BearTerritory.net - Early look at the Sun Devils

October 27, 2009

Chris Nguon
BearTerritory.net Senior Writer

Spotlight on ASU

Last season's record: 5-7 overall, 4-5 in the Pac-10
Current record: 4-3, 2-2 (wins over Idaho State, La.-Monroe, Washington State, Washington; losses to Georgia, Oregon State, Stanford)

After starting the season with a couple of easy blowout wins, the Sun Devils have lost three out of their last five contests. Outside of the thrashing they received last week at the hands of the Cardinal in Palo Alto however, the other two defeats ASU suffered (Georgia, Oregon State) could've went either way had the ball bounced differently on a couple of possessions.

As fans could gather, losing senior quarterback Rudy Carpenter to graduation hasn't helped the Sun Devils offense. ASU is ranked in the middle of low tier of almost every offensive category in the Pac-10.

On the flip side though, the ASU defense has been very good this season.

ARIZONAREPUBLIC.COM: Sun Devils prep for Jahvid and company

ASUDEVILS.COM: Schedule doesn't get easier

ASUDEVILS.COM: Erickson weekly press conference

ASUDEVILS.COM: Focus should be on future

Here are some quick observations of the ASU squad:

1. WHO IS UNDER CENTER?

Senior quarterback Danny Sullivan was pulled out of the Stanford game late last week with a knee injury and was replaced by freshman Brock Osweiler.

Osweiler completed just 1-of-7 passes for 18 yards against the Cardinal but the folks down in the desert are excited about what the massive 6-foot-8, 237 pound young signal-caller can bring to the table.

Erickson said this week that Sullivan has a "mild knee sprain" and his status for Saturday is up in the air.

Sullivan, who is no little guy himself (6-foot-4, 242 pounds), is statistically the seventh ranked passer in the Pac-10 in this season. Sullivan has thrown for 1,414 yards and 7 TDs to 5 INTs this year.

2. RBs MUCH BETTER

Last season, the Sun Devils struggled moving the ball on the ground.

So far this year, things have been a little better.

Senior Dimitri Nance has rushed for 471 yards and 5 touchdowns this year while sophomore Ryan Bass has been decent as well (24 carries, 165 yards, 1 TD). Erickson also expressed some compliments for San Jose native Cameron Marshall, who saw some action last week against Stanford and has average roughly 5 carries per game this year.

As a team, ASU ranks sixth in rushing offense in the Pac-10.

3. STOUT ON D

The Sun Devils have been tremendous on the defensive side of the ball this year. ASU ranks second in the Pac-10 in rush defense (83.4 yards per game), third in passing defense (196.6 yards per game) and third in scoring defense (18.4 points per game).

True freshman linebacker Vontaze Burfict has been a big reason why but when the statistics are that good, that means that several players are having good years. In fact, the statistics really speak to that point.

Linebacker Mike Nixon leads the Sun Devils in tackles (42) this season but the senior ranks only 23rd overall in the Pac-10 in total tackles. Cal's Mike Mohamed continues to pace the conference (62 tackles).

Fellow linebackers Brandon Magee and Travis Goethel, defensive tackle Saia Falahola and defensive lineman Lawrence Guy and safety Jarrell Holman are also having good years.

ERICKSON speaks ?

? on Cal's run game: "Those two guys [Jahvid Best and Shane Vereen] are extremely good players. Best might be the best in the country. One time he was right up there with the Heisman Trophy and he hasn't changed. They happened to lose a couple games, but he made a run against UCLA that is as good as I've ever seen. He took it, I think it was 80 yards or something like that. Once he gets in the secondary he's a world class sprinter, but he's a football player. So the difference between him and [Stanford Running Back Toby] Gerhart for example is that he can take it to the house about anytime and Gerhart was just a blue collar guy who just ran it right over the top of you all the time, but this guy, once he gets in the secondary if you don't tackle him right he can make the big play and that's how they get a lot of their yardage and a lot of big plays in their running game."

