Sacked again--Moments before the field was flooded with adoring fans, Sun Devils Vince Amey, Derrick Rodgers and Brent Bernstein take a moment to celebrate over fallen Husker quarterback Scott Frost. This was the last of three safeties scored against Nebraska in the game, an all-time record for the school. Photo by Erik Guzowski/The Sun Devil Spark
A Man of His Word--KGME radio personality Bruce Jacobs walks past the Memorial Union fountain Thursday wearing nothing but his birthday suit and a barrel. Jacobs was paying off a bet he made with ASU Head Coach Bruce Snyder that Nebraska's football team would pulverize the Sun Devils. Jacobs said that if he lost he would walk through campus wearing only a barrel. The ASU marching band accompanied him from the MU all the way to Snyder's office at Sun Devil Stadium. Photo by Pat Shannahan/State Press
Touchdown!--Terry Battle dances the ball into the endzone for his fourth and final touchdown of the day against USC. Battle rushed the ball for 184 yards in the game, more than twice the yardage of all USC's offense combined. Photo by The Sun Devil Spark
Roque to the Roses--Juan Roque responds to media questions after the Sun Devils beat California, securing their berth in the Rose Bowl game on Jan. 1. Photo by The Sun Devil Spark
By Dustin Krugel
State Press
ASU's special teams spent most of Saturday kicking itself in the foot, but in the end it redeemed itself with one kick.
Senior place-kicker Robert Nycz split the uprights on a 38-yard attempt with two seconds left on the clock to give the 18th-ranked Sun Devils (1-0) a 45-42 win over Washington (0-1) in front of a sell-out crowd of 73,379 at Sun Devil Stadium.
Nycz's field goal helped erase the memory of sloppy debut of ASU's special teams unit. ASU's special teams were responsible for a Washington punt return for a touchdown, a botched punt attempt, a 15-yard penalty for roughing the kicker, a missed field goal attempt and fumbles on the punt and kickoff returns.
The Sun Devils avoided another disaster on Nycz's winning field goal, the snap was almost too high for holder and senior quarterback Jake Plummer.
"There was certainly some ups and downs in the kicking game," special teams coach Dick Arbuckle said. "You don't want to use early season as an excuse because we really have some good personnel. We just didn't perform the way we can. Both teams had breakdowns."
ASU wasn't the only team struggling with its special teams. Husky punter Geoff Prince shanked an 18-yard punt with less than a minute to play to help set up the Sun Devils' winning field goal.
"Dick Arbuckle and the Washington special teams coach probably aged 15-20 years tonight," ASU head coach Bruce Snyder joked.
Washington head coach Jim Lambright was amazed at what had taken place afterward.
"There was every element possible in that game," he said. "I couldn't have been more pleased at times with special teams and more frustrated."
Snyder himself grew some gray hair too after ASU squandered a 42-21 lead with 12 minutes to play in the fourth quarter. Washington actually rolled up 21 points in 3:47.
"We really didn't plan to run this way, but I think the roller coaster effect of the game kept everybody in their seat," he said.
ASU knows all too well about blowing huge leads in the fourth quarter. The Sun Devils blew an opportunity of going to a bowl game last season after losing to UofA, 31-28 after holding a 14-point lead with eight minutes to play.
Snyder said his team has matured a lot since that game.
"It was a much better response," he said. "You go back to the elevator concept. We were in the basement on that elevator, but nobody got off. Somebody pushed the up button and we went out there and played a lot better."
Plummer said ASU was lucky it escaped with a W.
"It was funny. We were up by 21 and everyone was starting to get that little happy feeling," said Plummer, who made up for a costly interception thrown with less than three minutes to play by directing ASU's offense on a five-play, 42-yard drive to set up the field goal. "'All right, the second team is going to go in.' (Backup quarterback) Steve Campbell came up and said, 'Hey get me in there.' That same thing happened against a certain team at the end of last year. We don't want it to happen again but it almost did."
When it came time to kick the winning field goal Nycz handled it like a pro.
"I told the team after the game, imagine you're running and blocking and working hard all night and there's a man with everybody watching him and everything on the line," Snyder said.
"And yet he did it. It thought it was a tremendous clutch performance by Robert."
In an attempt to ice down Nycz, Washington called a time-out.
"The clock stopped for what seemed like an hour," Snyder said. "I took a peek at him a couple of times and he was looking at those uprights for two minutes."
Nycz, who missed from 49 yards earlier in the game, said the time-out actually calmed him down.
"You feel the world on your shoulders, but I also knew the pressure wasn't quite as much because if I would have missed that, the game would have went into overtime," he said. "There wasn't quite as much pressure if we were down by one or two points and that would have been a win-loss situation."
After Washington took a 21-14 lead early in the third quarter, ASU stormed back with 28 unanswered points, which was highlighted by - surprise - a special teams play.
Freshman running back J.R. Redmond returned a 53-yard punt 61 yards, but fumbled on the Huskies two-yard line. The ball squirted into the end zone where senior reserve wide receiver Isaiah Mustafa recovered it for a Sun Devil touchdown and a 28-21 lead.
"It didn't surprise us at all," Arbuckle said of Redmond's return. "We knew he was capable of that. That's the reason why he is back there. He adds an element to that particular unit that we didn't have last year. He's a real threat."
ASU's offense was up and down but still managed 394 total yards, three touchdown receptions and two rushing touchdowns. The Sun Devils tallied 208 yards on the ground against a Husky defensive unit, which held ASU to a measly 66 yards in last year's meeting.
