Football closes out regular season with Senior Night against Cal
Following a 31-27 loss to Arizona, Arizona State will close out the regular season against California on Friday, November 25 at Frank Kush Field/Sun Devil Stadium. ASU is 6-5, 4-4 in Pac-12 play. California is also 6-5, but 3-5 in Pac-12 action. The Golden Bears fell at Stanford last week 31-28.
ON THE AIR: The IMG-Sun Devil Sports Network carries ASU’s football games live on their 10-station radio network. Tim Healey (play-by-play) and former Sun Devil quarterback Jeff Van Raaphorst (color analyst) will call the action. The Cal game will air on 620 AM. The game will also air on Sirius/XM Radio (Channel 91).
LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION: Arizona State’s game with California will be broadcast by ESPN. Mike Patrick, Craig James and Samantha Steele will call the action.
SUN DEVILS VS. GOLDEN BEARS: California leads the all-time series with Arizona State 16-14, including victories in seven of the last eight meetings. Last season the Golden Bears beat the Sun Devils 50-17 in Berkeley. Cal won the last meeting in Tempe, winning 23-21 in 2009. Dennis Erickson is 8-3-1 in his career against California, including a 1-3 mark at Arizona State.
FINDING PAYDIRT: Junior running back Cameron Marshall added two touchdowns on the ground against Arizona, giving him 27 in his career. He is one of only 11 Sun Devils all time to score at least 20 touchdowns on the ground. The 27 puts him alone in fifth place all-time in ASU history.
SENIOR DAY: 24 seniors will be making their final appearance in Sun Devil Stadium for Arizona State University against California. The senior class includes linebacker Oliver Aaron, wide receiver George Bell, offensive lineman Chris DeArmas, safety Eddie Elder, safety Clint Floyd, defensive end Jamaar Jarrett, tight end Trevor Kohl, offensive lineman Nick Emanuele, linebacker Shelly Lyons, wide receiver Angelo Magee, wide receiver Gerell Robinson, wide receiver Mike Willie, cornerback Omar Bolden, offensive lineman Garth Gerhart, snapper Cameron Kastl, offensive lineman Dan Knapp, offensive lineman Mike Marcisz, offensive lineman Trent Marsh, defensive lineman Bo Moos, linebacker Colin Parker, wide receiver Aaron Pflugrad, offensive lineman Aderious Simmons, offensive lineman Adam Tello and wide receiver T.J. Simpson.
CAPTAINS: Omar Bolden, Garth Gerhart, Brock Osweiler, Colin Parker and T.J. Simpson have been named the captains of the 2011 Sun Devil football team.
MARSHALL OF THE TOUCHDOWN: Cameron Marshall has set a new career high with his 16 rushing touchdowns this season. The 16 scores puts him in fourth place in school history for most rushing touchdowns in a single season by a Sun Devil. The school record for rushing touchdowns in a season is 18, set by Woody Green (1972) and Terry Battle (1996). Marshall leads the Pac-12 with his 16 touchdowns on the ground and has scored more rushing touchdowns than seven Pac-12 teams (Washington 14, Arizona 14, Utah 14, WSU 13, Oregon State 12, USC 11, Colorado 9).
MARSHALL, MARSHALL, MARSHALL: Junior running back Cameron Marshall has put together a terrific 2011 season. Marshall has run for 881 yards so far this year, eclipsing his previous career-high of 787 set in 2010. That’s the most rushing yards in a season by a Sun Devil running back since Ryan Torain for 1,229 yards in 2006. Against Utah Marshall passed the 1,500-yard mark for his career and has now scored 27 career touchdowns on the ground. At UCLA, Marshall recorded his fifth career 100-yard rushing game, gaining a career-high 168-yards on 27 carries. It was his third 100-yard game of the season. He has also run for three scores in a game three times in his career, including twice this season. Marshall is also a receiving threat out of the backfield. Against UC Davis he caught four passes for a career-high 86 yards, including a 47-yard reception. On the season he has 22 catches for 187 yards.
BROCK AND ROLL: Brock Osweiler put up career numbers in the loss to the Wildcats, setting a new career-high with 487 yards through the air. He was 36-63 passing, establishing new highs in both completions and attempts. Osweiler has now thrown for 3,377 yards this season, the second highest single-season total in school history. Andrew Walter is the record holder, throwing for 3,877 yards in 2002. Osweiler is only the third quarterback in school history to throw for over 3,000 yards in a season. Andrew Walter did it three times (2002, 2003 and 2004) and Rudy Carpenter did it in 2007. Osweiler is second in the Pac-12 in passing yards. His 432 attempts so far this year is second all-time in a single season by a Sun Devil QB and his 275 completions is the most ever by an ASU quarterback in a season. His 63 attempts against Arizona tied Paul Justin’s 21 year-old school record (vs. Houston in 1990) for most ever by a Sun Devil in a single game, while his 36 completions against the Wildcats was the third-highest total in school history. The 487 yards was the fifth-highest total in school history.
