Football heads to Corvallis for meeting with Oregon State
FOOTBALL CENTRAL
NOTES: Game 8 - at Oregon State (pdf)
2008 GAME DAY CENTRAL
2008 ASU Football Rosters
2008 ASU Football Schedule/Results
2008 ASU Football Statistics
2008 Pac-10 Conference Statistics (pdf)
NCAA Football Statistics
2008 ASU Football Media Guide
College Football National Rankings
GAME INFORMATION
Date: Saturday, November 1, 2008
Kickoff: 7:15 p.m. PT
Site: Reser Stadium (45,674), Tempe, Ariz.
Sun Devil Radio: 92.3 KTAR FM
Play-by-Play: Tim Healey
Color: Former ASU QB and 1987 Rose Bowl MVP Jeff Van Raaphorst
WHAT TO WATCH FOR THIS WEEK
• Senior Rudy Carpenter is putting his name in the Sun Devil record books, climbing the charts in several significant passing categories.
• The Sun Devil defense has forced eight turnovers in the past two games.
• ASU wore all maroon against the Ducks, the first time since 2001. The Devils were outfitted in maroon jerseys and pants.
• Brandon Smith saw his first action since the 2006 Hawai'i Bowl.
• Morris Wooten recorded his first career interception against the Ducks. He also recovered a fumble for the second straight week.
• Arizona State has played 10 true freshmen this season, the most in school history.
• The Sun Devils have seen eight redshirt freshmen see their first career action this year.
• A combined 27 players have made their NCAA debuts this season for Arizona State.
• Seven members of the Arizona State football team have already earned their undergraduate degrees.
After a 54-20 setback against the Oregon Ducks last week, the Sun Devils once again hit the road as they travel to Corvallis, Oregon for a match-up with the Oregon State Beavers on Saturday, November 1 from Reser Stadium. The Beavers, coming off their bye week, are 4-3, 3-1 in the Pac-10. Their last time out they beat Washington 34-13 at Husky Stadium in Seattle. Arizona State is 2-5, 1-3 in the Pac-10 and has lost its last five games.
MAROON AND GOLDEN ANNIVERSARY
ASU is celebrating 50 years at Sun Devil Stadium, home stadium of the Arizona State University football team. The Sun Devils have a 244-87-3 record at Sun Devil Stadium, including a 7-1 mark in 2007. In 1996, the playing field was named Frank Kush Field, after the legendary Sun Devil coach. Sun Devil Stadium has played host to 35 Fiesta Bowls, two Insight Bowls and Super Bowl XXX. Over 16 million fans have seen the Sun Devils play at Sun Devil Stadium.
ON THE AIR
The Sun Devil Sports Network will carry all 12 of ASU's football games live on their 10-station radio network, including flagship station Sports 620 KTAR AM. Tim Healey (play-by-play) and former Sun Devil quarterback Jeff Van Raaphorst (color analyst) will call the action. The Oregon State game can be heard on 92.3 KTAR FM.
LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION
Fox Sports Net will televise the Sun Devils match-up with the Beavers. Steve Physioc and Jason Sehorn will call the action while Michael Eaves patrols the sidelines.
SUN DEVILS VS. BEAVERS
The Devils and Beavers have met 34 times, with Arizona State leading the series 24-9-1. Last season, Arizona State overcame an early 19-0 deficit to beat the Beavers 44-32 at Sun Devil Stadium. ASU is 6-6-1 all-time in Corvallis, including a 44-10 loss in their last trip in 2006.
ASU VS. OREGON RECAP
The Arizona State defense forced three Duck turnovers, but they were unable to shut down the Oregon rushing attack, as the Sun Devils fell 54-20. Oregon ran for 304 yards and five touchdowns to secure the victory. Ryan Bass had a career high 56 yards on 10 carries for the Devils, while Rudy Carpenter ran for a score and threw for a score. Ten different Sun Devils caught a pass in the loss.
