Arizona State Sun Devils 4-4 Overall (2-3 Conference)

This Week’s Score: California 23 – Arizona State 21

Next Week’s Opponent: USC

ASU’s bowl hopes are fading quickly. The miracle touchdown pass that beat Washington is now a distant memory, and the truth is, this Sun Devil squad has a lot of problems. In my opinion, the single biggest thing to take from Saturday’s incredibly frustrating loss is that Dennis Erickson is showing signs of losing his touch as a head coach. This ASU team really should have beaten Cal, but the team plays with absolutely no confidence in crunch time (forget the nutty U-Dub ending).

Erickson is coaching a group that is now the most penalized team in the nation, averaging 84.4 yards per game. Surprised? Of course you aren’t, and while the undisciplined play was not nearly as prevalent with his first two ASU teams, the boneheaded mistakes now seem unavoidable every week with this team. The penalties are unacceptable, and that is a direct reflection on the coaching staff’s inability to communicate a clear message to the players this season.

Erickson’s other big problem? He has become too conservative for his own good. He is afraid to embrace the youth at QB, even though Samson Szakacsy looked excellent on his one play Saturday and Brock Osweiler is still the peoples’ choice. Look, I respect Erickson’s football IQ, but I cannot understand how Danny Sullivan gives this team a better chance to win every week as opposed to the other two options.

The Devils defense played relatively well, holding Jahvid Best to only 63 yards rushing. But the unit still managed to give up 351 yards through the air, including 74 yards in the final 3:16 of the game. No one will question the strength of the front seven, but is this secondary a reliable group? Terrell Carr, Pierre Singfield, Jarrell Holman, and Ryan McFoy just don’t strike fear into an opposing QB’s eyes right now, and it has become clear that the defensive backfield desperately needs Omar Bolden to return.

Frankly, ASU could not afford the loss to CAL, as the Devils must now win two of their final four against the likes of USC, Oregon, UCLA and UA.

Arizona State Sun Devils 2-1 Overall (0-0 Conference)

This Week’s Score: Georgia 20 – Arizona State 17

Next Week’s Opponent: Oregon State

In their first game against a quality opponent, Arizona State definitely showed us something; they’ve got plenty of compete in them.

Coming into the game as the nation’s top-ranked defense, the Sun Devils did not disappoint, doing an excellent job slowing down the juggernaut Georgia offense. The Bulldogs were held to only 334 yards of total offense, and Joe Cox threw two interceptions; both to Jarrell Holman, who took one of them to the house for a go-ahead score in the third quarter.

In the end, the difference ended up being one of the most explosive players in the sport in A.J. Green. He was the only Bulldog player that the Sun Devils didn’t have an answer for; and there aren’t many teams in the country that do.

Worries about the offense, especially in regards to Danny Sullivan, still remain in the wake of this game. Sullivan was only able to go 10/32 for 116 yards, a touchdown and an interception; not particularly re-assuring against a Georgia team whose defense hasn’t been all that strong this season.

On the positive side of things on offense, Dimitri Nance provided a big spark, racking up 92 rushing yards on 25 carries and 47 yards and a touchdown on four catches. His 139 total yards made up for nearly 70% of the team’s total offense (204 total yards). Kyle Williams led the receiving corps with three catches for 45 yards, and also added 51 yards on three kick returns and 29 yards on two punt returns.

The Georgia game seems to have confirmed what many of us have been assuming would be the case; Arizona State’s defense is strong enough to give them a chance to win against anyone on any given Saturday, but the offense isn’t quite there to put them over the top yet.

Moral victories are never close to as good as the real thing, but the fact that it took a blocked field goal late in the game to prevent ASU from taking the late lead and potentially pulling off the upset should re-enforce the feeling that they can compete with anyone. Dennis Erickson will have his team ready to play against Oregon State, and even with a less-than-stellar offense, there is no reason the Sun Devils shouldn’t be confident heading into conference play.

But for ASU to fulfill high expectations on defense, the secondary must perform as well as the first and second level. The unit has a few questions, and answers may not come until a week three match up in Athens, GA against the Georgia Bulldogs.

While cornerback should be fine, uncertainty exists concerning the safeties. Still, the Devils have plenty of talented candidates at both FS and SS, and head coach Dennis Erickson has expressed confidence in up to six players for the two spots.

Omar Bolden lands a big hit

Cornerback

Leading the way for the corners will be junior Omar Bolden. Bolden has become a mainstay at the cornerback position for ASU, starting in 21 straight games since his freshman year in 2007.

Last season, he finished fifth on the team with 49 tackles, while also adding seven pass-breakups and two interceptions. Two years ago, Bolden enjoyed an excellent true freshman campaign, finishing with 33 tackles, six pass-breakups and one interception (returned for TD), on his way to Freshman All-American Honors.

At 5-10 195 pounds, Bolden is a spectacular athlete with elite speed (4.3) and natural playmaking instincts. At times, his off-the-charts athleticism has made him overaggressive, resulting in big plays for both teams. Bolden was Dennis Erickson’s first signature recruit, and he chose ASU on the last day of the signing period over USC. Rivals and Scout.com gave him 4-star recognition after his stellar prep career at Colony High School (CA).

Bolden experienced a bit of a sophomore slump in 2008, and he must regain his Freshman All-American form in order for this ASU secondary to succeed. He missed spring ball with a shoulder injury, but he has recovered nicely during the fall. The Ontario (CA) native has all the tools to be a shutdown cover-corner, and he enters the 2009 season as a key defensive player for Arizona State.