"We ran the ball better than I thought we were going to," Snyder said. "I didn't think we were going to run the ball like that at them. We went into it trying to be very diverse (on offense) and wide open, but the really smart thing would have been to close down and run right at them. I think we would have worn them out totally. But we didn't go into it with that mindset."
On defense, the Sun Devils looked good for three quarters. ASU surrendered 179 yards in the first three quarters, but it outdid itself in the fourth quarter after Washington exploded for 187 yards.
"Overall, I thought we were dominating," said senior linebacker Scott Von der Ahe, who led all Sun Devils in tackles with 10. "Then they just made some big plays."
Sophomore safety Mitchell Freedman broke his middle finger on his right hand and did not return to action Saturday, but will likely play in ASU's next game on Sept. 14 against North Texas.
ASU still looking for solid game despite 52-7 win
By Dustin Krugel State Press
The No. 17 ASU football team has yet to play four straight quarters of solid football, but it may take 60 minutes of perfection to beat its next opponent No. 1 Nebraska.
"For us to be successful against Nebraska, if there is a lull, we can't allow them to take advantage of it," ASU head coach Bruce Snyder said of next Saturday's matchup at Sun Devil Stadium. Last year the Cornhuskers whipped ASU 77-28.
The Sun Devils (2-0) hit a dry spell against North Texas (1- 1) in front of 40,000 fans at Sun Devil Stadium Saturday night. The Eagles were ranked 110th out of 111 Division I-A schools by The Sporting News in the preseason.
ASU ended the first half with a 21-7 lead, but the Sun Devils were responsible for eight penalties for 85 yards and three fumbles. ASU's last fumble by freshman tailback J.R. Redmond broke a string of 478 consecutive runs by Sun Devil running backs without a fumble.
But all was forgotten in the second half when ASU finally gave the Eagles the knockout punch late in third quarter by scoring 24 points in only 3:49.
"For awhile there I was wondering," said senior ASU quarterback Jake Plummer, who completed 15 of 22 passes for 213 yards and three touchdowns in his 30th consecutive start. "We were kind of playing kind of slow for awhile, but we turned it up in the second half."
Plummer was reunited with an old friend, senior wide receiver Keith Poole. Last week, the Fred Biletnikoff Award candidate was shutout against Washington. This week Poole responded with a career day with four touchdowns, including a 39- yard reverse taken in for a score.
North Texas head coach Matt Simon said he wasn't surprised Poole took advantage of the Eagles' rag-tag secondary. "He's beating a bunch of freshman deep and sophomores, a bunch of young kids," he said of Poole. "So it's kind of like working against high school players."
ASU's defense, which was much maligned last year finishing last in the Pac-10 in total defense, took advantage of a weak Eagle offense by limiting them to 128 total yards and outscoring them 12-7. Sophomore cornerback Lamont Morgan prevented a score by returning a fumble 92 yards for a touchdown in the second quarter and sophomore defensive tackle Vince Amey intercepted a Damon West pass for a 24-yard touchdown.
The last time ASU registered two defensive touchdowns was on Sept. 10, 1983, in a 39-12 win over Utah State.
The Eagles' blunders on offense weren't helped by their lousy third-down percentage, 1 for 13 (8 percent).
"Third and long," a frustrated West said. "Third and long always makes it pretty hard. We got ourselves in quite a few third- and-long plays and defensive backs, linebackers know, everybody on the defense knows you have to throw the ball."
ASU's injuries are beginning to pile up for the first time this season.
Two weeks ago sophomore free safety Mitchell Freedman broke his middle finger and he was held out of Saturday's game. Added to the list of injured this week include junior tailback Michael Martin (hyper-extended knee), junior wide receiver Creig Spann (torn anterior cruciate ligament in knee), senior defensive end Brent Burnstein (knee sprain), senior safety Travion Johnson (knee sprain) and senior offensive guard Pat Thompson (knee sprain).
Spann's injury is the most serious and he will miss the rest of the 1996 season. Snyder said he will petition for a redshirt year for Spann, but added he may not receive it.
Spann, who is listed as the No. 3 wide receiver, will be replaced by sophomore Ricky Boyer in the rotation, Snyder said.
Snyder also said junior defensive end Malchi Crawford (knee) and freshman quarterback Ryan Kealy (knee) will not play this year because of injuries. Crawford suffered a fractured patella versus Stanford last year and Kealy, one of ASU's top recruits, will redshirt this season. Kealy will have knee surgery after getting injured in an all-star game this summer. "So all of a sudden, within a week or so, we have gone from the healthiest team in America to being like everybody else or worse," Snyder said.
By Doug Cook
State Press
North Texas starting quarterback Damon West probably hopes he and his team never come back to Sun Devil Stadium to face ASU.
West, a 5-foot-10, 180-pound sophomore, was manhandled Saturday night in a 52-7 drubbing at the hands of the 17th-ranked Sun Devils.
He was sacked two times for a combined 17 yards in losses and fumbled the ball at a crucial moment in the second quarter, which resulted in a touchdown for ASU.
North Texas head coach Matt Simon was not pleased with West's performance.
"(With) a little more maturity at quarterback we might have been more competitive and they (ASU) might not have looked as imposing, so to speak," he said. "But I think they (the Sun Devil defense) played a solid football game and they made their blitzes count against our young guys."
With 12 minutes to go before halftime, ASU led 14-0.
After West had taken the Eagles from their own 20 to the Sun Devil 43, at the 1:34 mark of the first quarter, North Texas was forced to punt.
The Eagles got the ball back on ASU's10 when Sun Devil Pat Tillman fumbled the punt return with 11:52 remaining in the second.
After the Sun Devils were penalized five yards for holding on first down, West attempted to run the option to the right side. Little did he know, however, Sun Devil right end Derrick Rodgers would be there to greet him at the 8-yard line.