START ME UP
Now in his fourth season under center, senior QB Rudy Carpenter is second in the nation, behind Purdue's Curtis Painter, for the most consecutive games starting at quarterback in college football. Carpenter has started 38 straight contests and has seen action in 42 career games. In the Pac-10 last year, only two other quarterbacks did not miss a game. But here is the most impressive nugget...when Jake "the Snake" Plummer started the final 40 games of his career that ended in 1996, ASU began a stretch in 1997 that ended in 2004 (nine seasons) in which eight quarterbacks made at least one start. Rudy took over in the eighth game in 2005 and has started every game since. He has started every game the past two seasons, as only Andrew Walter in 2003 did the same in the past 11 seasons.
ONE OF THE PAC-10's FINEST
Rudy Carpenter continues to be one of the top QBs in the Pac-10 Conference. Carpenter is the active Pac-10 leader in passing attempts, completed passes, passing yards, touchdown passes and 300 yard games. Carpenter now has 74 career touchdown passes and has thrown for 9,618 yards in his ASU career. He currently ranks 10th all-time in Pac-10 history for passing yards, trailing Oregon State's Jonathan Smith (1998-2001) for 9th place.
TOUCHDOWN RUDY
Rudy Carpenter now has 74 touchdown passes in his career. He is only the fourth Sun Devil all-time to throw at least 60 touchdowns, joining Andrew Walter (85), Jake Plummer (65) and Danny White (64). The 74 career TD passes is good for 7th most in Pac-10 history, one behind Stanford's Steve Stenstrom (1991-94).
TOTAL PACKAGE
Rudy is also climbing the Pac-10's All-Time Total Offense chart. Carpenter currently ranks 9th all-time in total offense, accumulating 9,383 total yards. He is 659 yards shy of Washington's Cody Pickett (1999-2003) for 8th all-time in conference history.
ANOTHER RECORD
With his 733 passing yards in the first two weeks of the 2008 season, Rudy Carpenter has established a new standard for passing yards through the first two games in ASU history. The previous record was held by Sam Keller in 2005, when he threw for 669 yards against Temple and LSU.
WINNING TRADITION
Rudy Carpenter has 23 wins as the starting quarterback for Arizona State, the fourth most wins as a starter in school history. Danny White holds the all-time record for wins by a starting quarterback, going 30-3 from 1971 to 1973. Dennis Sproul is second with 26 wins from 1974-77. Carpenter passed Jeff Van Raaphorst, who went 21-9-1 from 1983 to 1986, with the win over NAU on August 30. He is one win shy of Jake Plummer for third place. Plummer went 24-16 from 1993 to 1996. Van Raaphorst, Plummer and Carpenter are the only three QBs in ASU history who have led the Sun Devils to a Pac-10 title.
LUCKY 13
Against NAU on August 30, Carpenter tied a 56-year old school by completing 13 consecutive passes. The only other Sun Devil to complete that many in a row was Dick Mackey, who accomplished the feat against San Diego Navy in 1952. The NCAA record is 24, held by Tennessee's Tee Martin in 1998 and Cal's Aaron Rodgers in 2004. Carpenter also had a string of 10 straight completions against the Cardinal.
RECORD BOOK RUDY
Carpenter continues to etch his name into the ASU annals of passing history. He is now second in career completions with 719, touchdowns with 74, attempts with 1,169 and yards with 9,618. He is 58 attempts shy of Andrew Walter for first all-time.
BUILDING HIS LEGACY
Over his three seasons at Arizona State, Rudy Carpenter has found success achieved by few who wore maroon and gold. Carpenter has started three bowl games (2005 Insight, 2006 Hawai'i and 2007 Holiday), only the second quarterback in school history to accomplish that feat. Danny White is the only other, starting the Fiesta Bowl in 1971, 1972 and 1973. Rudy also joins Jeff Van Raaphorst (1986) and Jake Plummer (1996) as ASU quarterbacks to lead the Sun Devils to a Pac-10 title.
NATIONAL ATTENTION
Carpenter isn't just highly ranked in the Pac-10, but in the nation as well. The senior signal caller ranks in the top five among active FBS quarterbacks in both passing yards and passing touchdowns. He is fifth in yards, 907 yards behind Purdue's Curtis Painter for fourth. He is fifth in touchdown passes.
300 GAME
Carpenter's 345 yards against Stanford was his 11th career 300-yard game and second straight, tops among active Pac-10 quarterbacks. The Sun Devils are 8-3 when Rudy throws for over 300 yards, including a 6-0 mark at home. He has thrown for over 300 yards against nine different teams, including Northern Arizona on August 30. Washington State and Stanford are the only schools he has done it against twice.
