return to the swagger of 2007.

Prediction for the season:

We will win 8 games this season. I was solidly in the 9-win camp until the rash of offseason injuries and departures. I think that the injury bug could easily steal at least one win from the team this year, so now I’m down to 8. If Brock plays well and doesn’t make too many critical mistakes, and if our pass rush makes up for the injuries in the secondary and at linebacker, I think we can easily win nine games, maybe even ten. The early stretch is going to be key. If the Devils can come out of the first four games at 3-1, we’ll be well on our way to a good to great season.

Other concerns:

• Net turnovers. That includes our turnover margin, as well as stupid penalties and dumb mistakes that stall offensive drives and give opposing offenses a second chance. ASU has not excelled in this area since Erickson’s arrival.
• The kicking and punting game – new punter, new snapper, new holder, new kicker. Hey, what could go wrong here?
• Depth, particularly on defense: starters Lawrence Guy, Omar Bolden, James Brooks, and Brandon Magee all gone, with additional injuries to backups such as Devon Spann. On offense, we’re missing experienced backups in Threet and Sakacsy, and significant contributors TJ Simpson and Deantre Lewis. Does this team have enough depth to overcome the string of bad luck we’ve had? If Brock goes down, it’s hard to think we’ll be able to compete for a South Division title.

It’s Time. Go Devils!

Leading up to its big rebranding announcement, ASU’s been celebrating its past. Here’s a recap of all of the videos they’ve released thus far.

I’m excited to see ASU put together another marketing campaign—I enjoyed the Sun Devil Laws and the 2007 football season videos.

Every rivalry needs some jokes. The annual Duel in the Desert is no different. Here are a few I collected prior to the game:

Q. Why can you never end an argument with an AU fan?
A. Because they’re always trying to make an extra point!

Q. Why doesn’t U of A have ice on the sidelines?
A. The guy with the recipe graduated.

Q. How do you keep U of A football out of your yard?
A. Put up a sign that says “Rose Bowl.”

Q. What’s the difference between a dead coyote and a dead Wildcat?
A. There are skid marks near the coyote.

It’s being reported that Arizona head football coach Mike Stoops will only be dressing twenty players for the Arizona State game.
The rest of the players will have to get dressed by themselves.

Q. Why do birds fly upside down over UA?
A. There’s nothing worth crapping on.

Q. What’s more difficult than arguing football with a UofA grad?
A. Getting them to make your Big Mac right.

Q. What do you call an Arizona football player with a Rose Bowl ring?
A. Thief.

Q. Did you hear about the fire in U of A’s football dorm that destroyed over 20 books?
A. The real tragedy was that 15 of them hadn’t even been colored in yet.

Q. What does the average UofA football player get on his SAT?
A. Drool.

Q. What do you get when you see a groundhog in Tucson?
A. Six more weeks of bad football.

Q. Why do they throw manure at wildcat weddings?
A. To keep the flies off the bride.

Q. What are the longest three years of a U of A football player’s life?
A. His freshman year.

Q. How many U of A freshmen does it take to change a lightbulb?
A. None. It’s a sophomore class.

Q. Why can’t you find a cockroach in Tucson?
A. Because even a cockroach has an ounce of self-respect.

Q. What’s the difference between Cocoa Pebbles and U of A’s football team?
A. The Cocoa Pebbles belong in a bowl.

Q. What do you do when a Wildcat knocks on your door?
A. You tip ‘em $5 and enjoy your pizza!

Q. How do you ruin a UA tailgate party?
A. Flush their punch bowl.

Q. What do Wildcat fans use for birth control?
A. Their personalities.

Q. What is the difference between a U of A jersey and an onion?
A. No one cries when you cut up an U of A jersey.

Q. Why do AU chicks wear high heels?
A. To keep their knuckles from scraping the ground.

Q. What do you get when you put 32 Arizona cheerleaders in one room?
A. A full set of teeth.

Q. How do you know Jesus is not from Tucson?
A. You’ll never find a virgin there much less three wise men.

Q. How do you get to U of A from Tempe?
A. You go south until you smell it and east until you step in it.

Q. What’s the only sign of intelligent life in Tucson?
A. Tempe, 112 Miles.

Q. Why are rectal thermometers banned at the University of Arizona?
A. They cause too much brain damage.

Q. How do you keep a Wildcat from playing with itself?
A. You paint its willie Maroon and Gold knowing it will never beat it!!!!

