SB Nation - Danny Sullivan

2009 ASU Football: An Obituary

Cory Williams — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 00:52:54 -0000

This sums up the season pretty well.

Oh, 2009 Sun Devils, we knew thee all too well. From the opening kickoff against Idaho State, all the way through the heart-wrenching loss to Zendejas and the Kitties, we struggled to enjoy this season as fans.

Why is that, exactly? It isn't for a lack of effort on the part of the team. The offense and defense both played admirably, working as hard as they could with the tools they had and the plays that were called.

At times, this team showed potential and a desire to win. But there were just too many obstacles to overcome: an unimaginative running game, horrible kicking from Thomas Weber, and a dearth of prepared talent at the quarterback position.

Was this coaching, or was ASU simply overmatched this season? I daresay it was a bit of both.

Coach Erickson showed he was behind the times in terms of play calling once he took the reins from Rich Olson at the start of the season. Not trying to condemn the man, but his running plays were brutal. Off tackle to the right, anyone?

Lets get this obituary over with, since no one likes torturing themselves.

Apex of the season: The Sun Devils earned their fourth win of the season in incredible fashion, scoring on a last second Hail Mary by Danny Sullivan to a wide open Chris McGaha. At 4-2, enthusiasm for the Devils was at a fever pitch, and everyone thought we might be able to make it to a bowl game.

Barrel-scraping moment(s) of 2009: Where do I begin?

ASU loses in heartbreaking fashion to Georgia. The Bulldogs scored a game-winning field goal as time expired to win 20-17.
ASU loses in heartbreaking fashion to California. The Golden Bears scored a game-winning field goal with seconds to play, and Danny Sullivan couldn't lead the Devils to victory on a failed Hail Mary attempt.
ASU loses in heartbreaking fashion to USC. The Sun Devils are unable to overcome a 5-point deficit and lose 14-9.
ASU loses in heartbreaking fashion to Arizona. The Wildcats scored a game-winning field goal as time expired to win 20-17. Sound familiar?

This was the year of "close, but no cigar." Hopefully 2010 brings a new offensive philosophy to the Valley, because the defense is absolutely fine.

Spaulding Roundup: UCLA's Biggest Game Of The Season

Nestor — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 13:58:36 -0000

Honestly if we experienced a night like Monday 2-3 years ago I would have had a very difficult time getting putting that aside and getting out of a funk. I am not naive and I am well aware that our basketball team right now has a lot of issues to work on for them to develop as a team that will put together a winning season. Yet I am not really thinking or worrying about them all that much. I am going to watch the game on Friday night to find out exactly what is going on with our young guys. However, right now the basketball team is not really at the top of of my mind. That is because right now, at this time I am just thinking about Saturday.

I haven't been this excited about UCLA football in years. ucla13_usc9 has it exactly right. I can't think of a bigger football game for this program than the one we are going to play this Saturday. Let's think about it for a second. If UCLA can manage to pull out a win this weekend, it will be sitting with a record of 6-5 and find itself at the perfect pivot point to take the next step. Of course there is the angle of getting into a bowl game and getting our young team two extra weeks of practices (that will be valuable for development of a team with so many underclassmen sprinkled all over our lineup).

To me though the most important part of getting a win this weekend will be that incredible sense of momentum. With 6 wins CRN will be able to sell the notion of "Plus 2." Think about what he accomplished on the recruiting trail with a 4-8 record last season. Now think what he might be able to do if he can show recruits not just by words but by his W-L record showing a clear sign of progress with at least 2 more wins. A victory this Saturday will get us that palpable sense of momentum we haven't experience as a program since the late 90s when number 18 was driving the Bruin offense up and down the field. Although watching Kevin Prince driving our offense up and down the field in recent weeks, I can almost ... almost ... get a little sense of that magical feeling (of wanting the Bruin defense to take care of business fast so I can watch the offense again) I used to experience almost a decade.

This game is just so huge. It sounds like our guys know it and kind of feel it. Jon Gold posted last night that the Bruins had a "rowdy practice" as they "know full well what a win over Arizona State means to the season." CRN had this to say about the mindset of his football team:

"We're a young team, and young teams are impressionable. To come off a couple of victories and still have a chance to get in the postseason - those are exciting things for our guys. It's going to take a great effort, but we're capable of it."