After Rodgers stripped West of the ball, ASU cornerback Lamont Morgan picked the ball up and sprinted 92 yards for the touchdown and a 21-0 Sun Devil lead. West blaimed himself for the turnover and the momentum shift. "He (Rodgers) just came out and I was getting ready to pitch the ball on the option and he just slapped it out (of my hands)," West said of the fumble. "It's my fault. It should've been 14-14 at halftime."
Simon was distraught over what happened. "We could've kept it closer if we would've got the pitch on the option because that play's there for a TD," he said. "We just didn't handle that situation very well and it turned into a big gain for them."
West said ASU's blitz made things difficult on him the whole night. "A team like that can match up on your receivers and your backs pretty well," he said of the Sun Devils. "They brought some blitzes, and a couple times I didn't see it in time to get myself into a safe play, which is my fault."
Although most everything went wrong for West and the Eagles, there was one bright spot: the team's only touchdown.
After being burned by Rodgers, West drove his team down the field on its next drive. The Eagles went 80 yards on five plays in 1:09 for the score, highlighted by West's 37-yard touchdown strike to wide receiver Bo Harrison.
Although Simon was disappointed with the game, he was pleased with some aspects of his team's performance, particularly his offensive line.
"Our kids all played hard," Simon said. "I thought our offensive line played hard, particularly in the first half. I thought we were in good shape and were competitive for a good bit of the time. We turned the football over and those things disappoint me."
Simon said he was impressed with ASU's squad. "They (Sun Devils) have a big offensive line," he said. "They're a real solid football team and they should be an effective competitor in the Pac-10."
By Randy Jones
State Press
After a one week hiatus the Plummer to Poole connection is back on track.
Two weeks ago against Washington, senior wide receiver Keith Poole did not catch a pass from quarterback Jake Plummer. It ended a 22-game streak in which Poole had caught at least one pass.
"Yeah, I guess he's my friend again," Poole said jokingly of Plummer after ASU's demolishing of North Texas 52-7 on Saturday.
Poole finished the game with six catches for 121 yards and three touchdowns receiving and one rush, on a reverse, for 39 yards and another score.
The four touchdowns for Poole were a career-high. It was the 12th time in Sun Devil football history that a player has scored at least four TDs. Poole became the first to do it since Channing Williams scored four against Wichita State in 1986. The ASU record for TDs in a game, 5, is shared by Wilford White (1950), Leon Burton (1955) and Ben Malone (1973).
The six catches leave Poole one catch shy of 100 for his career.
The wideout also has 1,943 yards in his four-year career. Against Nebraska he could become only the fifth Sun Devil to reach 2,000 yards receiving in a career, as well as the seventh to reach 100 catches.
John Jefferson leads both categories with 188 receptions and 2,993 yards from 1974 to 1977.
Early on against the Eagles the duo knew they were going to have a big day. "I knew before I snapped the ball it was a touchdown," Plummer said of the first touchdown, a 7-yard toss at 9:50 in the first quarter. "I almost looked out and smiled at him. He wanted me to and he told me I should have, but I didn't."
His first touchdown was also the first time the wide receiver's brother, Marc, has seen Poole catch a TD at home. "I'm happy (he saw it)," Poole said. "It's neat. We kind of looked at each other and smiled. I hope that there are more to come."
The senior's other TD catches were a 50-yarder with 6:56 left in the first quarter and a 5-yarder late in the third, which made the score 38-7.
Poole said it was frustrating not to catch a ball against Washington, but the win was more important than individual statistics. "It's just the luck of the game," Poole said. "I'm not the only player on the team. We have other receivers and tailbacks, and they spread it out last week."
Head Coach Bruce Snyder was happy the two connected again. "I knew it was just a matter of time," he said. "They have such great chemistry. It was nice to see them smiling after last week."
Going into next week's tussle with No. 1-ranked Nebraska, Plummer said it's important to get the ball to Poole if the Sun Devils want to entertain any thoughts of upsetting the two-time defending national champions.
Snyder agreed. "(Next week) our offense needs that," he said. "Keith needs to get the ball."
By Dustin Krugel
State Press
Maybe ASU should throw a big bash for Frank Kush every game at Sun Devil Stadium.
The Sun Devils upset of No. 1 Nebraska Saturday night appeared to rekindle the spirits of Kush's old ASU teams from 1958-1979.
Kush, who is ASU's all-time winningest coach with a 176-54-1 record (.764 winning percentage), was honored at halftime by having the playing surface at Sun Devil Stadium named Frank Kush Field.
Before the Sun Devils' victory, Kush was the only ASU coach to beat the Huskers. In 1975 Kush capped off a 11-0 regular season with a 17-14 win over Nebraska in the Fiesta Bowl.
"This is huge, especially on this wonderful occasion, celebrating Frank Kush night," ASU Athletic Director Kevin White said after the win.
The match-up of ASU left tackle Juan Roque and Nebraska defensive end Grant Wistrom ended on a downer Saturday with Wistrom leaving the game in the second quarter with a neck strain. The injury is not believed to be serious.
Before leaving the game, Wistrom was on a rampage garnering five tackles and sacking ASU quarterback Jake Plummer twice.
"He's one of the better defensive ends I've faced, including (ex-UofA's Teddy) Bruschi," Roque said of Wistrom. "He came at me every single play. He didn't care who I was or the publicity. I had to go out there with my head screwed on right and keep everyone off Jake (Plummer). The offensive line did a pretty good job of stopping them."
The loss was the first of WistromÕs college career and his first since his junior season in high school.