Q. How do you castrate a U of A football player?
A. You hit his sister in the jaw.

Q. How do you get a Wildcats cheerleader into your dorm room?
A. Grease her hips and push.

Stoops went into the locker room on Monday and told Brooks Reed, “You’re failing MAT 101. In order to remain eligible, you’re going to have to answer a couple questions correctly.”
“What is four times eleven?”
“A hundred” Reed said.
“Give him another chance, Give him another chance!” the rest of the team said.
“OK, said Stoops, what is two plus two?”
“Four” beamed Reed.
“Give him another chance, Give him another chance!” the rest of the team said.

Q. How come whenever it is time for them to pick their Jim Click-furnished car, AU players never choose a Japanese car?
A. They’re afraid they won’t understand what’s on the radio.

Q. What do Wildcats and pot have in common?
A. They both get smoked in a bowl.

Q. What do you call a good looking girl on the University of Arizona campus?
A. A visitor.

Q. How did the Wildcat player die from drinking milk?
A. The cow fell on him.

A guy in a bar leans over to the guy next to him and says, “Wanna hear a good Arizona joke?”
The guy next to him replies, “Well before you tell that joke, you should know something. I’m 6′ tall, 200 lbs., and I am an Arizona grad. The guy sitting next to me is 6′ 2″ tall, weighs 225, and he’s an Arizona grad. And the fella next to him is 6′ 5″ tall, weighs 250, and he’s an Arizona grad. Now, you still wanna tell that joke?”
The first guy says, “No, not if I’m gonna have to explain it three times.”

Q. How do you make Wildcat cookies?
A. Put them in a big bowl and beat for 3 hours.

Q. What do you say when you see an Arizona graduate in a suit?
A. Will the defendant please rise.

Q. How many U of A players does it take to screw in a light blub?
A. One, but it never gets done. They just hold the bulb up and wait for the world to revolve around them.

Q. What should you do if you find three UA football fans buried up to their neck in cement?
A. Get more cement.

Q. How do you know the toothbrush was invented in Tucson?
A. Because had it been invented anywhere else, it would have been called the “Teethbrush.”

A U of A fan, a USC fan, & an ASU fan are climbing a mountain and arguing about who loves his team more. The USC fan insists he is the most loyal. “This is for the Trojans,” he yells and jumps off the mountain. Not to be outdone, the ASU fan is next to profess his love for his team. He yells, “GO DEVILS” and pushes the U of A fan off the mountain.

My 24th year of season tickets

It’s early fall in Phoenix, and that means another season of ASU football is upon us. After a shared PAC-10 championship in his first year, fan approval of Dennis Erickson was off the charts. Following two disappointing seasons — the first back-to-back losing seasons in 60+ years — there’s open discussion amongst fans of who ASU should pursue for the head coaching job in 2011. In what is otherwise a wide-open year for the Rose Bowl, the media has picked ASU to finish ninth in the conference.

What to expect

While the team will be returning what is expected to be a stellar defense, the questions all center around the offense. New offensive coordinator Noel Mazzone has installed an up tempo, spread ‘em out and throw offense. That’s excited some fans, even though it resembles the quick strike offense so many of them came to despise about Dirk Koetter. However, this defense just may have enough depth for this philosophy to work. That is, however, if the offensive line stays healthy and manages to play above expectations, the quarterback position remains stable, and the wide receivers make consistent plays.

My prediction

The offense will be improved, but not stellar. The lack of offensive line depth will remain a problem. The defense will not be quite as good as last year, but will be a solid and formidable force. After losing 4 games by a combined 13 points, we should see far better special teams play with Weber’s return. Erickson will pull out the stops when necessary; he’d better, his job is on the line.