? on Cal's defense: "They play the 3-4 so that's different than most people, not as different now as it was 10 years ago or five years ago. They've got a lot of experience coming back--the kid from here, Cameron Jordan is an outstanding player, their secondary is all back from a year ago. They are physical. They have done a great job of recruiting at Cal the last six, seven years. They've got some really good football players. Their secondary is as good as we'll see. Their corners are really good. They just play good team defense. They're a talented football team, just like anybody in this league."

? on Kevin Riley: "I've watched him closely for years. His father is a high school coach in the state of Oregon, or was at one time, so I've watched Kevin for a long time because of the friendship with his father and he's a warrior. He's a leader, he's a fighter, he's a competitor; he makes things happen and has played a lot for as young as he is. He's what they need. He won that job, earned it and is playing really well. If they're running the football that's good too, but he's a good football player."

Quote of Note

Here's what Erickson had to say about senior wide out Chris McGaha, who has had a nice bounce-back season after a disappointing campaign last year:

Erickson: "I think he can play in the NFL. He has really good hands, but I just want to get him by Cal and I'll worry about that other stuff later."

Offensive player to watch: Chris McGaha

The senior wide out was on the tail end of arguably the second-most exciting play of the Pac-10 this season thus far, when he hauled in a 50-yard touchdown at the end of regulation two weeks ago to help the Sun Devils defeat visiting Washington on a truly unforgettable play.

McGaha, who seems like he's been at ASU forever, is certainly still one of the better wide receivers in the conference. The 6-foot-1, 190 pound Phoenix native has caught 29 balls for 322 yards and 2 touchdowns this season and along with fellow wide out Kyle Williams is by far one of the favorite targets of the quarterbacks in the desert over the years.

McGaha battled various bumps and bruises all of last season which really hampered his ability to make plays for his team but he has bounced back nicely so far this year. McGaha has caught at least one pass in every game this season, including a 6-catch, 80-yard, 1 touchdown performance against Stanford last week.

However, McGaha's biggest contribution thus far this season also marked a career day. In the 28-17 ASU loss to Oregon State earlier this month, McGaha hauled in a career-high 15 passes for 165 yards. As a team, the Sun Devils are only averaging 6.2 yards per pass so their offense for the most part hasn't been a quick-strike and score attack this season.

If Arizona State dinks and dunks its way down the field Saturday against Cal, McGaha will be right in the middle of a lot of those short catches.

YouTube: McGaha makes incredible grab

YouTube: McGaha answers Hail Mary

Defensive player to watch: Vontaze Burfict

Most of the time, you usually want to shy away from hyping up a freshman recruit too much given the unpredictability of an athlete's initial adjustment to Division-I football.

In the case of the former Rivals.com 5-star linebacker however, his play so far this season has earned him all his past accolades and some.

Burfict is already one of the better linebackers in the conference despite having just half-a-season under his belt and he's already showed exactly why he was an Army All-American last year. Burfict has recorded 36 tackles this year, which includes two sacks.

The 6-foot-3, 245 pound middle linebacker has also broken up three passes, recovered a fumble and has racked up five tackles for loss. Burfict's pension for aggressive play and intensity has helped the ASU defense tremendously this season, pushing the unit to the top-3 in the majority of the Pac-10's team statistical defensive categories.

As a unit, the Sun Devils are a very hard-hitting, aggressive defense on all three levels and Burfict fits right into that mentality of play.

YouTube: Burfict destroys opposing QB

YouTube: Burfict helps stuff UGA fourth down run

Chris Nguon is the lead football writer for BearTerritory. He's well known for his recruiting and game coverage in the star-studded Oakland Athletic League, plus his numerous contributions with The Daily Californian, UC Berkeley's only independent, student-run newspaper. Nguon is also a correspondent with the Oakland Tribune, and will cover Cal football and men's and women's basketball in 2009.

FEATURED PRODUCT