Pac-10 Preview: Northern Arizona (0-0) @ Arizona State (0-0)
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by user Deuelio
Arizona State’s 2006 season begins amid controversy as the Sun Devils get to focus on football finally as opposed to who will be under center come opening night. Just a week after head coach Dirk Koetter u-turned on his decision to hand over the keys to his high powered offense to senior Sam Keller, the Sun Devils will begin with sophomore Rudy Carpenter under center. Hopefully for the Devils, they can move past the distractions and get things done on the field, and playing a cupcake like Northern Arizona is a nice place to start.
Series History This is just their second meeting since 1950 and ASU leads the all-time series 18-14-4 and has won or tied the last 10 meetings between the two. In the last meeting in 2003, Arizona State prevailed 34-14 in Tempe. NAU did lead at the game at the end of the first quarter.
Arizona State Picked to finish fourth behind USC, Cal, and Oregon, the Sun Devils are an intriguing team year after year. They boast one of the highest scoring offenses in the country led by former Oregon offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter, but a shoddy defense has hurt the Sun Devils every year. The Devils return eight starters on offense and five on defense.
Northern Arizona Picked to finish seventh in the Big Sky, the Lumberjacks have the daunting task of trying to slow one of the nation’s premier offenses. NAU boasts an offensive triggerman Jason Murrietta who started the 2003 game as a freshman and is now a senior. The bad news is Murrietta threw 15 TD’s and 16 INT’s.
Players to Watch
Arizona State
Rudy Carpenter – The Sophomore earned the starting quarterback after Koetter reversed an earlier decision to go with Sam Keller. Carpenter obviously has the support of his teammates but apparently not the coaches…at least initially. Carpenter replaced Keller during the seventh game of the season last year and proceeded to set the world on fire completing 68% of his passes for 17 TD’s and only two picks. Some have said that Carpenter can now relax and play without having to look over his shoulder, I’ll agree with some of that, but imagine if he starts to stink, do you think fans will wonder what might have been had Keller been around? Fans are fickle, and last year is a distant memory.
Zach Cantanese – Senior safety was the teams’ second leading tackler last year, probably not a good sign from a defensive back position. A veteran defensive line should allow Cantanese to drop into coverage more and help a pass defense that surrendered 289 yards passing a game last year.
Keegan Herring – Sophomore will hope to build on a solid freshman campaign that saw him rush for 870 yards and average 5.5 per carry. The passing offense is there, and the ability to pound the ball and grind yardage will be key to keep the defense off the field. ASU is renowned for scoring quickly, giving the defense precious little time to get fresh. Herring and his 5.5 yards per carry could help the defense stay sharp, particularly early in the year when temperatures in Tempe soar to 100+.
Northern Arizona
Ricky Wilson – With preseason NCAA-1AA second team all American KJ Gerard at the other corner, Carpenter and Co. will probably test the transfer from Houston. Wilson is smallish at 5-11, wereas Gerard is taller (6-1) and stronger (180). Look for ASU WR’s Terry Richardson (6-1), Mike Jones (6-3) and Jamaal Lewis (6-4) to have a field day against the undersized CB’s.
Murrietta – Senior QB will finish his career at NAU as one of the all-time greats. He will finish in the top-10 in several categories including touchdowns, completions, yards, attempts and more. His ability to find his guys and not ASU’s will be instrumental for the Lumberjacks if they are to have any chance. In 2003 as a freshman, Murrietta threw two TD’s and had 292 yards passing in the loss. If he can duplicate that performance, the ‘Jacks may be able to hang around.
Josh Sayles – Diminutive RB Josh Sayles will get his first extensive action as NAU’s #1 running back. The 5-9 junior rushed for 88 yards last season and one TD in nine games. If NAU is to have any chance at an upset, they have to establish a running game to keep ASU off the field. Sayles and his offensive line have to be able to open holes for Sayles to run through, to rest the defense and keep the ASU offense off the field.
Thoughts and Notes – Carpenter threw for over 300 yards in all five games last season, including a freshman record of 467 against Rutgers in the Insight Bowl…ASU’s offensive line is the fifth most experienced in the nation, totaling 86 starts…NAU has had five former assistants go on to be head coaches in the NFL; Bill Callahan, Andy Reid, Marty Mornhinweg, Mike Shanahan and new Vikings coach Brad Childress all assisted at NAU early in their careers…NAU head coach Jerome Souers is the schools longest tenured coach at nine years
Date
Thu 08/31/06, 4:23 pm EST
