#18 Arizona Devils Forward St. Sun
Fall camps are underway and the regular season will be here soon, which means getting an early jump into the 2006 NCAA football season. Knowing the teams now will save you time, and Matt Fargo is here to help you understand. what to expect next year. We go from worst to first in this 2006 college football trailer.
#18 – Arizona St. Sun Devils 7-5 SU; 6-6 ATS
Fargo’s Take The Sun Devils have been to three bowl games in the five years Dirk Koetter has been head coach, but none of them have been very glamorous and that needs to change. The offense has been spectacular all those years, but it’s been the defense that has held Arizona St. back. After finishing 48th in total defense in 2004, the Sun Devils fell to 114th last year and lost three games in which the offense amassed at least 31 points. With such an explosive offense, losing four games by at least 10 points is inexcusable. Immediate help is needed and it appears that help may be on the way. The quarterback controversies occurred at the start of fall camp but have since died down, so the Sun Devils have one goal and that is to become more competitive in the Pac Ten. If the defense can improve to anywhere near its 2004 numbers, that goal is very achievable.
Returning starters on offense – 8 The quarterback situation was shaky throughout the spring and fall, but that’s no longer the case. Sophomore Rudy Carpenter has been named the starter and that led to Sam Keller leaving school and transferring to Nebraska. Carpenter was terrific filling in for the injured Keller, as he completed more than 68 percent of his passes while throwing 17 touchdowns and just two interceptions. Now the task at hand is finding a replacement for All-Pac Ten catcher Derek Hagan. Junior Rudy Burgess looks ready for the challenge after catching 59 balls last year. Tight end Zach Miller is one of the best in the country at his position and is a preseason All-American. The offensive line returns largely intact as running back Keegan Herring rushed for 870 yards as a freshman. Basically all systems work.
Returning starters on defense – 5 After allowing just 24 points per game in their first four games, the defense imploded. He allowed 35 second-half points to USC and it all went downhill from there. Easily the worst defense in the conference, Arizona St. enters this season ranked fifth best in the Pac Ten. That’s because of a defensive line that sits just behind USC, and for good reason. Three transfers, Loren Howard (Northwestern), Tranell Morant (Fla.) and Michael Marquardt (BYU) will handle the line and the run defense that ranked 89th in the country could be one of the best. Linebackers remain a concern with the departure of Dale Robinson and Jamar Williams, but the secondary should be vastly improved. Two starters are back at safety and while corners need replacing, anything can be better than last year after finishing 112 in passing defense.
Schedule Facing Northern Arizona in Game 1 should show us how the defense has fared even though it’s against a 1-AA opponent. The real test comes the following week at home against Nevada, which will also have one of the best offenses in the nation. The schedule really stiffens after that with a trip to Colorado followed by three games against the other three contenders in the conference: California, Oregon and USC. To make matters worse, the games against the Bears and Trojans are outside of Sun Devils Stadium. After that four-game stretch, the rest of the slate will feel like child’s play with four indoor wins followed by the final two games against UCLA and at Improved Arizona.
You can bet on… At least the Arizona St. games will be entertaining. The offense is going to score a ton of points, and even though the defense is improved, there are still issues. Koetter hopes he made the right decision with Carpenter as his quarterback and if something goes wrong, there’s no help waiting in the wings. At least Keller will start next season at Nebraska. Arizona St. is just 4-13 ATS as an underdog on the road since Koetter took over in 2001 and much of that failure has to do with defense that couldn’t stop anyone. Whether or not that changes this season remains to be seen, but the Sun Devils will be in that role for their first three road games of the season. Arizona St. has also covered just six of its last 20 conference games on the road.