The Arizona State Sun Devils are going duck-hunting Saturday.
The 5-2, 2-0 Pacific-10 Conference, Sun Devils have lost the past four contests against the Ducks. But Arizona State is more concerned with proving it has a quality team than with the past.
“This is a great opportunity to go up to Oregon and compete for the lead in the Pac-10,” Arizona State head coach Dirk Koetter said. “It is a very difficult place to play against the sixth-ranked team in the country.”
The Sun Devils are led by sophomore quarterback Andrew Walter on offense.
Walter became the first Sun Devil to throw for 400 yards in back-to-back games when Arizona State played Stanford and North Carolina earlier this season.
As a freshman, Walter played in all 11 games last year, starting against Arizona and UCLA because of injuries to then-starter Jeff Krohn.
Walter had a shaky game last week against Oregon State, completing 14 of 34 passes for 186 yards and two interceptions. The Sun Devils only had one touchdown, a 46-yard Walter pass to Hakim Hill, and Walter was sacked twice.
“I think Andrew will learn a lot of lessons from what happened to us on Saturday night,” Koetter said. “I am excited about Andrew and his future.”
Walter is ranked fourth in the Pac-10 and 12th in the nation in passing efficiency with a 151.6 rating. Oregon quarterback Jason Fife leads the Pac-10, and is third in the nation, at 161.2.
With Walter’s help this season, Arizona State will surpass its win total for 2000 and 2001. The Sun Devils went 6-6 in both those seasons.
On the defensive side, junior defensive end Terrell Suggs won’t let the opposing quarterback forget about him. Suggs leads the nation with 13 sacks, four coming in the Arizona State loss to North Carolina. Adding in his teammates, the Sun Devils’ defense leads the Pac-10 with 33 sacks, including seven in their win over Oregon State.
Arizona State beat Oregon State in Tempe 13-9 on Saturday. The Sun Devils held the Beavers to three field goals and 233 total yards, while Arizona State scored two field goals and a touchdown, with 241 yards of offense.
With their win over Stanford
on Sept. 28 and the win over Oregon State, the Sun Devils won their
first back-to-back Pac-10 games
since 1999.
The Sun Devils’ three non-conference wins were against Eastern Washington, 38-2, Central Florida, 46-13 and San Diego State, 39-28.
Arizona State’s two losses on the season came at the hands of Nebraska, 48-10, and North Carolina, 38-35.
“We’re not playing perfect by any means, but our guys are competing and believing that guys around them are going to make plays,” Koetter said.
Three members of Arizona State’s coaching staff have ties to Oregon. Koetter was the offensive coordinator and quarterback coach in 1996 and 1997. Assistant head coach Tom Osborne spent six seasons with the Ducks, working with special teams and tight ends from 1995 through 2000. Quarterbacks coach Mark Helfrich worked as an offensive graduate assistant under Koetter in 1997.
One of Koetter’s concerns for Saturday’s game is playing in Autzen Stadium.
“I’ve been at 90 different stadiums for college football games, the two loudest places I’ve ever been to are Autzen Stadium and at Syracuse in the (Carrier) Dome,” Koetter said. “It affects all your communication. Their fans do a great job of knowing when to be loud and when not to be loud.”
In last year’s game, Walter played the second half in Autzen.
“The fact that he has been there and knows how loud it is going to be, I am sure that it can do nothing but help us,” Koetter said.
After their game against the Ducks on Saturday, the Sun Devils will play three of their remaining five games on the road.