EFFICIENCY EXPERT
Carpenter went 22-28 against NAU on August 30, a completion percentage of .786. It marked his second-highest career completion percentage in a game he had at least 20 passing attempts. His career best was in 2005 against Washington at Sun Devil Stadium, when he completed 27 of 34 passes for a .794 completion percentage. In that game he threw for 401 yards and three touchdowns in a 44-20 victory. Against Stanford, Carpenter went 27-36, a 75% completion rate.
SUPERB START
Carpenter's 388 yards against the Lumberjacks set a new school record for most passing yards in the first game of a season. Joe Spagnola held the previous record of 369 on Sept. 20, 1969 vs. Minnesota.
ON WATCH LISTS
Entering his final season, Carpenter finds himself a candidate for several major awards. He is on the Watch List for the Maxwell Award, presented to the top player in college football, the Davey O'Brien Award, awarded to the best quarterback in the country, the Unitas Golden Arm Award and the Walter Camp Foundation Player of the Year award.
FEELS LIKE THE FIRST TIME
Sophomore Jonathan English made his first career start on the defensive line against the Trojans, the 15th Sun Devil to make their first career start this season. Four Sun Devils made their debuts in the starting lineup against the Golden Bears, including two true freshmen. Junior Tom Njunge got the start at right tackle, freshman Clint Floyd started at safety, freshman Lawrence Guy started at defensive tackle and junior Stanley Malamala started at tight end. In addition, Jon Hargis made his first start this season on offense. The offensive lineman started two games last season on the defensive line.
OREGON NOTES
Sophomore punter Trevor Hankins saw his first career action against the Ducks, punting three times for a 37.3 yard average. Hankins is the 27th player this season to see his first ever NCAA game action...Morris Wooten recorded his first career interception against Oregon, returning it 24 yards to set up a Sun Devil touchdown. Wooten also recovered a fumble in the game, his second of the season...Brandon Smith had three receptions for 20 yards in his first game action since the 2006 Sheraton Hawai'i Bowl. In that game, he made a 37-yard touchdown reception. Smith went 19 games between receptions...Rudy Carpenter ran for a score against Oregon, his first rushing touchdown since October 29, 2005 and the second of his career.
GOOD AND FRESH (MEN)
When OL Zach Schlink took the field against Georgia on September 20, he set a new school record by becoming the 10th true freshman to play this year. The previous record was held by the 1994 team, which saw nine true freshmen see game action. The 10 who have played this year are: OL Zach Schlink, WR Gerell Robinson, S Clint Floyd, RB Ryan Bass, CB Josh Jordan, LB Shelly Lyons, LB Brandon Magee, DL Lawrence Guy, SN Thomas Ohmart and DE Jamaar Jarrett. Eight redshirt freshmen have also played this year: OL Adam Tello, LB Oliver Aaron, DE James Brooks, TE Dan Knapp, WR T.J. Simpson, DL Bo Moos, LB Colin Parker and OL Garth Gerhart. Florida State is the national leader, with 22 true freshmen having seen action. The 10 for ASU ties the Devils for 14th most in the nation, tied with four other teams.
RB, AS IN Ryan Bass
Freshman running back Ryan Bass made an impact against the Ducks, collecting a career high 56 yards on just 10 carries. The Corona, California product's 56-yards were the fourth most given up this season by the Oregon defense, who give up only 103.2 yards per game. Bass has gained 86 yards on 18 carries so far this year, an average of 4.8 yards per tote. His 18-yard run against the Ducks was the second longest rushing play of the year for the Sun Devils.
SUMMER CATCH
Senior WR Mike Jones has been a two-sport athlete at ASU for three years, spending his springs with the Sun Devil baseball team. But this summer was different for Jones, who was drafted in the 29th round of the 2008 MLB Draft by the New York Yankees. Jones spent his summer in Tampa, Florida as a member of the Gulf Coast Yankees in the Rookie League. He appeared in 15 games, collecting nine hits, including five doubles. Jones showed no rust from his summer of baseball, hauling in a team-leading 36 receptions for 477 yards and two touchdowns. He had 162 yards against NAU on Aug. 30, his fourth career 100-yard game. Jones has been invited to play in the Texas vs. The Nation Collegiate All-Star Game, one of three all-star games being played in January.
