FanHouse Rudy Carpenter

Pac 10 contender, as in USC, right? Sure, but they don't stand completely alone this year. Yes, there is another team lying in the weeds that could give the Trojans a run for the outright conference title. After all, ASU did in fact tie USC last season at 7-2 in the conference, so, it's certainly not out of the question. Arizona State looks like a team that could make a legit run at the USC dynasty.

WHY THEY'LL WIN

You can start with the senior trigger man, Rudy Carpenter. Under the watch of new head coach Dennis Erickson, Carpenter was excellent in the one-back offense, throwing for 3202 yards and 25 TD's while finishing second in the conference in passer rating. However, Carpenter was on the receiving end of the majority of the well-publicized school record of 55 sacks allowed, plus repeated other blows absorbed by the opposing pass rush. ASU's O-line is sure sick of hearing about it, and while that unit will feature three new starters, they should have a real chip on their shoulder this season. But Erickson is no dummy, and realized that Carpenter cannot survive another year absorbing that much punishment. So, aside from getting better O-line play, another way to minimize the pain is to simply get rid of the ball quicker. Faster developing pass patterns, shorter QB drops on pass plays, whatever it takes to keep Carpenter upright and productive this season. Two of the top three running backs return in Keegan Herring and Dimitri Nance. Nance led the team with seven rushing TD's, and is more of a physical guy of the two. Herring is the big-play type, leading the team with 815 rushing yards and a solid 5.3 yards per carry. Three of the top four receivers are back, led by Chris McGaha and a big-time deep threat in Michael Jones. Jones averaged 16.7 yards per catch and was second in the conference with 10 TD catches. ASU should be a difficult match-up for any Pac 10 defense this season. Defensively the pass rush should be fierce. Three starters are back on the line, with Dexter Davis and Luis Vasquez two of the most productive defensive ends in the country. Davis had 10 1/2 sacks last year while Vasquez stood his ground with 43 tackles, tops among ASU linemen. Free safety Troy Nolan is the leader of the secondary and a legit all-conference candidate after winning second-team honors last year.

Were it not for all the other wackiness in College Football this season, the collapses of California and Oregon Football would be among this year's major story lines. As both teams were poised to take over the number-one ranking in the country, their quarterbacks suffered injuries which sent their seasons on a downward spiral.

Oregon infamously refused to disclose the status of Dennis Dixon's knee during the bye week between games against Arizona State and Arizona, only to have their national championship hopes dislocated against the Wildcats.

But hiding a quarterback injury wasn't exclusive to the Ducks. California quarterback Nate Longshore played the nearly the whole season with a chipped bone in his ankle--hobbling him ever since the Bears beat the Ducks. Bears coach Jeff Tedford admitted yesterday, "There's a little chip in the back part of it there. I didn't get that it was a broken ankle. But Nate had talked to me about a little chip that was in the back there."

The USC Trojans used the national stage of Thanksgiving evening to make Arizona State look like turkeys, turning the Sun Devils' world upside down en route to a 44-24 win.

From the opening drive, the Trojans looked like the squads which competed for National Championships, not Sun Bowl berths, driving the length of the field for a quick touchdown.

Trojan quarterback John David Booty's 375-yard performance came from distributing the ball efficiently and finally connecting on long passes to Patrick Turner and Ronald Johnson.

On defense, the Trojans stifled Arizona State, limiting the Sun Devils to zero yards on 27 carries through three quarters.

Quarterbacks with multiple fractures in their throwing hand usually take a seat and do that whole "healing" thing. On the surface it sounds like common sense. But then, common sense fell by the wayside long ago for last year's Arizona State football team.

Arizona State's Rudy Carpenter didn't get the memo.

The junior told ASUDevils.com that he fractured his right (throwing) hand in two places during practice before the Colorado game. And that he broke a bone on the ring finger of his left (non-throwing) hand when it was stepped on during the California game.

Both hands? I guess I should give him props for the incredibly tough/macho "look ma, no hands!" act. But then it explains away a lot of his ineffectiveness last year as he morphed from being the nation's most efficient passer to something resembling former UCLA quarterback Cory Paus.

Also: future wife take notice - the man needs no ring cause his ring finger kinda sorta doesn't work.

He also said of the injury against Cal, "It didn't feel good, but it's alright. I don't think I have a knuckle any more on my ring finger.

Ewwww.

Last Year: 7-6, Unranked

Fans Are: Unable to get into any schools in California.

Expectations: Win a game in the Golden State

Questions:

1. What happened to those Norm Chow rumors?

After firing head coach Dirk Koetter last year, ASU athletic director Lisa Love flirted with bringing Tennessee Titans' head coach Norm Chow to Tempe. Instead, she chose journeyman coach Dennis Erickson who came to the desert after one year at the University of Idaho.

2. So is this Dennis Erickson's last year as head coach of Arizona State?

You never know. It seems there isn't a team in football that this guy hasn't coached, but before other schools--or the NFL--will start buzzing about him, he'll have to win. So we're betting he's around for awhile at ASU.

3. What changes can Sun Devils fans expect on offense?

Well a tight end named Miller--Brent not Zach this time--is still around and will remain a favorite target for Rudy Carpenter. The biggest change is Rudy Burgess' move to wide receiver from the running back position.

4. When will Arizona State win a game in the State of California?

I'd say either once Dirk Koetter leaves the program, since he has never won on California soil, or the Sun Devils play in Palo Alto. Luckily, the stars are aligning for both to happen in 2007!

In his second start as the one-and-only-officially-the-starting quarterback for the Arizona State Sun Devils, Rudy Carpenter lit up the Nevada defense for five touchdown passes in a 52-21 win.

After a slow start in their season opener against Northern Arizona, the Sun Devils looked to Colorado's embarrassing loss to Montana State for inspiration to motivate them against the lowly Wolf Pack.

Fittingly enough, the #23 Sun Devils will travel to Boulder this weekend to meet the winless Colorado Buffaloes, whose road to victory this season seems tougher than ever.

In his debut as the one-and-only, offically-the-starting quarterback for the Arizona State Sun Devils, Rudy Carpenter looked more like former UCLA Quarterback Drew Olsen than like Sam Keller, whom he replaced just days ago.

Trailing by 7 just before halftime and tied going into the final quarter, the Sun Devils scored 21 consecutive points Thursday night to defeat lowly Norther Arizona by a score of 35-14. Carpenter threw for 261 yards, two touchdowns and one INT en route to chopping down the Lumberjacks.

The reason teams play these "tune-up" games is to help them get out of first gear--and Arizona State is glad to have scheduled Northern Arizona in 2006 when compared to last year's opener against Louisiana State.