Pac-10 Position Breakdown: Offensive Line – Arizona State Sun Devils
There really isn’t any way to sugarcoat this; the Arizona State Sun Devils have had one of the most consistently poor offensive lines in Division I football over the last three years. In fact, I may have just sugar coated it after all; “one of” was being generous.
Last season Rudy Carpenter was sacked 34 times, third highest in the nation only behind New Mexico State’s Chase Holbrook (40) and Arkansas’ Casey Dick (38). What’s sadder than being sacked more than all but two quarterbacks in the nation? The fact that it was actually the lowest amount of sacks he’d had to absorb since his freshman season, taking 37 sacks in 2006 and a ridiculous 54 sacks in 2007.
Usually when a team returns all but one of its starters on the line, it is a good thing. But when you are dealing with the worst offensive line in the conference you have to temper your excitement. That said, the Sun Devils do appear to have some bright spots this season; they have shuffled some guys around on the line hoping to better cater to their strengths, and also have a few underclassmen that they believe can step in and make a big impact this year.
Shawn Lauvao shores up the left side
Left Tackle:
67 Shawn Lauvao, 6-3, 305, Senior
78 Kyle Johnson, 6-7, 292, (RS) Freshman
- Lauvao is one of the best players on the offensive side of the ball for the Sun Devils, one of the few bright spots on the line during these last few years.
Lauvao was the youngest of seven starting linemen on the team in 2007, seeing action in the first four games of the season as a backup and taking over as the starter at left guard for the rest of the season in Week 5.
Last season he started in all 12 games, playing the first eight games at left guard before moving to right tackle for the last four. He didn’t miss a beat no matter where he was placed on the line, and earned All-Pac-10 Honorable Mention honors for his efforts.
Versatile enough to play both guard and tackle efficiently, Lauvao will undoubtedly be the backbone and leader of this offensive line.
Left Guard:
59 Jon Hargis, 6-3, 312, Junior
77 Adam Tello, 6-3, 290, Sophomore
- After red-shirting as a freshman and playing 2007 as a defensive tackle (recording 20 tackles on the season), Dennis Erickson decided that Hargis had even more potential as an offensive linemen and made the switch last year. Hargis is known to be an extremely hard worker both on the field and in strength and conditioning, and a step forward this season seems very plausible now that he has experience at the position under his belt. Tello was injured for spring drills which has hurt his chances of grabbing a starting spot, but he has a lot of potential and should provide good depth when necessary.
Center:
52 Garth Gerhart, 6-1, 302, Sophomore
56 Thomas Altieri, 6-1, 301, Senior
- It isn’t easy to dethrone a returning senior, but Gerhart did just that, clearly outplaying Altieri in the spring and earning the job. Earning some valuable playing time at guard last year, Gerhart will return to his natural position in 2009. Both rivals.com and scout.com listed Gerhart as the 7th best center in his draft class. He clearly has the raw talent and the work ethic to succeed, but only time will tell if it translates into success in his first full year as a starter. Having a backup as experienced as Altieri at a key position like center certainly never hurts.
Right Guard:
73 Zach Schlink, 6-4, 331, Sophomore
70 Mike Marcisz, 6-5, 298, Sophomore
- Perhaps even more exciting than Gerhart is Zach Schlink, the most massive man on the line for the Sun Devils who plays with enough physicality and toughness to match his enormous frame. Earning a spot as a starting guard as a true freshman last year, Schlink looked poised to live up to his billing as the top offensive line recruit out of the state of Arizona when he suffered a season ending injury in early November against Washington. If he can put together a healthy campaign in 2009, he may definitely turn some heads.
Right Tackle:
74 Tom Njunge, 6-5, 272, Senior
66 Matt Hustad, 6-5, 292, Sophomore
- Senior JuCo transfer Tom Njunge enters his final year of eligibility at ASU as the likely starter at right tackle. The tallest of the projected starters, Njunge was considered a good pass blocker out of Pasadena City College, a reputation that will certainly be tested this year.
My Take
On paper, there are plenty of reasons to believe that ASU can take a big step forward this year. With Hargas’s year of experience under his belt and potential stars-in-the-making in Gerhart and Schlink, led by the steady Lauvao, the line certainly doesn’t look like one that should be among the absolute worst in the country.
But with all of the position shifting and young inexperienced players being asked to do so much so soon, it requires a lot of wishful thinking to believe it will all go smoothly. And while Erickson is getting there when it comes to depth, this team can not afford any injuries; and keeping an entire line healthy for the whole season is a virtually impossible task.
I believe the line will definitely be better than it was last season, but that isn’t saying much. If the positional transitions all go well and this unit can stay healthy and gel together, ASU will finally be able to shed their bad o-line reputation. If reality is too harsh on the Sun Devils, I hope that QB Danny Sullivan took some notes from Rudy Carpenter on how to take a hit.
Arizona State Sun Devils
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Football, Garth Gerhart, Jon Hargis, Offensive Line, Shawn Lauvao, Thomas Altieri, Tom Njunge, Zach Schlink
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