CATCH IT
Arizona State boasts one of the top returning wide receiving corps in the Pac-10. Mike Jones, Chris McGaha and Kyle Williams all return for the Sun Devils, giving Rudy Carpenter and ASU a dangerous arsenal. Kerry Taylor has added himself to that arsenal, grabbing 16 balls for 275 yards and two scores so far this year. Taylor had 53 receiving yards all of last season. The four wide receivers have combined for 233 receptions, 3,315 yards and 24 touchdowns dating back to last season. McGaha led the 2007 team with 61 catches for 830 yards, while Jones was the scoring leader, finding the end zone 10 times. He had 46 receptions for 769 yards to go along with the 10 TDs. Williams caught 29 passes for 360 yards and six scores.
TOM THE TOE
Sophomore kicker Thomas Weber returns in 2008, hoping to duplicate one of the greatest seasons by a kicker in Arizona State history. The winner of the 2007 Lou Groza Award, presented annually to the nation's top placekicker, a First-Team All-American by the Associated Press and a First-Team All-Pac-10 honoree, Weber was sensationally consistent during his freshman season, connecting on 24-of-25 field goals (96.0 pct.), with a long of 53 yards. A three-time Pac-10 Conference Special Teams Player of the Week in 2007, Weber set numerous Sun Devil records in only his first college season, including a record streak of 17 made field goal attempts to begin the year (also a nation-leading streak for the season) and a nation-high accuracy rating. The Downey, Calif., product ranked first in the Pac-10, fifth in the nation and tied the Sun Devil single-season record for points by kicking (118) set by Mike Barth as a senior in 2002, while also placing sixth in the country with 1.85 made field goals per game. A sharpshooter off the kicking tee and in the classroom, Weber added First-Team Pac-10 All-Academic honors to his list of accomplishments as a rookie in 2007. In addition to his near-perfect kicking reputation, Weber took on the added challenge of taking over punting duties midway through the season and averaged 39.3 yards on 47 punts for the year. This year, he has scored 37 points and has also punted 32 times for an average of 41.9 yards a kick. He is on the Ray Guy Award Watch List for punting, as well as the Lou Groza Award Watch List for placekicking.
SACK MASTER DEX
Junior defensive end Dexter Davis has wasted no time this season establishing himself as one of the best pass rushers in the Pac-10. So far in 2008, Davis has 5.0 QB sacks, eight tackles for loss and 18 total tackles. He has started all 33 games in his Sun Devil career and has already totaled 21.5 sacks, 32 tackles for loss and 92 tackles. Davis enjoyed one of the most sensational freshman seasons by a Sun Devil defender in school history in 2006, earning Pac-10 All-Freshman honors and honorable mention freshman All-America recognition by The Sporting News. The Phoenix, Ariz., native recorded a team-best and Pac-10 freshman season-high 6.0 quarterback sacks, the third-most by a Sun Devil rookie in school history. He was just as impressive during his sophomore campaign, posting a team-leading 10.5 sacks, third most in the Pac-10. He was a Second Team All-Pac-10 selection after recording 33 total tackles, including 13.5 for loss. He also forced three fumbles and recovered another. Davis is on the preseason watch list for the Ted Hendricks Award, the Nagurski Trophy and the Lombardi Award. His 21.5 sacks put him sixth in school history. Terrell Suggs is ASU's all-time sack leader, recording 44 from 2000 to 2002.
HELMETS AND MORTAR BOARDS
Seven members of the 2008 Sun Devil football team have already earned their degrees from Arizona State University. Rudy Carpenter, Mike Jones, Wes Evans, Angelo Fobbs-Valentino, Nate Kimbrough, Troy Nolan and David Smith have all graduated from Arizona State University. The seven graduates is tied for 8th-most in the nation.
IN THE BLOGOSPHERE
Mike Nixon will be writing a weekly diary for The Sporting News about the 2008 season. He is one of 22 FBS student-athletes who will write the weekly column, and one of only two from the Pac-10. It can be read at today.sportingnews.com.