ASU head coach Bruce Snyder said senior tight end Steve Bush (knee) and junior offensive guard Glen Gable (ankle) will likely miss 4-6 weeks each after injuries suffered during the game.
Not only was ASU's three safeties a school-record, but the three surrendered by Nebraska was record by an opponent. The previous record was one by several, most recently at Washington on Sept. 19, 1992.
Nebraska is still one victory short of 700 wins. The Huskers would join an elite group consisting of Michigan (758), Notre Dame (740), Texas (707) and Alabama (706).
Photo: Nebraska quarterback is sacked (Photo by Erik Guzowski/The Sun Devil Spark)
By Randy Jones
State Press
To beat the mighty, two-time defending national champion juggernaut Nebraska Cornhuskers, the ASU football team knew it had to do one thing -- hit hard and hit often.
Sophomore Mitchell "Fright Night" Freedman, known throughout college football as one of the game's most lethal hitters, led an inspired ASU defensive effort which left little doubt that the No. 6-ranked Sun Devils are for real.
"It's very important for us to beat everybody down," Freedman said after the game. "Nobody can last the pain, no matter what. If we pound them, then they're going to get tired ... and it will work out in our favor."
His performance showed why The Sporting News named him the best safety in all of NCAA football.
Freedman, who sat out ASU's 52-7 win over North Texas on Sept. 14 with a broken finger, showed no ill effects from the injury.
Freedman, who wore a soft cast on his right hand during the game, had three solo tackles (8 total), defensed one pass and forced three fumbles, recovering one.
Head Coach Bruce Snyder complimented Freedman on his ability to make the big plays."When he hits he just knocks the ball out," he said. "He's got a knack for it. Even with the one hand."
His broken middle finger was not a concern, Freedman said. "Nebraska was going to pick on me because they saw the cast on my hand," he said. "But it (my performance) brought a message to everybody that no matter what I'm going to play. I'm still going to give my heart and all for my
Two of Freedman's forced fumbles came at opportune times for the Sun Devils.
With 4:50 remaining in the third quarter, Nebraska was driving toward a potential score, having just converted a big fourth-and-two at the Cornhusker 37-yard line. Nebraska back Damon Benning galloped for 13 yards before Freedman reached in and stripped him, ending the drive.
His last big play came with only 1:40 left in the game. Nebraska running back Ahman Green raced 30 yards to the ASU five-yard line when Freedman struck again, ending any hope of Nebraska scoring.
Nebraska quarterback Scott Frost said Freedman and the rest of ASU's defense stepped up every time they needed too.
"It felt like Murphy's Law out there," Frost said, after his 6-for-20 passing day. "Anytime something could go wrong (for us) it went wrong. You've got to give them credit. They made bad things happen to us."
Defensive Coordinator Phil Snow emphasized how important it was being physical against the Cornhuskers.
"I think we out-hit them tonight," he said. "To out-hit a Nebraska offense is really something special."
Another special moment came with 2:20 left in the third quarter. Nebraska split end Brendan Holbein went up for a pass from Frost and Freedman delivered a devastating hit which left the 5-foot-9, 190-pound receiver dazed.
"It brought back flashbacks from high school," Freedman said. "It (the hit) kind of brings a message."
And that message was this Sun Devils defense is not the same one which came in last in the Pac-10 in total defense in 1995.
"We came out and hit for four quarters," defensive end Shawn Swayda said. "This definitely is going to make them (future opponents) take notice of our defense.
Everyone's been talking about the offense. ... When you play against us you're going to have to come in and hit us, because we're going to hit you every play."
By Josh DeFamio
State Press
After suffering their first defeat in more than two years, the Nebraska Cornhuskers now face their biggest challenge. They must prove to themselves that they are worthy of the hype that had surrounded them just last week.
"We didn't play like national champions and if we play like that, we don't deserve to be national champions," Nebraska quarterback Scott Frost said.
Frost was not the only Husker player in a daze afterthe team finished perhaps its worst offensive performancein the Tom Osborne era. Every Husker face looked aroundin awe, wondering how their high-powered offense couldbe held scoreless and this team could actually lose a gamein a stadium it dominated in the national championshipgame just nine months ago.
"It's kind of an empty feeling," senior I-backDamon Benning said. "We knew the day would come, wejust didn't think it would be tonight or even this year forthat matter."
"Bumps and bruises hurt a lot more than they have in the last two years, thatÕs for sure," defensive end Jared Tomich said.
The most shaken Husker was I-back Ahman Green,who lost three fumbles, including one which resulted in asafety and another inside the ASU 10-yard line. Greenbroke down crying while being interviewed by reporters.Even Head Coach Tom Osborne, Nebraska's coachfor the past 23 seasons, seemed just as shocked as his players after losing his first regular season game in 38 tries.
"I thought we were going to be a pretty good football team, I just didnÕt know how quickly we would bea good football team," he said. "Obviously we weren't good fast enough."
Osborne was also faced with the question ofwhether Frost could run the option and the Husker offenseas well as his All-American predecessor, Tommie Frazier.
"Scott can run the option," Osborne said. "He's agood option quarterback. They really came quickly, and weneeded to hit a pass or two to get them off our backs."
The biggest question for Osborne and his players now is not whether the Huskers match up with the teams from the past, but whether a team that had trouble bouncing back from missed opportunities on Saturday night can bounce back for the rest of the season.
Osborne seems to think so."It will be interesting to see how everybody reacts," Osborne said. ÒI think they (the players) will react pretty well. These guys are good people. TheyÕre competitors. Ithink you'll see them come out and play awfully hard next week."