It's going to take a great effort for our offensive line. They have gotten better at the expense of some of the worst defenses in the conference. They know that they will have to step it up to whole another level this Saturday. Here is what Jeff Baca, the sophomore left guard had to say about the challenge he and his linemates are going to face against ASU:

"Coaches tell us we're getting better each week, and that's what we're trying to do."

The Bruins will have a much tougher task this week in the form of Arizona State, which ranks 15th nationally in total defense and 29th in scoring defense.

They are particularly tough against the run and have averaged 6.8 tackles for a loss per game.

With a defense that has such ability to get upfield, the offensive linemen are taking it as personal.

"You've got to win one-on-one battles," Baca said. "Both in pass rush and run blocking. You've got to win those. Coach has told us this is a huge game. This is our bowl-eligible game. This is fantastic for a young offensive line like we are.

"We're growing up fast, but this is a challenge."

While Baca and his team-mates are gearing up for the challenge against ASU's defensive front, Jet Ski is working hard to set aside his personal nightmares from recent games. More on him and othe notes after the jump.

We have discussed how it is imperative for JetSki to get it back together and shake any kind of focus or concentration issue he might be having that could be causing his fumble issues. Well, it sounds like the coaches haven't given up on him and he is doing everything he can to have the right attitutude about it:

"It's rough, especially when ... it's just rough," Franklin said. "It's the worst feeling ever. It's one of those feelings that is indescribable, especially as a running back.

"You've got the team counting on you, you've got the coaches, you've got the family in the stadium watching, family at home watching. It's disappointing. A lot of people are counting on you and by fumbling, you let a lot of people down."

Franklin didn't include himself on that list but he could have. His recent turnovers have left him feeling frustrated but he insists that he has to continue to look forward.

"It's something I have to learn from," he said. "It's something I have to learn from to better my career or to basically stay on the field."

Staying on the field doesn't seem to be a problem. Franklin was one of a handful of running backs getting his share of reps with the Bruins' No. 1 offense Tuesday.

Franklin is quick to push his successes and failures into the past. One of the worst things he can do is try to make up for the missed opportunities because that is when more mistakes are made.

"Regardless of what happens in a game, you have to let it go," he said. "It definitely takes time to get it out but to progress and better yourself, you have to let it go and move on. You have to. You always have to keep your head up and keep a good attitude to become a better player."

Here is to Jet Ski getting back into rhythm this weekend. The fun thing about our offense is that we still haven't seen it totally click yet. Early in the season Jet Ski was having success but at that time neither Prince nor Craft was giving him any kind aerial support by being in rhythm. Now in recent weeks we have had Prince spraying passes all over the field but not with a very productive rushing attack. If we can get Jet Ski and Prince to have their most efficient performances in the same game, our offense is going to be fun to watch. I am crossing my fingers that we get to experience it finally this weekend against ASU.

Meanwhile, over at ASU, Dennis Erickson is still being coy about who will be his QB. It looks like Szakacsy has been getting most of the reps with first time at least to start the week. From Ted Miller on WWL:

Szakacsy came off the bench and completed 13 of 22 passes for 113 yards with a touchdown and no interceptions in the 44-21 defeat. He also ran for a touchdown and used to his speed to elude heavy pressure from the Ducks.

"He'll get the most reps with the ones this week," Erickson said.

True freshman Brock Osweiler made his first career start against the Ducks, but was knocked out off the game with a shoulder injury. He had replaced senior senior Danny Sullivan, who was nursing a biceps injury. Both are expected to be available Saturday, but it appears that Erickson wants a closer look at Szakacsy, an athletic sophomore who's battled a nagging elbow problem since he arrived in Tempe.

"We've just never have seen him because he's been hurt all the time," Erickson said. "So we're going to let him take that first group quite a bit in the next few days and see where he's at."

CRN and his coaches took note of what Szakacsy did against Oregon last weekend:

"We certainly take notice of him and think he played well in the second half. He does provide different challenges, but I'm not sure that means a wholesale change in their offense. He's certainly capable of making some moves with his legs."

Samson is going to be an interesting challenge for our defense. Our guys have been vulnerable this season to QBs with mobility. Still have visions of Andrew Luck picking up key yards against us up in Palo Alto. Even Lopina when he entered the game in Pullman had success scrambling against us up in Pullman. So I hope Bullough and his coaches are doing their necessary homework.

The defense will really need to step up to the challenge on Saturday. We expected a lot out of our defense this season and frankly except for the Tennessee game they haven't really come through with a marquee performance in which they won the game for us. Well this is a huge opportunity for them to win us a game. I do think our offense will face a stiff challenge from the ASU defense. So, it will be up to our defense to unleash an all out attack against ASU's young QBs and distrupt and throttle them at the Rose Bowl.