RUNNING DOWN HIS DREAM
From the moment he set foot on ASU's campus, senior Keegan Herring has had a smile on his face and a hunger for yards. Over his three seasons with the Devils, Herring has been one of the most dependable backs in the Pac-10. He leads all Pac-10 returners with 2,380 career yards, good for 10th most in school history. One of the quickest athletes in the conference and a home run threat on every carry, Herring has scored 19 times and has had at least one carry for over 65 yards in each of his three seasons. Arizona State's leading rusher a season ago, Herring totaled 815 yards on 154 carries, the third straight he has gained over 500 yards.
MOVING ON UP
With his 2,380 career rushing yards, Herring finds himself 10th on Arizona State's all-time rushing list. He is 94 yards short of Ben Malone (1971-73) for 9th on the list. Herring also has six career 100-yard games, including three in 2007. His career high for yards in a game is 197 against Northwestern in 2005.
HOME SWEET HOME
For the second straight season, Arizona State began the year by playing its first four games at Sun Devil Stadium. Last season, ASU went 7-1 at home, winning its first six. ASU was the only team in the Pac-10 to open with four straight at home, and one of only five teams in the nation to play their first four games on their home field. Duke, Louisville, Indiana and Nebraska are the others. Nebraska opened the season with five straight home games.
WATCH LISTS
Several Sun Devils are on preseason watch lists for national awards. Senior Safety Troy Nolan, who led the team with six interceptions a year ago, is on the watch lists for the Bednarik Award, the Nagurski Trophy, the Thorpe Award and the Lott Trophy. He is also a candidate for the senior CLASS Award. Seniors Rudy Carpenter and Keegan Herring are both on the Maxwell Award watch list, while junior Dexter Davis joins Nolan on the Nagurski Trophy watch list. Davis is also on the Lombardi Award list and the Hendricks Award list. Carpenter is also on the Davey O'Brien Watch List, given to the nation's top QB and the Walter Camp Player of the Year Award Watch List. 2007 Lou Groza Award winner Thomas Weber is on the watch list for the 2008 award as well as for the Ray Guy Award. Herring is also on the Doak Walker Award list. LB Anthony Reyes has been named a semifinalist for the Draddy Trophy. Keegan Herring was named to the AFCA Good Works Team.
PRESEASON HONORS
Kicker Thomas Weber has found his name on a number of preseason All-American teams. Weber is a First Team selection by The Sporting News, Athlon Sports and Playboy, while Phil Steele has him on the Third Team.
TEAM CAPTAINS
Senior quarterback Rudy Carpenter and senior safety Troy Nolan were named team captains after a vote by the team. Head coach Dennis Erickson will designate two additional game captains on a weekly basis. Wes Evans and Luis Vasquez were the game captains against Oregon.
FOUR YEAR QBs
Senior quarterback Rudy Carpenter is one of only five four-year starters at the quarterback position in the Bowl Subdivision. Curtis Painter of Purdue, Mike Teel of Rutgers, Willie Tuitama of Arizona, Pat White of West Virginia and Drew Willy of Buffalo are the others.
PASS IT ON
Rudy Carpenter has now completed a pass to 32 different receivers in his four years at Arizona State. All but two of those were completed to a wide receiver, tight end or running back. The other two? OL Brandon Rodd and himself. The following players have caught a pass from Rudy Carpenter: Gerell, Robinson, Mike Jones, Kerry Taylor, Kyle Williams, Chris McGaha, Jovon Williams, Shaun DeWitty, Dimitri Nance, T.J. Simpson, Dan Knapp, Rudy Burgess, Brent Miller, Tyrice Thompson, Keegan Herring, Ryan Torain, Brady Conrad, Andrew Pettes, Nate Kimbrough, Zach Miller, Jamaal Lewis, Brandon Smith, Terry Richardson, Derek Hagan, Matt Miller, Moey Mutz, Chad Christensen, Jeff Gray, Stephen Bisnett, Cornell Canidate, Preston Jones, Brandon Rodd and Rudy Carpenter.
NEXT UP
The Sun Devils will continue their road swing, traveling to Seattle, Washington for a meeting with the Washington Huskies on November 8 from Husky Stadium. Kick-off will be at 4 p.m. Pacific time (5 p.m. Arizona time)