Most Husker players remain optimistic about theseason, despite what turned out to be the first ever collegeloss for many of them.
"Right now it's a lot of pressure off of our backs," Green said. ÒEveryone expected us to go undefeated, to winanother national championship. Now we just have to look forward to Colorado State next week."
Tomich perhaps put the best face on, showing theconfidence that being a two-time national champion can bring, even after a tough loss.
"Everybody is upset about it, but it's not the end of the world," he said, "We start practicing Monday. We still have a whole season ahead of us. WeÕll just try to take a negative thing and put a positive aspect on it."
Until then, Nebraska must face a drop to seventhplace in the USA Today/CNN poll and eighth place in the AP poll, while avoiding a severe drop in confidence.
By Dustin Krugel
State Press
Who would have thunk it? Perennial powers Notre Dame, Michigan, Miami and 103 other Division I schools are all behind No. 5 ASU in the latest Associated Press Top 25 poll released Sunday.
Only Florida, Florida State, Ohio State and Penn State stand in ASU's way on its climb to the top of the charts.
After disposing of Oregon, 48-27, Saturday night at Sun Devil Stadium, ASU's (4-0, 2-0 Pac-10) name has been tossed around by the national media, including ESPN, as a contender for the national title.
Head Coach Bruce Snyder said he is in no rush to bring up that subject to his team.
"We have set our sights at training camp on the Rose Bowl and the conference race. So I don't want to clog that," he said. "I don't want to change that focus. I believe if we do that, particularly now that we are almost out of our non-conference games. Now the issue is if we can go to the Rose Bowl and win that game. Whatever happens nationally will take care of itself."
ASU's rise in the top 25 does come with a few drawbacks Snyder said.
"(The media) is starting to look at the remaining schedules. They are trying to play it out before the games are played," he said. "We'll play the games out and then see."
Disregarding Snyder's warning, ASU's remaining schedule is relatively weak compared to the top four teams. ASU has already beaten previously-No. 1 Nebraska and current-No. 18 Washington. The Sun Devils only remaining ranked opponent, No.
17 USC, is at the friendly confides of Sun Devil Stadium on Oct. 19.
No. 1 Florida plays three ranked opponents, No. 14 LSU in Gainesville, No. 20 Auburn in Gainesville and No. 2 Florida State on the road.No. 2 Florida State faces No. 8 Miami on the road, No. 12 Virginia in Tallahassee and then the Gators also in Tallahassee.
No. 3 Ohio State will face-off with No. 4 Penn State this Saturday in Columbus and end the season with No. 6 Michigan in Columbus.
No. 4 Penn State will play the Buckeyes, the Wolverines in Ann Arbor and No. 22 Northwestern in University Park.
Talk of a possible national championship will be a moot point though if ASU doesn't shore up its pass defense.
Oregon quarterback Ryan Perry-Smith exposed ASU's defense for 468 yards and three touchdowns.
"We need to get more heat on the quarterback and our deep guys have to do a better job," Snyder said of the defense. "We played a very good team. At least our defense held them 11 points under their average."
After gaining nine sacks in the first three games, ASU's pass rush was non-existent and finished with one sack by junior linebacker Pat Tillman. The Sun Devils' leading sacker Derrick Rodgers (four sacks) was shutout.
"Before the game (Oregon head coach) Mike Bellotti told me he would give up five draft choices for him (Rodgers)," Snyder said. "So I knew it was on his mind that we have to take care of him."
Oregon effectively contained Rodgers by keeping him off guard.
"What they did was very good and we are going to have to address it," Snyder said. "They did a great job of scheming to basically take Derrick Rodgers out. They either put a tight end at him, ran at him, or they rolled away."
Junior cornerback Jason Simmons, who was burned on a 66-yard touchdown grab by wide receiver Damon Griffin late in the first quarter, said the secondary is not using the pass rush as an excuse.
"If we are going to come together and be a good defense, the secondary has to be better," he said. "We knew coming in (Perry-Smith) would have a lot of time because they keep everyone in to protect him. They had more blockers than we had rushers. So we knew we had one-to-one the whole night. They might have won the one-on-one battle this game."
On a more positive note, the defense stifled Oregon's offense inside the 20-yard line twice in the first half. The Ducks settled for two field goals and trailed 27-10 at halftime. Tillman and senior linebacker Derek Smith each intercepted Perry-Smith in the second half.
"We contributed to our demise I think the three times we got down in scoring territory and didn't get a touchdown out of it," Belloti said. "... That was obviously the difference in the ball game."
While Oregon put the ball up for grabs, ASU's offense maintained a good balance of passing and rushing. The Sun Devils finished with 331 yards rushing and 282 yards passing.
Senior tight end Devin Kendall, who was making his first start for an injured Steve Bush, said ASU had extra motivation in establishing the run. Oregon cornerback Kenny Wheaton last week was quoted saying Oregon was going to stop the Sun Devil running attack.
"They challenged us. They wanted to stop the run," he said. "We had to let them know we are going to run the ball and that sets up the pass."
Leading the rushing attack was junior tailback Michael Martin, who rushed for a career-high 161 yards. Backup, junior Terry Battle rushed for 83 yards on nine carries and two touchdowns.
"Michael Martin is a load when he's running the ball. He really punishes defenses," Snyder said. "Terry Battle had a quiet first three games, but in this one he was louder. We are really blessed with good tailbacks."
-ASU sold 54,618 tickets, but a crowd of only approximately 45,000 showed up.
-Snyder said sidelined junior right guard Glen Gable might be able to return against Boise State this Saturday, after suffering an ankle injury against Nebraska.