BIG YEAR FOR G-ROB: It seems like every week, senior wide receiver Gerell Robinson re-writes his personal record book. Against Arizona Robinson set a new career high with 11 receptions for 199 yards. It was his fifth career 100-yard receiving game, all of which have come over the past six contests. On the season Robinson now has 61 catches for 1,100 yards and six touchdowns. He becomes the first Sun Devil since Derek Hagan in 2005 to gain 1,000 yards through the air. He currently sits in sixth place all-time for most single-season receiving yardage, just four yards shy of Shaun McDonald (2001) for fifth place. His 61 catches are tied for eight most ever in a single year by an ASU wideout.
MR. TOUCHDOWN: Junior wide receiver Jamal Miles has become a touchdown machine in 2011. Miles returned a kickoff for a touchdown in the season opener against UC Davis and did it again at Washington State, threw a TD pass against Missouri and has caught six touchdown passes this year. Against Oregon State, Miles added another notch to his TD belt, returning a punt 78-yards for a score. Miles is the only player in the nation to have scored a touchdown on a reception, kickoff return and punt return as well as throw a TD pass. Miles TD pass was the first of his career on his second career attempt. He also set a new career-high with his nine receptions for 55 yards and a touchdown against USC.
RUNNING FOR MILES: Jamal Miles returned his third career kickoff for a touchdown and second this season against Washington State, bringing it back 95-yards for the score. The two kickoff return touchdowns this year ties Miles with Terry Battle (1996) for most kickoff return touchdowns by a Sun Devil in a single season. The kickoff return TD against Washington State made Miles ASU’s all-time leader in that category, moving him past Omar Bolden, Terry Battle and Whizzer White who all had two in their careers. It was the seventh kickoff return for touchdown the Sun Devils have had since Dennis Erickson took over as head coach in 2007, the most under one coach in school history.
MORE ON MILES: The 78-yard punt return by Jamal Miles against Oregon State was the first punt returned for a touchdown by a Sun Devil since 2005. On November 25, 2005, Terry Richardson returned an Arizona punt 71-yards for the score. It took 68 games before Miles did the same thing against the Beavers.
BALLHAWKING: Arizona State has forced 28 turnovers this season, intercepting 13 passes after totaling 10 interceptions all of last year. The Sun Devils have forced 28 total turnovers this year after forcing 17 last season. The +11 turnover ratio leads the Pac-12 and is seventh best in the nation.
PUSH ‘EM BACK: In 2010, the Sun Devil defense routinely made tackles for loss or for no gain. The defense finished 2010 with 143 plays that went for negative or no yards, totaling 307 yards lost for the offense. Against Arizona, the Sun Devil defense totaled nine plays of negative or no gain for the Wildcats for 26 yards lost.
THREE AND OUT: The 2010 ASU defense was one of the top teams in the nation to force opposing offenses into three-and-out possessions. The Sun Devils averaged 4.08 three-and-outs a game, for a total of 49 in their 12 contests. That placed them in the top 20 in the nation. So far in 2011, ASU has forced opponents into 32 three-and-outs.
NOEL HUDDLE OFFENSE: Offensive coordinator Noel Mazzone always says how the Sun Devils can score in a hurry, and they have not let him down this season. Arizona State’s first two touchdown drives against UC Davis both took under 1:10. Last season, ASU had 11 scoring drives that took under 1:10. Against Missouri, ASU had an eight second scoring drive and in the Oregon State game the offense scored on a :44 second drive. At Utah, ASU had a 1:03 scoring drive. Against Colorado, ASU had four touchdown drives that took under two minutes, including a 35 second one and a 32 second one. Against UCLA the Sun Devils had one touchdown drive that took under two minutes. But ASU also showed they could do a long drive if necessary, turning in its two longest scoring drives of the season. The Sun Devils had a 97-yard drive and a 93-yard drive against the Bruins, both of which resulted in touchdowns. Against Washington State, ASU turned in a :59 second scoring drive. In the game against the Wildcats, the Sun Devils turned in an 80-yard touchdown drive in just :42 seconds.
SOLD OUT: The Arizona State/Arizona game was a sellout at Sun Devil Stadium with a crowd of 72,694. It was the 23rd sellout of Sun Devil Stadium in its current configuration and the sixth time for the ASU/UA game. It was the first sellout since the game with Georgia in 2008.
BROCK’S TALLER THAN YOU: Quarterback Brock Osweiler checks in at six foot eight inches tall, making him the tallest quarterback in the FBS. Osweiler is one of nine QBs 6-6 or taller in the nation.
SELECT COMPANY: Head Coach Dennis Erickson is in select company when it comes to conference Coach of the Year awards. Coach Erickson is one of only two coaches in the nation to have six Coach of the Year trophies to his name. Erickson won Pac-10 Coach of the Year honors in 1988 (Washington State), 2000 (Oregon State) and 2007 (Arizona State) and Big East Coach of the Year honors in 1991, 1992 and 1994 (all with Miami). The only other coach with six Coach of the Year awards is South Carolina’s Steve Spurrier.
