The Arizona State football team was strongly represented last season by middle linebacker Vontaze Burfict, the 2009 Pacific-10 Conference Defensive Freshman of the Year.
The 6-foot-3, 245-pound Burfict wreaked havoc on the football field with his NFL physique and running back speed, with 69 tackles (seven for loss), two sacks, two fumble recoveries and five pass breakups.
The latter two statistics were team highs for linebackers.
However, Burfict gained a reputation for wild, undisciplined play, racking up personal foul penalties as quickly as highlight-reel hits.
The Sun Devils went 4-8 last season, including 2-7 in conference play, in large part because of the team’s inconsistency and sloppiness.
This year, the Corona, Calif. native leads ASU in tackles (23), tackles for loss (three) and pass breakups (three).
Anecdotally, coaches have praised his limited mistakes and intelligent play on the field.
“He’s the focal point of a lot of our attention,” Oregon offensive coordinator Mark Helfrich said.
Look out, Pac-10.
Of course, Burfict is not alone in allowing just 103.33 rushing yards a game and 16.33 points per game. Those marks are 34th and 30th, respectively, in the nation in a young season.
“It’s not a one-person defense. I know Vontaze gets a lot of publicity, which is deservedly so,” Oregon head coach Chip Kelly said. “But they’ve got more than him, and you don’t finish near the top of this conference defensively, like they did last year, with just one guy.”
Kelly praised the Sun Devils’ starting outside linebackers, Shelly Lyons and Brandon Magee, calling them “very physical” players.
“They’re athletic; they’re fast; they can run,” Kelly said of the Sun Devil defense. “They will obviously be the best defense we’ve faced in our first four games.”
The defense was a consistent strong point for the Sun Devils last season, often propping up the offense.
This year, Arizona State offensive coordinator Noel Mazzone has instituted a spread offense, with promising early results. Arizona State ranks 12th nationally in passing offense (305.33 yards per game) and 19th in total offense (461.00 yards per game).
“They changed everything that Dennis has done in a long time,” Kelly said. “It’s a whole different operation.”
Oregon will be a much bigger test of Arizona State’s mettle than even No. 11 Wisconsin was.
After all, the Ducks’ defense went up against the spread offense in fall camp, and in preparation for New Mexico.
“We’re pretty much looking at the same thing as our offense. It’s good that we get to go against our offense; they’re one of the best in the nation,” Oregon senior defensive end Terrell Turner said. “It’s just like getting us prepared. We’re in great condition right now.”
After an intense three-way quarterback battle in fall camp, redshirt junior Steven Threet was named Arizona State’s starter.
The Michigan transfer has not disappointed, completing 66.0 percent of his passes (68 of 103) for 841 total yards, five touchdowns and three interceptions.
At 6-foot-5 and 240 pounds, Threet is the biggest quarterback Oregon has faced this season.
He is adept at scrambling from the pocket if necessary, but he isn’t considered a home run threat.
“He’s pretty cool,” Turner said. “So far, he did a great job against the three teams they played.”
Threet’s leading receiver is a former Duck, redshirt junior Aaron Pflugrad. Pflugrad, the son of former Oregon wide receivers coach Robin Pflugrad, has 15 catches for 165 yards this season.
“Tough, hard-nosed, smart, intelligent, catches the ball extremely well, runs great routes,” Kelly said. “Great competitor. He’s going to be a test for us.”
Pflugrad may want to exact revenge against his former team, and the Sun Devils would like to help him out.
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