-Sophomore wide receiver Kenny Mitchell, who injured his shoulder last week in practice, will return against UCLA in two weeks, Snyder said.
By Ed Odeven
State Press
Damon Griffin had a sensational game Saturday.
The Oregon split end made eight catches for 177 yards and two touchdowns.
But he was far from euphoric after Oregon's 48-27 disappointing loss to No. 6 ASU at Sun Devil Stadium.
"You could have as many yards as you want. You could have 1,000 yards and if you only have 27 points against a pretty good team, it's not enough," Griffin said. "If our defense gives up 50 points, we are going to have to score 51."
ASU was given a healthy serving of Duck - 531 yards worth. But Oregon's defensive woes forced the Duck offense to pass - and pass often.
Oregon senior quarterback Ryan Perry-Smith was 29 of 56 for 468 yards with three TDs and two interceptions.
"Yards don't mean a thing," Oregon coach Mike Bellotti said. "They are for statistically-minded people. They don't help me win football games. Points help me win games."
Unfortunately, the Ducks surrendered an awful lot of points.
The Sun Devils had 10 points in the first quarter, 17 in the second, seven in the third and 14 in the fourth.
The young Oregon defense, which was ranked 102nd out of 111 Division I teams prior to the game (yielding 473 yards per game), has been plagued by injuries.
"I think it's hard when we have your free safety go down, your starting tackle go down and your starting tight end go down early," Bellotti said. "I think we are very young. We are tentative and we are fighting through our mistakes right now."
Oregon cornerback Kenny Wheaton, a 1993 graduate of McClintock High School in Tempe, believes things must change.
"I think as a whole our entire defense will have to get better," he said.
On the opposite side of the ball, Griffin was a bright spot.
"(Damon Griffin) made some unbelievable plays tonight," Bellotti said. "He's gaining maturity. He's always been a real effort guying making clutch catches and making yards after the catches."
Griffin scored Oregon's first TD, a 66-yard reception with 13 seconds left in the first quarter, to bring the Ducks within three, 10-7. The lofty gain was aided by a brilliant TD-aiding block by Oregon receiver Jibri Hodge, who leveled Sun Devil free safety Mitchell "Fright Night" Freedman out of bounds at the 9-yard line.
"I turned around and saw the defender," Griffin said. "I guess it was 'Fright Night,' but I also saw Jibri Hodge. I saw him out of the corner of my eye. I knew Jibri was going to get him. He just had a perfect angle."
But the Duck receiving corps got tired as the game progressed.
"I think our receivers were getting worn out unfortunately 'cause they ran a lot of routes," Bellotti said.
"Ryan (Perry-Smith) gave a tremendous effort on his behalf. He took some shots but he kept coming back and made some great throws. We probably had a couple that were dropped that could have been big plays."
Despite the loss, Bellotti was pleased with the Oregon offensive line.
"Early on I think they gave great protection, but were a little tired at the end. Anytime you throw that many yards you are doing something right," he said.
By Randy Jones
State Press
It started out as a long shot, at best, with Las Vegas posting long odds against it happening.
ASU's win over Nebraska on Sept. 21 generated a few whispers among the fans and media on its chances of happening.
Now, with No. 5 ASU's 48-27 win over Oregon on Saturday the chants of "Heisman ... Heisman ... Heisman" grew just a bit stronger from a few fans after the game, and maybe senior quarterback Jake Plummer can start making plans for a trip to the Downtown Athletic Club in New York for the Heisman Trophy awards ceremony come December.
The quarterback, however, is keeping things in perspective. He laughed about ASU's sports information office picking up the pace on the Plummer for Heisman campaign, including sending rubber snakes to ESPN analyst Lee Corso.
"That's their deal," he said. "I'm here to concentrate on winning games. Whatever happens is going to happen."
Head Coach Bruce Snyder believes Plummer is the real deal and should be considered for the award.
"If you want someone to build a program around, he's the one," Snyder said of Plummer. "This guy does it for us. I can't believe anyone does more for a team than he does for us."
What happened Saturday was the quarterback lighting up the Oregon secondary. Plummer completed 21 of 37 passes for 282 yards and four touchdowns in leading the Sun Devil offensive onslaught.
Scoring quick and often was the mark of the Sun Devil offense, especially in the first half. Of ASU's four scoring drives in the first half, three took less than three minutes apiece, including one of 17 seconds.
"We wanted to go out and put the points up real quick," Plummer said. "We've done that well pretty much every game we've played."
Pretty well would be an understatement. The Sun Devils have scored on each of their four opening drives this season.
Running back Michael Martin and Plummer both said Oregon's saying they would stop the running game made the pass even more of a dangerous weapon.
"We figured we heard from them 'We're going to stop the run.' We knew we could pass early," Plummer said. "We ended up opening it up so well, we got the running (game) going too."
Martin, who rushed for a career-high 161 yards, was one of the indirect recipients of the passing game's successes.
"We were clicking real good," he said. "Once the passing (game) got going we knew we had to go out there and get the running game started."
Oregon cornerback Kenny Wheaton gave credit to Plummer for taking it to the Duck defense.
"Plummer's a good quarterback," he said. "He's a smart quarterback and you can't take anything away from him and Arizona State as a whole."
During the course of the game Plummer hit 10 different receivers, including four running backs, four wideouts and two tight ends.
Plummer gave credit to everyone involved for his performance.
"With our offense and the weapons we have - my O-line protecting me like they do - I'm going to have good games," he said. "If I'm playing better, putting up stats, it's a reflection of my team."
Despite the success, Plummer still found problems with his performance.
"I missed a few easy ones," he said, referring to two potential long passes he overthrew in the game. "That's something I've got to work on. ... I think (also) that I could have completed more balls. My percentage is down."
