Dennis Erickson can’t get enough of the Pacific-10 Conference.
After making two previous stops in the conference at Washington State and Oregon State already, Erickson is back in the Pac-10, this time in Tempe, Ariz.
“It’ll be fun,” said Erickson at Pac-10 media day in August. “I know two fight songs and I’m about to learn a third here.”
One thing Erickson has managed to do, no matter his location, is win. And it looks like his Sun Devils have learned a thing or two as well in 2007, starting off the season a sterling 6-0 (3-0 Pac-10).
“Any time you are 6-0 you are somewhat surprised,” Erickson said. “We take it one step at a time.”
And, good news for Erickson, Arizona State’s opponent this week, Washington, couldn’t be going in a more different direction than the Sun Devils.
Once the hip pick of the conference, Tyrone Willingham’s Huskies (2-3, 0-2 Pac-10) have lost their last three games, including two against UCLA and USC. The Huskies enjoyed a bye last weekend, giving them two weeks to prepare for the Sun Devils, who bent, but did not break, against Washington State on Oct. 6, winning 27-24 on a late field goal.
“There are still some things we aren’t doing perfectly, but I like our football team,” said Willingham after the USC loss.
He can’t like this though: The Huskies are second to last in scoring offense in the conference and defense is nothing special, either, ranking seventh in scoring defense.
The defense is especially two-headed, playing solid against the pass (third in the conference) but horrendous against the run (last in the conference).
Though freshman quarterback Jake Locker has struggled as of late, teams shouldn’t discount his abilities any less. Locker’s rushing yards account for more than half his total yards this season, and he always has the option of halfback Louis Rankin, who averages 109 total yards of offense.
Arizona State’s victories have gained more merit with each passing week. In week two they beat Colorado, who has since beaten No. 3 Oklahoma, and on Sept. 29 they dispatched Stanford 41-3-that same Cardinal team that provided the latest example of incredible upsets in 2007, beating USC 24-23 last weekend.
Statistics back up Arizona State’s strong start.
The defense? Giving up a paltry 14.2 points per game, holding four teams to that amount or less so far. The secondary figures to give Husky quarterback Jake Locker, who ranks last in passing efficiency, fits. Senior Troy Nolan is tied for third in the nation with four interceptions this season, and linebacker Robert James has three. James is fifth in the conference in tackles, with 59 total.
As for the ASU offense, quarterback Rudy Carpenter and halfback Ryan Torain have finally delivered on the hype surrounding them for at least two seasons. Torain gained 116 yards in 24 carries against Washington State.
As Washington State learned on Saturday, Arizona State has played solid on special teams this season. Freshman kicker Thomas Weber is 11-for-11 on the year with a 48-yard long on the season. Punt returner Kyle Williams leads the conference in punt return average.
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