This will be a better team than the 2009 team. Will it be enough?

Unfortunately, I think we’ll still end up a game or two short from a bowl game. We’ll win 5-6 games, but unless the offense improves significantly, I don’t think that we’ll be bowling again this year. There are still too many questions on offense, a challenging schedule, and a disinterested fan base. However, if the offense can get it going, this team will not finish 9th in the conference and will remain in the bowl mix.

Go Devils!

On the heels of the disappointing news that ASU was unable to replace one of its nonconference games next year with an FBS opponent (opting for FCS Portland State), Devils Digest posted some great discussion from the news conference.

Here’s a snippet of the original article, which is definitely worth the read.

Question: Can you explain the process behind scheduling non-conference opponents for ASU?

Answer: “The process has changed drastically over the past 3-5 years and three major things have contributed to that change in the landscape.

“One, the downturn in the economy coupled with the large guarantees that some schools are now paying — in excess of $1 million dollars.

“Two, the fact that more BCS schools are scheduling non-BCS school in home-and-home series. You didn’t see that five years ago. Now they’re getting Pac-10 schools to come to their stadiums which decreases our chances of getting those schools for guarantee games. So now when we call those schools to ask if they’ll come to Arizona State they say, “We will, but we want a return.”

“Third, more FBS schools are scheduling FCS schools for one of their annual non-conference games. I believe there are only three schools which have never played an FCS school. At least one of those schools is going to do that in the future and probably two of them. So 5-10 years ago where you had maybe 10-20 FBS schools playing a 1AA school per year, now almost everyone is doing it.

”So as a consequence, those opportunities for the FBS schools to play FBS opponents are gone. There are approximately 120 FBS schools now, but when 117 of them play a 1AA every year, that means 117 opportunities gone.

“So those three things have completely changed the scheduling landscape today and it’s basically happened over the last 3-5 years. So what we’ve had to do is adjust with that. We are no longer scheduling under the philosophy of A, B, and C (games). That just does not work anymore. It just does not apply to the new realm of scheduling.

It’s difficult to paint this as anything but a bad deal for ASU, but it seems like they did everything they could to try to replace the game. Jeff Metcalfe had a follow up today about Cincy’s role as ASU’s last chance—I agree that it’s going to be tough to get fans in the seats next year, which as pointed out by a commenter, could have some serious spiraling ramifications.

Another week, another disappointing Sun Devil loss.

It’s getting tough to figure out what’s wrong here, except that things have simply gotten progressively worse with this team since Erickson took over. He had a great 8-0 start to his ASU coaching career, but it’s been downright atrocious since then. I refuse to believe that it’s the talent.

Two stats tell the tale:

ASU will have its first back-to-back losing seasons since 1946-47. That was the third longest streak in major college football.

ASU set a school record last year of 6 consecutive losses. It could match that again this year.

Boy has it been frustrating.

The program squandered a great opportunity this season. It had a winnable schedule. It had a great defense. And there isn’t a truly dominate team in the conference this year. This was a great year for an above average team to make a run for the Roses.

Sure, there have been injuries. Many, many injuries. But, it’s not the injuries that have spelled doom for the Devils.

It’s been the coaching.

Erickson is a better coach than he’s shown at ASU thus far. But unless he makes some wholesale changes this offseason, which begins earlier than it should for a program like this, he should find himself on the hot seat in 2010. He knows that something is broken; let’s see if he can fix it.

And quick.

For only the second time in my 23 years as a season ticket holder, I will not be at Sun Devil Stadium on Saturday to watch the Arizona State Sun Devils take on the USC Trojans.

Even though USC will likely be huge favorites, it won’t be an easy game for me to miss.

Trust me.

Instead, I’ll be at the Rendezvous of Friends in Santa Fe, an annual gathering the organization I work at hosts for Friends groups from across the West. While I’ll be working during the game, it’ll be recording back home, I’ll get frequent score updates on my iPhone, and I’ll definitely be doning some maroon & gold.