Plummer's four touchdown passes moved him into second place on ASU's all-time leaders with 52 career TD passes, passing Mike Pagel (48). Danny White heads the list with 64. He also passed Jeff Van Raaphorst for first place with 506 completions.
Plummer added to his already all-time leader statistics in passing yards (7,024) and attempts (929).
By Ed Odeven
State Press
Boise State began the game with a notable achievement - forcing ASU to punt on the game's first drive.
It marked the first time this season that the No. 5 Sun Devils failed to score a touchdown on their first possession of the game.
The Broncos responded by embarking on a 5-play, 80-yard drive, which was capped by a 42-yard TD pass from Tony Hilde to Andre Horace. The overwhelming underdogs took a 7-0 lead with 11:22 remaining in the first quarter.
"That opening drive was very nice," Boise State interim head coach Tom Mason said. "We went down there and we pass protected. We did the things we needed to do."
Unfortunately for the Idaho visitors, the remainder of the contest turned strikingly one-sided. The Sun Devils (5-0) scored 56 unanswered points en route to a 56-7 dismantling of Boise State Saturday at Sun Devil Stadium before 49,018 fans.
"When we blew the chance to make it 14-14, that's when the momentum really turned on us and you could see it," Mason said.
Mason was pleased with his squad's effort.
"I thought we played pretty well at times," Mason said. "There were some bright spots for us. I was just excited to have the opportunity to play these guys and see what we had. I still think we are going to have a good football team this year."
The Broncos, who made the jump from Division I-AA to Division I-A before the season, were simply outmanned and outplayed.
"They just have too many guys," Mason said. "We probably have 42 kids on scholarship, and they have 85. That's the difference. Their second units don't drop off much and we can't spell a guy if he's not playing well or if he's tired."
Boise State (1-5) entered the game with high hopes.
"We just thought we had nothing to lose," Bronco outside linebacker Richard Sweeny said. "We just had to play our butts off. We were trying for an upset, but obviously that didn't come about."
Despite the lopsided loss, Sweeny remained upbeat.
"We tried our best," he said. "That's all we could do. We're all a little disappointed, but we know we tried our best. There was nothing we could do. They have about 25 more scholarships than we do."
Mason was glad his team had the opportunity to play ASU.
"A lot of kids playing tonight were true freshman and they're all going to be thinking in the back of their minds, 'Hey we played Arizona State. They're the No. 5-ranked team in the country.' It's going to help and they are not going to be intimidated by people anymore. It's part of the growing up process."
ASU senior quarterback Jake Plummer, who threw for 203 yards and two TDs in the first half, earned a Heisman Trophy endorsement from Mason.
"I think he's got to be awful close (to being a Heisman candidate)," Mason said. "I really like that kid. He's a competitor.
He's got a great arm. I think he's got to be a Heisman candidate. I've never faced one and I've been coaching 19 years. I've never faced a quarterback as good as he is, and we've played some pretty good ones in that Big Sky Conference with (John) Friesz and (Jeff) Lewis and some of those kids."
By Dustin Krugel
State Press
The Pac-10 race is just beginning to unravel, but No. 4 ASU is already standing in a position of strength.
The Sun Devils (5-0, 2-0 Pac-10) are one of only three teams undefeated in the Pac-10 after a wild weekend in the conference.
Eight teams in the Pac-10 went head-to-head, while ASU defeated Big West foe Boise State 56-7 at Sun Devil Stadium Saturday night in front of a crowd of 49,018.
No. 21 California (5-0, 2-0) and UCLA (2-2, 1-0) were the big winners Saturday. The Golden Bears upstaged previously-ranked USC, 22-15 (3-2, 1-1) in Los Angeles. The Sun Devils' next opponent UCLA knocked off Oregon 41-22 in Eugene (3-3, 0-3).
The Ducks were considered a serious contender for the Rose Bowl, but ASU head coach Bruce Snyder said they may not win another conference game this season.
"This conference is totally up for grabs, in terms of who is going to the Rose Bowl, and representing our conference," Snyder said. "So it might as well be us. I think it's going to come down until late November before we know who wins."
The Trojans, who went to the Rose Bowl last season, were expected to repeat this season, but are showing chinks in their armor.
"I think more people are fearful of USC because of their tradition and heritage and recruiting," Snyder said. "Had (USC) won, I think everybody would be thinking here they go again on their roll. It (USC's loss) opened up the race."
After concluding a five-game home stand, the Sun Devils are anxious to set up their tents in enemy territory. ASU has not played on the road since Nov. 11, 1995 in a 38-29 win over California in Berkeley.
"We look forward to getting on the wagon and moving to another stadium (and) invading their stadium and taking it over," said sophomore tailback Marlon Farlow, who rushed for a career-high 125 yards on 26 carries and one touchdown in a backup role.
Boise State won't likely venture back to Tempe any time soon. The Broncos were held at the mercy of ASU, which tallied 56 unanswered points, after Boise State marched 80 yards on five plays for a 7-0 lead. Bronco quarterback Tony Hilde evaded an ASU blitz to find an open Andre Horace on a 42-yard strike.
"I don't know what happened," junior linebacker Pat Tillman said of the touchdown. "They took us by surprise. I don't know why, we felt prepared. They came out tough. We corrected that."
ASU's defense did just that. It surrendered only 156 yards the rest of the way and the Sun Devils' offense started to move the ball after getting shut out on their first drive. It was the first time this season that ASU had not scored a touchdown on its opening drive.