Joining Bolden as another ingrained starter in the defensive backfield is senior Terell Carr. Last season was Carr’s first with ASU, and his debut was a great success. Carr started nine games at CB in 2008, and finished the season with 46 tackles (sixth on team), three tackles for loss, three pass breakups, and one interception.

Like Bolden, the 5-9 177-pound Carr possesses explosive speed (4.35), and a strong argument could be made that he was the most consistent corner on the team last year. Scout.com gave him 4-stars, and he was rated as the #3 J.C. corner in the 2008 class after an excellent career at Pasadena City College (CA).

Carr has enjoyed a solid off-season, especially in the last two weeks of fall camp, and he enters the 2009 season as a virtual lock to start.

The third seasoned cornerback in the Sun Devils secondary is senior Pierre Singfield. The former walk-on from Pima Community College (AZ) was named a starter at the beginning of the 2008 season before losing his job to Carr midway through the year. He finished with 22 tackles, two pass-breakups, and one tackle for loss last year.

At 5-11 196 pounds, Singfield is always in good position to make a play, and he has a phenomenal work ethic. Defensive coordinator Craig Bray and DB’s coach Greg Burns have praised Singfield for his consistency during the off-season, and he was even listed ahead of Bolden on the depth chart (which has a lot to do with the time Bolden missed due to injury). Singfield does not possess the same dynamic skill-set that other ASU CB’s have, but he also makes the fewest mental errors.

While Carr was the unit’s most consistent corner last season, Singfield may have been the most impressive DB during the off-season. He has made enough plays to seriously challenge for starting time, but even as a reserve, the Green Valley (AZ) native should play extensively. His error-free style and superb cover-skills will be counted on in 2009.

Safeties

Ryan McFoy creates havoc in the backfield

There has been a lot of shuffling at the safety position, but senior Ryan McFoy may have an edge on the starting strong safety spot because of his experience (albeit it at linebacker and nickel back).

McFoy started his ASU career in the secondary as a true freshman (totaled 34 tackles, two tackles for loss, two interceptions, one sack in 2006) but has spent the last two years at outside linebacker. Last season, he made 18 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, two pass breakups, and one forced fumble as an OLB reserve. Now, he returns to his original role in the defensive backfield for his final season in Tempe.

At 6-1 209 pounds, McFoy possesses good size, solid speed (4.48) and tremendous ball skills. He is a natural fit for strong safety, with great run-stopping ability as well as the athleticism to drop back in coverage. The Chino (CA) native has looked sharp during the fall, and is a slight favorite for the starting SS spot.

Currently atop the depth chart at free safety is sophomore Clint Floyd. Floyd will have the difficult task of replacing Troy Nolan, one of the best at the position for ASU in years (128 tackles, 10 interceptions, five touchdowns in two years). Last season, Floyd played in eight games (two starts) and recorded seven tackles and one forced fumble.

At 5-10 198 pounds, Floyd is one of the best overall athletes on the Sun Devils roster. His excellent speed (4.4) gives the Devils a dimension at FS that even Nolan couldn’t provide, and his ball skills are also exceptional (ball skills may originate from his prolific receiving career at Crenshaw High School (CA)). Floyd is still low on experience, but he has looked great during spring and fall. The Los Angeles (CA) native will be pushed for the starting job, but he appears game.

Two other players that could challenge for starting spots are redshirt freshman Keelan Johnson and senior Jarrell Holman.

The 6-0 199 pound Johnson has come on very strong during the fall, making several interceptions and demonstrating exciting range in coverage by using his outstanding speed (4.41). He has the physical tools to help on run support as well, giving the unit another safety that can be used in the box.

Johnson originally committed to Nebraska before deciding ASU was a better fit. The Mesa (AZ) native has been pushing McFoy hard at strong safety, and should figure into nickel packages even if he doesn’t win the job.

The 6-0 200 pound Holman played sparingly last season, totaling 10 tackles in 12 games. Like many of the Sun Devil DB’s, he has excellent speed (4.4). Holman wowed the coaches during spring ball, and rose to second on the depth chart at free safety.

Now, as fall camp continues, the former junior college transfer (Phoenix College) from North Las Vegas (NV) trails Floyd by a narrow margin, and he is sill in the hunt for the starting FS spot. Holman has also shown enough versatility to play strong safety, and he could factor in there as well depending on injuries.

Other players competing for playing time are: freshmen Matthew Tucker, Shane McCullen, and Deveron Carr, sophomores Josh Jordan and Jonathan Clark, and juniors Max Tabach, and LeQuan Lewis.

My Take

This Arizona State secondary is the only real question mark for Craig Bray’s defense. If the unit holds it’s own in 2009, I think the Devils D could be in for a special season.

While the safeties lack experience, they are the fastest group that ASU has had in a while. All four potential starters have legitimate 4.4 speed, and I expect Bray to utilize that speed in creative blitz packages. McFoy has prototypical size and strength for a strong safety, while Floyd has the quickness and range to excel as a free safety. However, neither one of them have locked down starting jobs, as both Johnson and Holman could still come out of camp on top.

As for cornerback, I believe the ASU defensive backfield will live or die by the season that Omar Bolden has. If he struggles (like last year) look out for a frustrating year at the third level, but if he flourishes (like two years ago) then so will the rest of the unit. Carr and Singfield give the secondary two more proven commodities, so the pieces are in place for a successful campaign for these CBs.

As mentioned before, we won’t know anything about this secondary until they play Georgia in week three (first two games are against Idaho State, UL Monore). I look at that game as a litmus test for where this group stands.

While the Devils front seven has already established an identity, look for the secondary to find it’s own in 2009.