This is going to be one of those games in which defensive turnovers, special teams play and penalties are going to be huge. I hope our guys are prepared in all facets of the game this weekend to make a statement and grab a chokehold on that sense of momentum of progress we haven't experienced as a program in almost a decade. Again, I will end with the same plea I made yesterday. If you are out in Southern California get to the Rose Bowl in Bruin Blue. Don't forget it's also Senior Day, which is only going to add to the emotion in what IMHO is the biggest game of this football season and again perhaps the most important game of this program (to date) in years.

If you are a UCLA student you have no excuse for not being at the Rose Bowl this Saturday.

GO BRUINS.

Spaulding Roundup: "Arizona State. Nothing Else Matters"

Nestor — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 13:57:14 -0000

by Paul Connors - AP

Erickson and his ASU are in the same boat as Neuehisel's UCLA program

View full size photo »

Well I knew one of these days football was going to put Ben Ball in the backburner here on Bruin Nation but I didn't think it was going to get here so fast. lol As much of a downer the unthinkable loss (and we will probably have few more of those this season) against Cal State Fullerton was last night, right now my mind is completely locked into the huge football game on Saturday. I really hope everyone around Southern California - students, alums and fans - make an effort to pack the Rose Bowl this weekend because to me this might be the biggest game of the season.

While given our "Bruin instincts" it is natural for all us to think about that last game of the season, right now nothing else except ASU matters. CRN set that message yesterday in Westwood (emphasis added):

Just don't ask the Bruins to talk about any bowl games or crosstown showdowns that might exist beyond their home finale Saturday.

"Arizona State. Nothing else matters," coach Rick Neuheisel said Monday. "There's conversations all around about things that can't help us. Our conversations will center around the Sun Devils and what we have to do against a fine football team, and we'll give ourselves a chance for all of those other conversations to matter."

He knows full well how big this game is for both teams:

"I know they, like us, are trying to finish the season with a flurry," Neuheisel said. "And I know this game looms large for both programs, so looking forward to the game ahead, (we) keep grinding and keep pushing. (We're) very excited about the challenge. I think we're improving. I see signs."

Bruins will look for more signs this weekend taking on an Arizona State defense which plays at a whole different level than our previous two opponents. Jon Gold from the Daily News writes:

The Sun Devils rank 15 th in the country in total defense while surrendering just 301 yards per game and are 29 th in scoring defense at just 21 points per game.

Arizona State has 68 total tackles for loss and 22 sacks, with nine players registering more than five tackles for loss. Leading the way is defensive tackle Saia Falahola with 72.

"This is a very, very good defense, no question about it," Neuheisel said.

"Solid across the board. They've got a great pass rush, great run-stopping. We're going to have to make some plays and be a balanced team this week. It's going to require a great offensive plan."

A great offensive plan this weekend will entail providing some balance to Kevin Prince's recent breakout performances in last few weeks. More on that after the jump.

Arizona State is not going to throw a lot of surprises at our offense. They are going to bring the heat with their defensive front and try to disrupt Kevin Prince from getting into any kind of rhythm. Saturday is going to be a challenge for Prince. I think he will have opportunities to go deep here and there during the game. However, more importantly for him he will have to keep moving the chains by spraying short and medium range passes to make that defense a little more elastic.

Hopefully Prince through some early completions will able to get the Sun Devils front-7 a little off balance and set up the running game for JetSki, Coleman and Knox. Speaking of our running game, the LA Times has the following from CRN:

"We believe we have the makings of a good running game," Neuheisel said. "We just have to keep banging away to find the right combinations."

Franklin leads the team with 532 yards rushing, but his fumbles have been a concern for two weeks.

"He just needs to get his confidence back," Neuheisel said. "Sometimes talking about something so much it becomes like, 'Don't think about the blue elephant over there.' "

Another option is fullback Chane Moline, who the Bruins have been turning to in the red zone the last two weeks.

While Chane is finishing off his senior season in style, we need Jet Ski to get back into it. We need him badly. If we can somehow manage to get him back in the same groove he found himself in before he tweaked his ankle against Cal, it would be a huge boost to our offense.