Go Devils!

It was one of the most baffling plays to win a game. Embattled quarterback Danny Sullivan, who was booed by the home crowd during the video introductions, connected with flu-stricken but wide open Chris McGaha for a 50-yard touchdown to take the lead with only :05 seconds left to play.

What a night of elation Danny Sullivan must have had. It’s not redemption, at least not in the eyes of the fans, but it sure must have felt good to celebrate with the stadium and hear the “Dan-Ny, Sulli-Van” chant from the student section.

Other notes:

• Chris McGaha is the only person I want making that catch. The ball hung up there for days, long enough for fans to imagine Chris tripping on the goalline or some other calamity before returning to reality – this is Chris McGaha. He makes the impossible catch look routine. Touchdown.
• Vontaze Burfict is a beast, but an uncontrolled beast. Mike Nixon needs to mentor him on being a leader on the field. Burfict’s penalties really hurt the team. His post-play rowdiness and antics get old quickly. And his cheap shot against Locker was, dare I say it, classless.
• The Devils allowed an inferior team to hang around, even when they clearly seemed to be dominating. This team lacks a killer instinct. Nonetheless, a win is a win.
• The referees continue to amaze. Several horrendous calls out there, including a defensive pass interference call that was beyond ridiculous.
• Dennis Erickson is the king of quotes after a game like this.

To say it was a frustrating, disappointing and ultimately futile night is a substantial understatement. The first half was one of the most tragic of recent memory, the officiating downright mind-boggling, and the quarterback play saddening.

Danny Sullivan has worked hard. He’s does all that he can. But it’s just not enough. Sullivan simply doesn’t have the accuracy necessary to make this offense go, and the defense can’t be expected to carry the team game in and game out. He doesn’t make costly mistakes, but he also doesn’t make the plays that you need him to. The quarterback position is clearly the weakest link on the team and unless we can play small out-of-conference schools like Louisiana-Monroe every week, Erickson’s going to have back-to-back losing seasons. He needs to give Brock Osweiller a shot – and at least get him some experience for the future.

Nonetheless Erickson manages to land a highly touted five star JC defensive end, Bruce Irvin. Irvin switched his commitment from Tennessee to ASU during the weekend – the only piece of good news to come out of the weekend.

After the Georgia game, I was cautiously optimistic that we might be able to exceed my 5-7 prediction for the season, but after the performance on Saturday, I’m just hoping we can attain that low bar.

1. The Defense will lead the team. It’s painfully obvious that the offense is not the strength of the 2009 team. The defense will clearly carry the team – something we’re not used to seeing from an ASU team. However, for all of the ways that Erickson has failed to field a really competitive offense (at least since Ryan Torain went down), he’s done a stellar job of upgrading the defense. This is the fastest defense we’ve seen from ASU in quite a while.

2. Danny Sullivan and Dimitri Nance shouldn’t be the starters. Both have been in the program long enough to get the nod if talent levels are the same. However, at least on the field tonight, neither were tops in their respective positions. Nance had a difficult time finding the hole but looked better than he actually was given the competition. The other backs wowed on several plays; they’re the future and we need them to play.

Also assisted by a lesser opponent, Sullivan ended the night with somewhat respectable numbers, despite looking much worse in person. He seemed either quickly flustered in the pocket or slow to react to oncoming pressure. He zipped the balls when a bit more touch was necessary, making several attempted catches much harder than they needed to be. Brock, on the other hand, seemed very composed in the pocket and completed several passes in spite of pressure that would have resulted in a sack with Sullivan. His touchdown pass was a top-quality pass, anticipating the hole and lofting it perfectly in between two-deep coverage. He is clearly the future and it would be best for Sun Devil football to get him as many reps this season as possible.

3. Mike Nixon is still a stud. He’s smart – football smart, and very mature. He’s not the fastest, not the strongest, not the largest, but he just makes plays after plays. He has that Tillman/Archuleta quality of just being in the right place and doing the right thing at the right time.