TRUE FRESHMEN UNDER ERICKSON: Since Dennis Erickson took over in 2007, 27 true freshmen have played for the Sun Devils. This season, three (Mike Bercovici, Ezekiel Bishop, Rashad Wadood) have played. Last year only three played after eight saw the field in 2009. ASU saw a school record 10 play during the 2008 season. Five schools in the Pac-12 this year have played at least 10 true freshmen, led by Colorado who has used 13.
SCHOLAR BALLERS: 22 Sun Devil football players have been named Scholar Ballers for their work in the classroom: Oliver Aaron, Sil Ajawara, Derrall Anderson, Mike Bercovici, Gannon Conway, Chris Coyle, Evan Finkenberg, Alex Garoutte, Brandon Johnson, Cameron Kastl, Ronald Kennedy, Jr., Kody Koebensky, Shelly Lyons, Brandon Magee, Mike Marcisz, Trent Marsh, Kyle Middlebrooks, Colin Parker, Aaron Pflugrad, Max Smith, Grandville Taylor and Austin Williams.
HALL OF FAME: Pat Tillman entered the College Football Hall of Fame in July, the ninth Sun Devil enshrined. Tillman joins former Sun Devil coaches Dan Devine, Frank Kush and John Cooper and student-athletes defensive back Mike Haynes, wide receiver John Jefferson, offensive lineman Randall McDaniel, linebacker Ron Pritchard and quarterback Danny White as representatives of Arizona State University in the College Football Hall of Fame.
EXPERIENCE: Defensive Coordinator Craig Bray and Offensive Coordinator Noel Mazzone boast a combined 68 years of both college and pro coaching experience, the third most experienced coaching duo in the nation.
SPREADING THE WEALTH: Three Sun Devil quarterbacks have completed 282 passes this season, finding 14 different receivers. Last season, three ASU QBs combined to throw completions to 16 different receivers. Against Colorado, 10 different Sun Devils caught a pass.
LINE EXPERIENCE: Arizona State has seven offensive linemen with starting experience, totaling 125 career starts. Center Garth Gerhart leads the way with his 33 career starts, followed by Mike Marcisz (21), Andrew Sampson (20), Evan Finkenberg (18), Dan Knapp (17), Aderious Simmons (9) and Adam Tello (7). Adam Tello got the start at left guard against Arizona, his first start since week two of 2010.
ASU HALL OF FAME: Against Oregon State, former Sun Devil football greats Adam Archuleta and Marvel Smith entered the Arizona State Athletic Hall of Fame. Archuleta played at ASU from 1996 to 2000 before going on to an eight-year NFL career. Smith donned the Maroon and Gold from 1996 to 1999 before playing 10 seasons in the NFL and winning two Super Bowl rings with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
UNI-WATCH: Arizona State wore their traditional uniform combo for the season opener against UC Davis (gold helmet, maroon jersey, gold pants). They wore all black against Missouri and Arizona and all white for the first road game at Illinois. Against USC they wore all maroon and against Oregon State they wore white helmets, maroon jerseys and white pants. At Utah and at Washington State they wore gold helmets, white jerseys and gold pants. Against Oregon the Sun Devils wore maroon helmets, white jerseys and maroon pants. For the Homecoming game against Colorado ASU wore black helmets, black jerseys and gold pants. At UCLA, ASU wore black helmets, white jerseys and black pants.
DEBUT DEVILS: 24 student-athletes have seen their first action at Arizona State this season: Charles Beatty, Steve Gallon, Rashad Wadood, Alex Garoutte, Anthony Jones, Kipeli Koniseti, Carl Bradford, Tyler Sulka, Kevin Ozier, Ezekiel Bishop, Josh Hubner, Jamil Douglas, Jordan McDonald, Davon Coleman, Rashad Ross, Mike Bercovici, Sil Ajawara, Kevin Ayers, Marcus Washington, Taylor Kelly, Angelo Magee, Chike Mbanefo, Joita Te’i and Gannon Conway. Wadood, Bishop and Bercovici are all true freshmen.
PAC-12 TITLE GAME SCENARIOS: The Pac-12 South title game representative will be determined this weekend. If Arizona State beats California, Utah beats Colorado and USC beats UCLA, Arizona State will represent the South Division in the first ever Pac-12 title game. ASU would earn the berth in a three-team tie due to record against the South Division. Arizona State is 3-2 against the South, UCLA is 2-2 with one game left and Utah is 2-2 with one game left. ASU defeated Utah but lost to UCLA, while UCLA lost to Utah. If Utah wins and UCLA loses, you eliminate UCLA from the equation (2-3 division record) and ASU wins the division due to its head-to-head win over Utah. Oregon would represent the North Division and host the Pac-12 Championship Game if it beats Oregon State. If the Beavers upset the Ducks, Stanford would host the title game in Palo Alto. The winner of the title game would represent the Pac-12 in the Rose Bowl. If Arizona State does not advance to the Pac-12 Championship, it will wait to receive a bowl bid next weekend. Arizona State has not played in a bowl game since 2007, when the Sun Devils fell to Texas in the Holiday Bowl.