Meanwhile, on the other end ASU's QB situation remains unclear:

Coach Dennis Erickson said he won't decide on a starter for Saturday's game at UCLA until seeing how healthy senior Danny Sullivan (right biceps) and true freshman Brock Osweiler (left shoulder) are during practice. Also, sophomore Szakacsy's right elbow, an issue since the preseason, could be a factor coming off his most-extensive playing time.

"We've got to see how his elbow is," Erickson said of Szakacsy. "When he throws for a long period of time, it bothers him. His arm is not as strong as it was last spring, but it's getting there. He's got a pretty good chance to get back to full strength by spring (2010). He's very accurate and made some good throws (against Oregon)."

Erickson, like CRN has also been dealing with injury issues:

Players out for the season are offensive linemen Matt Hustad (knee), Zach Schlink (knee) and Mike Marcisz (shoulder); tight ends Dan Knapp (knee), Stanley Malamala (jaw) and Chris Coyle (foot); wide receivers T.J. Simpson (ankle) and Brandon Smith (knee); defensive linemen Corey Adams (back), Otis Jones (knee) and Jonathan English (knee); linebacker Gerald Munns (elbow); and cornerbacks Omar Bolden (knee) and Osahon Irabor (wrist).

Irabor and Coyle are true freshmen who would have played this season but instead are redshirting.

The most-recent losses are Hustad, Knapp and Munns.

Tom Njunge will replace Hustad at right tackle. Jovon Williams, if healthy, or Trevor Kohl will play at tight end, with Steven Figueroa also an option. Travis Goethel, the starting strong-side linebacker, also becomes the backup at middle behind Vontaze Burfict.

Burfict is a handful. I hope Kevin Prince takes some sliding lessons this week because if he gets an opportunity Burfict is going to do to Prince what Maluauga did to Cowan few years ago. This is a game in which Prince will have to play it safe when he finds himself in a collision course.

On our end it looks like Pressley will be out for another weekend. We could also get Jerzy Siewierski and Ryan Taylor back in action this weekend. Their replacements - Jess Ward and Darius Savage (respectively) - did a solid job last weekend. Hopefully the rest of the team can come out this weekend with the same tunnel vision they displayed up in Pullman.

GO BRUINS.

Spaulding Rounup: Early Thoughts On Arizona State

Nestor — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 13:47:54 -0000

More photos » by Rick Bowmer - AP

Samson Szakacsy (10) gave the Sun Devils a little spark last Saturday in Eugene

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Let's start this Monday with an announcement of a simple rule for this game week. We don't want to see any discussion here on BN on any game other than the one coming up this weekend at the Rose Bowl. Period. If we see any more fanposts, fanshots or comments that talk about UCLA's last regular season game of the year overlooking a solid Arizona State football team with one of the best defenses in the conference, we will be hitting the delete button. So if you want to waste your keystrokes on our game against Chetey's bunch, you will have to do it somewhere else. It doesn't mean that we have to stop making fun of Petey or his lapdogs in the traditional media because that's an evergreen topic on BN. We just don't want to think about that game right now because we have a bigger one looming against Arizona State

Dennis Erickson's team is coming off a 21-44 loss against the Ducks. Looks like the Sun Devils might have found a young QB in that game who helped them make a little bit of run or at least make the score respectable in Eugene:

True freshman Brock Osweiler, who played the second half of the loss to USC on Nov. 7, got the start in place of Danny Sullivan. But he was ineffective Saturday, going 5-for-10 for 14 yards with one interception before leaving halfway through the second quarter with an apparent forearm injury.

But it wasn't Sullivan who came in. He had been limited during the week because of a biceps injury.

Coach Dennis Erickson sent in sophomore Samson Szakacsy, who entered the game with the Devils down 31-7. The Ducks would go on to win 44-21.

Szakacsy had been expected to the primary backup this season, but his elbow injury opened the door for Osweiler. Szakacsy, in his first extended playing time of the year, went 13-for-22 for 113 yards, with one touchdown and no interceptions.

He is the most mobile of the Arizona State's quarterbacks, and he rushed five times for 9 yards, including a 1-yard touchdown.

With the help of an Oregon fumble on a kickoff, Arizona State got within 31-21 in the third quarter.

ASU now has a record of 4-6 (2-5 in the conference) which puts them on the same boat as us heading into Saturday's matchup. So they will be approaching Saturday with the same sense of desperation making it for all intent and purpose an elimination game.