4. Vontaze Burflict is the real deal. First play from scrimmage, he lays a big hit on the quarterback. Second play, he recovers a fumble. Let the hitting begin, this guys going to be catching the eyes of lots of people. He is a stud.

5. There’s a lot to be tightened up. And it all starts with the pregame, which the stadium crew flubbed. The kick return coverage seemed effective, but at times, dangerously close to losing the returner to a long long gain. Receivers dropped countless passes. Hell, even Weber missed a short FG attempt. In order to win some PAC10 games, we’ll need to tighten things up.

Leading up to this year’s Duel in the Desert, several friends asked Kim or I why we no longer attend the game when it’s held down in Tucson. I’ve been to several of those rivalry games, but we’ve skipped it the last 6 or 8 years.

Simple: it’s dangerous, and no longer fun.

I’ve been goaded into several fights, had food flung on me, had my car vandalized, had some pretty nasty things said about Kim, and generally not had a good time, even during our customary beatdown of the UA team. The last time the Devils played in Tucson, the crowd threw full water bottles at our bench, knocking out one of our medical staff. Nice.

The so-called “Zona Zoo” has gotten so bad that UA instituted a code of conduct policy and added spotters to keep an eye on the violence and vitriol. Way to represent the University.

During this year’s game, the Arizona football staff purposefully opens the gates to the field to the fans with more than 5 minutes left in the game. The crowd surges right up to the playing field, just feet from the players…with shouting, spitting, middle fingers, and some physical contact. If that was the UA bench, the team would have been penalized for unsportsmanlike conduct. Instead, it was constructed by Arizona Stadium staff.

It’s so bad that the Police make sure that Jody Jackson, the FSN sideline reporter, is ushered off the field before the end of the game because they are so concerned about her safety. A sideline reporter! Who has security around her, and who’s primary job is to get post-game interviews from players and coaches. It’s so dangerous that she has to flee before the game’s even over. If that doesn’t speaks volumes about the situation–fostered by the UA Athletics Department–then, I’m not what does.

It’s a real shame, but that’s why we don’t go. This is a situation that desperately needs to be fixed.

It’s official, the Sun Devils have lost 6 games in a row, the worst losing streak the school has seen since 1929. That’s 17 years before the Sun Devils became the Sun Devils, and long before they were Arizona State University.

Nonetheless, in a hugely disappointing year, the Sun Devils finally showed some heart in a last minute 25-27 defeat to Oregon State, which continues to find itself in the drivers seat for the Rose Bowl. ASU had glimpses of a running game, with DeWitty surpassing the 100yd mark and logging a 6.9yd average thanks in large part to a second half 53-yard run, by far the longest of the season for the Devils. And Rudy looked like the Carpenter of old in that last minute touchdown drive that gave the team a chance to tie with a two-point conversion.

But it was continuation of errors and bad play that extended the losing streak. Countless false start penalties pushed the offense out of its game and stalled drives. The offense couldn’t punch it in once they got to the red zone, settling for 4 field goals. The offensive line couldn’t protect Carpenter (who started 7/7 in the game), the receivers dropped passes at critical times, and the pass rush disappeared during two key series late in the game. Several bad calls by the refs didn’t help things either.

Next up for the 2-6 Sun Devils are the two worthless Washington schools who were outscored 114-0 yesterday and have just one win between them. ASU must win those two games to build some confidence for a slightly more difficult UCLA team (still a very winnable game) before the annual battle with the Wildcats. There’s no margin of error at this point, we must win all four games to be eligible for even a crappy bowl berth. However, that accomplishment is critical for this team, which desperately needs the extra 15 bowl practices to develop its young talent. Go Devils!

Edit: A preemptive addition to this post, let’s take a look at notable U of A losing streaks this decade alone:

• 5-game losing streaks:  2000, 2001, 2005
• 6-game losing streak:  2002
• 7-game losing streak:  2004
• 8-game losing streak:  2003

‘Nuff said.