Looking through ASU's season statistics the number that obvious jumps out right away is their defense. The Sun Devils are coming into the Rose Bowl with a defense which is ranked number 1 in Pac-10 (alsi in top-15 in all of college football). It's a stingy bunch that gives up 105.5 yards on ground and 195.9 yards through passing game. So Kevin Prince and co., who are probably feeling pretty good about themselves after what they have done in last 9 quarters, will have a game in their hands which will serve as a real measuring stick for the 2009 season. More after the jump.

Right now it looks like if the Bruins want to take control of this game, we are going to need Kevin Prince to be in rhythm early on. Thanks to Kevin's numbers our passing game's numbers are starting to look respectable (ranked 4th in the conference). Prince will have to keep spraying passes all over the field to loosen up the Sun Devils defense opening up some space for our running attack.

And, speaking of our running attack, the coaches will have to find a way to get JetSki back in a groove. I think it's pretty clear that he is our best all around back. I watched most of the replay of our game against the Cougars last night. When I was zeroing on the RB spot, to me it looked like JetSki was doing the best job in terms of providing extra pass protection for Prinice. Given the pressure we are going to face from ASU and the team speed of their defense, I think the Bruins will need JetSki to make a meaningful contribution this weekend. So hopefully he has erased the memories of those sloppy fumbles and locked in at Spaulding.

As for personnel news, Bruins might get some reinforcements this weekend:

Neuheisel said he hopes to get senior defensive tackle Jerzy Siewierski (foot) and junior offensive guard Ryan Taylor (foot) back this week. ... Redshirt freshman cornerback Aaron Hester is expected to return to full-speed action this week. He has been hampered by a fractured leg suffered in Week 1. ... Senior tight end Logan Paulsen suffered a calf cramp that kept him down on the field for a few minutes against Washington State, but Neuheisel said he was fine.

CRN also is focused on the most important objective for this game week:

"I'm just focused on us getting to 6-5 this week," Neuheisel said.

For those who are coming on to BN to talk up UCLA football this week, we'd love to hear your takes on Arizona State. We'd love to read and here more about how our guys match up against Erickson's Sun Devils team which is also going to be fighting and clawing for a post-season bowl bid.

Don't forget it is also senior day. So it's going to be a pretty emotional day for kids such as ATV, Reggie Carter, and Terrence Austin who have collectively been through a lot during their four years in Westwood. Kevin Prince mentioned right after the Washington State game what a special day it is going to be at the Rose Bowl and how he wants to do his part to make sure seniors can be sent off on a great note from the Rose Bowl. So once again let's lock in and keep all of our focus on the Sun Devils till kickoff at 1 pm PST this Saturday at the Rose Bowl.

GO BRUINS.

Getting to know the Arizona State Sun Devils: Q&A with House Of Sparky

jtlight — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 23:23:12 -0000

More photos » by Dean Hare - AP

ASU fans are excited for the Brock Osweiler era. He'll make his first college start tomorrow night.

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We haven't talked much about tomorrow night's ASU game, but you know what, better late than never! We caught up with Adam from House Of Sparky, to see how ASU fans are feeling about tomorrow nights game. We answered their questions over on House of Sparky.

Freshman QB. Autzen Stadium. How excited are you for the Brock Osweiler era?

Despite not being ultra excited about having to begin it in Autzen Stadium, I think all Sun Devil fans would say, unequivocally, that we are STOKED. Sun Devil fans saw the potential as Brock came in and threw a 40 yard TD pass against USC last week. The kid is 6'8", an athlete, has a cannon arm, and is fiery. We all hope the Osweiler era is as prosperous as we think it will be.

The Sun Devil front 7 has been spectacular this year. How do you expect them to fare against the always potent Oregon rushing attack.

I think we will hold our own. The Sun Devil D has been able to contain nearly every team we have competed against - we held USC to 14 last week at home. Now, this game is on the road and Oregon can RUN the ball, so I do not expect us to shut you down, but if our offense can stay on the field and keep the big boys fresh, I like the defenses' chances.

Oregon's passing game has really exploded the last two games, with Jeremiah Masoli looking good in the passing game. How will the depleted ASU secondary stop the hot Masoli?

Frankly, I am not sure if we can stop Masoli on the ground or through the air. Our secondary is going to depend completely on whether or not our blitzing succeeds or fails.

Which ASU player should Duck fans worry about?

Vontaze Burfict. He is going to be spying Masoli and looking to put a hit similar to this one:

Dennis Erickson had a spectacular first season at ASU, but the last two (at least to outsiders) have seemed to be major disappointments. How do ASU fans feel?

ASU fans are losing patience quickly with DE. His recruiting classes have, on the whole, been much deeper with more quality talent than we ever had previously, but it has not translated on to the field. The defense has been great, but the offense has sputtered for two straight years. If it picks up with Osweiler, we can try and rationalize it by blaming Danny Sullivan, but many fans secretly feel like DE's trust in our offensive coordinator, Rich Olson, has gone too far. The play calling is too often predictable and ultra conservative, and if Erickson does not finish strong and have a bounce back season next year - expect to start hearing rumors about replacing him.

Can we have Aaron Pflugrad back? Please.

If you're willing to part with Diante Jackson.

Quick Hits: November 10, 2009

joenewby4040 — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 06:45:15 -0000

Arizona continues to move up the polls and the game against Cal this week looms in the distance as the biggest game of the year (each week will be this if we continue to win). It's a great time to be a Wildcat. Let's check out some other happenings around Arizona sports and the Pac-10:

The Oregon Ducks have reinstated Legarrette Blount and he could be eligible to play on Saturday against ASU. It's a shame if you ask me. Going after an opponent after a game has ended and punching him in the face. Video evidence? Why not:

More Quick Hits after the jump

Oregon smashed USC 40-27 two weeks ago but are still ranked behind the Trojans in the BCS standings. Even Pete Carroll doesn't understand. MNC for sure...

All Pac-10 has an Arizona Wildcats basketball preview up. They think the Cats will finish either 4th or 5th in the Pac. What do you think?

The Arizona vs. Oregon game has been picked up by ABC but the time still isn't set. Do not look past Cal. Repeat: Do not look past cal.

Apparently, there is the belief that true freshman Brock Osweiler is the new man on campus and there has been a an uprising in Tempe all year to pull senior Danny Sullivan in favor Osweiler. Great. That's just what we need. An Arizona State quarterback playing all 4 years. Good luck to Osweiler. It's kind of sad to watch ASU struggle so much.

Arizona gets ready for its brutal late season schedule. Stoops isn't breaking anything down and believes that worrying about scenarios would be "childish." Agreed.

The Wildcats picked up their 11th verbal commitment of the 2010 class by landing Jourdan Grandon out of Avondale, Arizona. Grandon is listed as an athlete and will probably play DB at Arizona. Winning breeds winning. I hope a lot of in stater's are looking at Arizona as a legitimate and exciting place to play.

Closing the Book on Arizona St.

Paragon SC — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 02:23:31 -0000

More photos » by Darryl Webb - AP

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A win is a win right?

In what was obviously the "worst" win of the Pete Carroll era many of us were definitely shaking our heads.

I am not going to get to crazy with this.

We all know what we saw.

It was ugly but USC left Tempe with the win. Yes, the defense did the majority of the work in helping SC get the win but I don't know how many of us were satisfied with the win. The offense was clearly not firing on all cylinders. Matt Barkley had a terrible evening...not that that is a bad thing...he was destined to have a "freshman outing" sooner or later. This was agme where the defense bailed SC out. The previous weeks it was the offense that carried the day.

Regardless of how it looked its still a win in the book.

Things on offense looked so bad that some thought this team was being coached by Paul Hackett...

If I did not know better, I’d have sworn we were looking at a Paul Hackett coached USC team on Saturday in Tempe. We looked that bad. That undisciplined. That off the mark. Coverages were blown. Our vaunted speed on defense was nowhere to be seen. Our freshman phenom QB looked like, well, a freshman QB minus the phenom.

And don’t even get me started on the play calling. If I were Pete Carroll (or Mike Garrett as Carroll seems befuddled by this implosion of the mighty Trojans), I’d be taking Offensive Coordinator Jeremy Bates and Defensive Coordinator Rocky Seto out behind the proverbial woodshed. 3rd and 15 and you call a running play? Are you freaking kidding me?

The USC offense continues to struggle on 3rd downs, something USC fans have not seen in the offenses of the Pete Carroll era. However in the past we’ve had guys like Norm Chow and Lane Kiffin and Steve Sarkisian calling the plays. Remember? Remember when USC was explosive on offense? Remember when every single play called wasn’t a 2-4 yard running play?

Ouch!

I never thought I would see the day where some fans were pining for the days of Kiffin and Sarkisian.

I admit I was scratching my head too at some of the play calling but I wasn't the on the sidelines so I couldn't possibly know all the coaches knew. The running game continues to perplex...there were some flashes of big plays but for the most part it just could not get going. The offensive line had a very difficult time with ASU's bookend Defensive Ends. BArkley was skittish back there all night. It looked like he never got his feet set. His throws were all over the place and to make matters worse some of the throws that were nice were dropped...I am looking at you Blake Ayles.

I guess things looked so bad that some wondered if Pete Carroll was going to pull Matt Barkley...

USC coach Pete Carroll said Sunday night he never considered removing freshman quarterback Matt Barkley from the Trojans' 14-9 victory over Arizona State.

That is not surprising, given Carroll's affection for his freshman quarterback.

But it is unexpected that he is answering questions about pulling Barkley, since he was being discussed as a Heisman Trophy candidate a few weeks ago.

"It wasn't all Matt's fault," Carroll said. "He got rushed, we didn't hang on to the football. I'm not worried about him a bit. He didn't have the game he's been having.

It was bad, but there was no way Pete was going to pull Barkley.

And he is not worried...

In the last six quarters, Barkley is 12 for 38 for 161 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions. The USC offense has scored only 10 points during the span.

Coach Pete Carroll acknowledged Barkley did not play well against Arizona State, but he is not concerned.

"I'm not worried about it a bit," Carroll said Sunday night.

Struggles against Arizona State are nothing new for USC quarterbacks.

Mark Sanchez, for example, lost a fumble and had three passes intercepted in the third quarter last season against the Sun Devils.

Barkley, facing the top-ranked defense in the Pacific 10 Conference, was seven for 22 for 112 yards with an interception Saturday....

Look, I never would have expected Barkley to light it up every week.

Players get injured, opposing defenses figure out little things from watching film and sometimes a player just has a bad game. Barkley isn't God...he isn't infallible so crap happens. I mean what was Pete going to do? Put in Aaron Corp?

On defense it was nice to see Pete Carroll make some adjustments. It was nice to see the CB's lined up tight against ASU's receivers but it still was frustrating to see the middle of the field open with ASU getting good yardage with some quick slants. The front four continue to be beasts. They made it tough on Sullivan in the first half and continued it in the second half when ASU switched QB's

So, SC looks a little more mortal...Any team would look mortal with the road schedule that SC just went through and I doubt many if any other team would have done any better.

ASU has a stout defense and with SC struggling on offense for whatever reason, it made what should have been an easier win a little close than what many of us wanted to see...

Stanford and Harbaugh are next on the slate.

Pac-10 Review

joenewby4040 — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 06:45:14 -0000

Yesterday was a crazy day in the Pac-10 and leaves the race wide open for Arizona. After Stanford knocked off Oregon and Cal fell to Oregon State here is what the Pac looks like:

RANK	TEAM	RECORD	NEXT OPPONENT
1.	Oregon	5-1	Arizona State
2.	Arizona	4-1	@ California
3.	Stanford	5-2	@ USC
4.	USC	4-2	Stanford
5.	Oregon State	4-2	Washington
6.	California	3-3	Arizona
7.	Arizona State	2-4	@Oregon
8.	Washington	2-4	Oregon State
9.	UCLA	1-5	@Washington State
10.	Washington State	0-6	UCLA

Arizona is in prime position to control their own destiny. Let's take a look at the teams left on the Cats schedule and what happened to them this past weekend:

California. Cal is definitely beatable as they fell yesterday to Oregon State at home by 17 points. Jahvid Best left the game in the 2nd quarter after a terrifying slam into the turf while going in for a TD:

Best also suffered a concussion two weeks ago against Arizona State. One would have to think that two concussions in two weeks would keep Best out of the lineup this week against Arizona. (Update: Jahvid Best will NOT play against Arizona next weekend.) Cal was slated to be a Pac-10 contender to start the year but have fallen to Oregon, Southern Cal, and Oregon State in conference play. Without Best, they are a team without a superstar.

Oregon. Did anyone see this coming? Stanford absolutely did whatever they wanted on offense against Oregon, beating the Ducks 51-42. Toby Gerhart ran for a school record 223 yards and Andrew Luck threw for 3 touchdowns against the Ducks, taking out the Pac-10's top rated top team. Oregon was unable to stop Stanford's attack and their defense looked shaky trying to defend the run and the pass. Let's hope that Arizona took some notes and will watch the game film a lot.

Arizona State. The Sun Devils have had a tough year in the Pac-10 only racking up two wins against Washington and Washington State. Arizona State's starting QB Danny Sullivan threw a pick 6 against USC in the 2nd quarter which was enough for head coach Dennis Erickson to make the switch to Brock Osweiler. This was a move that a lot of ASU fans have been waiting for. Osweiler was 12-23 for 113 yards and threw 2 interceptions. Long days ahead in Tempe.

USC. USC has squeaked out a few wins this year at Notre Dame, Oregon State, and Ohio State. They have been playing lackluster offense all year behind their freshman Matt Barkley. They barely got by a mediocre Arizona State team this past weekend, winning 14-9 and only scoring 1 offensive touchdown. The Trojans still have Stanford, UCLA, and Arizona left on their schedule. The way Stanford looked yesterday, they may give USC a run for their money.

Brock Osweiler is the future for ASU

Cory Williams — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 06:04:15 -0000

More photos » by Matt York - AP

Brock Osweiler: So mobile right now.

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Brock To The Future.

Get the DeLorean, Danny! It's time for a new sheriff in town.

During halftime of tonight's 14-9 loss to #12 USC, Coach Erickson decided to bench his struggling senior QB, Danny Sullivan, in favor of true freshman Brock Osweiler of Kalispell, Montana. While he wasn't that magical shot in the arm that the offense needed in order to pull off the upset, there were some bright spots in his game.

First of all, Osweiler is very athletic and has this rare quality known as mobility. It is something that ASU's offense has been lacking all season. Osweiler was able to turn broken plays into first downs on multiple occasions using his legs.

Secondly, he has field vision. On his touchdown pass to Chris McGaha, he quickly strafed his eyes from the left side of the field to the right and immediately threw the ball to the correct spot. While he is still young, these two tools will be honed and his star will rise.

Back in December, we talked to Brock about the impending season. He was excited about the possibility of being the starting quarterback here at Arizona State, and if he goes out and plays well at practice this week, he can be all but assured that his first collegiate start will be in Autzen against the Oregon Ducks next weekend.

He is still at least a season away from being a reliable Pac-10 QB, but having him on the field increases our chances of winning. It also appeases a fan base that has been asking for Brock since the Georgia game.

Lets talk Brock.

ASU Gives #12 USC All They Can Handle in a 14-9 Loss

Cory Williams — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 04:43:31 -0000

More photos » by Matt York - AP

about 1 month ago: USC tailback Joe McKnight (4) eludes the reach of Arizona State linebacker Ryan McFoy (2) during the first half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Nov. 7, 2009, in Tempe, Ariz. (AP Photo/Matt York)

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Despite a solid defensive effort, the Sun Devils were unable to put up enough points offensively in a loss to #12 USC.

Coach Erickson finally benched Danny Sullivan in favor of true freshman Brock Osweiler, who delivered a nicely placed TD pass to Chris McGaha in the 3^rd quarter to bring the score to 14-9.

Despite the penalties mounting against the Sun Devil defense, ASU was able to make key stops throughout the second half. They were countered by a Trojan defense that stepped up as the game went along.

On one of the craziest plays ever witnessed, USC QB Matt Barkley threw a pass to his right that was deflected by an ASU defensive back, nearly caught by two USC WR's. As the ball careened towards the ground, it was kicked into Terrell Carr's hands, and Carr ran it back 20 yards where he was stripped by a USC player, which then went right into the arms of another ASU player.

In total, the ball touched ten players on that one play (if you include the USC center and Barkley in the total). Unfortunately, this drive yielded nothing but a Trevor Hankins punt.

After several defensive stands by both USC and ASU, the Sun Devils found themselves on their own 22 with 1:56 left in the fourth. Osweiler ran the ball on two separate occasions to get the first down, and with 1:22 left ASU was at its own 35.

Despite ASU's best efforts, the Sun Devils couldn't come up with another TD, and the clock expired on a Hail Mary pitch by Osweiler into the arms of three USC backs.

The real question here, however, is why did it take so long to make this QB switch? Why wait until the biggest game of the year to finally admit your mistake?

In playing Danny Sullivan for 8 ½ games this season, the team was held back by its coaching staff and limited by the immobility and lack of overall talent of its QB.

In the end, ASU could have a much better record than 4-5 with a different QB at the helm. Of course, that's merely theoretical, but we all know just how mediocre Sullivan is.

Anyway, this game could have gone much worse, and I can tell that ASU is going to be good in the next few years. Watch out, Pac-10.