The Sun Devils responded in big fashion. Five plays, 80 yards, one minute and 13 seconds later, ASU capped off the drive with a Terry Battle 12-yard run into the end zone to knot the score. The junior tailback finished with seven carries for 83 yards and two touchdowns.
The rest is history.
After building a commanding 42-7 lead at halftime, ASU played the second half with mostly second and third stringers.
ASU's only second half points came on two defensive touchdowns, including Tillman's 16-yard interception return and another by sophomore defensive end Derrick Ford, who recovered his own forced fumble, by racing 55 yards for a score.
"I've been on that other sideline before and I don't want to be there again," Snyder said of not running up the score against the undermanned Broncos. "I know that (Boise State head coach Tom Mason) didn't enjoy that game much."
Senior quarterback Jake Plummer was replaced with sophomore Steve Campbell, who was replaced with freshman Chad Brown, who was replaced with freshman Gus Farwell.
At one point ASU fielded a linebacker corp consisting of three walk-ons including Jeff Boyer, Shane Shafer and Zack Levenson.
Probably the busiest Sun Devil of the them all was Sparky. The ASU mascot does one pushup for every Sun Devil point on the scoreboard following each of ASU's scores. That's a total of 252 if you are counting.
By Josh DeFamio
State Press
ASU's 42-7 halftime lead over Boise State on Saturday presented Head Coach Bruce Snyder with a very attractive opportunity.
Facing a game every week until mid-November, Snyder saw a chance to give his star players a small breather. In turn, he was given an unexpected boost by the play of their backups.
"That is so good for us," Snyder said of the play of the reserves. "All these guys getting all that playing time, (it really helps the team)."
There were so many substitutions that ASU's high powered offense, expected by many to run up the score against the lowly Broncos, were unable to score in the second half, while led by second- and third-string quarterbacks Steve Campbell and Gus Farwell, respectively.
However, getting the ball in the end zone was not the purpose of the switch.
"It's good for those guys behind me to get some snaps," said starting quarterback Jake Plummer. "They haven't had many (snaps) this year. It's good experience for them to get in and see what it's like. No matter what the score is like, they still need to go out there and take a lot of snaps."
The star of the offensive backups was clearly sophomore tailback Marlon Farlow. Subbing for starters Terry Battle and Michael Martin, Farlow carried the ball 26 times for 125 yards. He also took the ball two yards into the end zone for a second quarter touchdown.
Despite the personal accomplishments in his break-out game, Farlow is still concentrating more on how he can help improve the Sun Devils.
"I'm just trying to contribute to the team and give it my all," he said. "I had a little bit of doubt (about getting playing time), but it all worked out for the best. I am just trying to do the best I can to help this team get to the Rose Bowl. That's our goal. That's our dream."
The defensive backups also performed well, holding Boise State scoreless and even scoring a touchdown themselves. Backup defensive end Derek Ford picked up a fourth quarter fumble and returned it 58 yards for the score.
After the game, Ford, who also had two sacks, was more pleased with his overall effort than with the touchdown itself.
"I think (the playing time) will give the coaches more confidence in me," he said. "When they see me going in to do what I'm supposed to do, what I've been coached to do, when (starting end) Derek Rogers gets tired, they know they can put me in and I'll do what I'm supposed to do."
Snyder hinted that some players would be valuable in the upcoming games, although he gave no indication of who would play or how much time they would get. He did, however, indicate how much the extra time would help ASU's depth.
"You get better in practice, and you should get better in practice because that is what practice is for," Snyder said. "But the games accelerate the process. (The players) deserve it. They've been practicing hard. They got to play, and that is what is really important."
Despite the performance of the reserves, it is clear that Snyder will stick with his starters when the team travels to Los Angeles next week to take on the UCLA Bruins.
By Dustin Krugel
State Press
PASADENA, Calif. - Maybe all ASU/UCLA football games should come with a warning label to Bruin fans that reads: "Long doses of exposure can create severe blockage in the windpipe."
Choking seems to have become habitual the last two years, just ask the Bruins, who have blown 21 and 17 point leads in consecutive seasons. Luckily for UCLA, ASU is not on its schedule until 1999.
"I have a sick feeling in my stomach," first-year head coach Bob Toledo said Saturday after No.4 ASU (6-0, 3-0 Pac-10) rallied from a 28-7 deficit to stun UCLA (2-3, 1-1), 42-34 in the Rose Bowl in Pasadena.
Toledo has all the symptoms of Plummeritis - a common complaint from opposing coaches this year.
ASU quarterback Jake Plummer ignited a rally with his arms, legs and hands, literally, in front of 66,107 spectators.
Plummer gave ASU its first lead, 35-34, with a 6:33 left to play on a 16-yard touchdown reception from freshman tailback J.R. Redmond.
Plummer eluded several Bruin defenders before diving in the end zone. The senior also rushed for a touchdown and threw a 23-yard strike to sophomore wide receiver Kenny Mitchell in the decisive final 15 minutes.
"I'm even more convinced now than I was before. There is nobody in America today, that did more for their team than what he did on Saturday," ASU head coach Bruce Snyder said of his Heisman trophy candidate. "I don't know what else from an offensive standpoint that he can do."
When the offense wasn't doing damage in the fourth quarter, the defense was by forcing two fumbles and one interception. The Bruins gained only 54 of their 507 total yards in the fourth quarter.
The first fumble, on a bad exchange at the Bruin 17-yard line between sophomore quarterback Cade McNown and junior tailback Skip Hicks, resulted in the go-ahead touchdown. Hicks became the only rusher to gain over 100 yards against ASU this season (114).
"I don't know what happened," said a dehydrated Hicks, who laid on the field motionless after the play. "I might have been wide on the play. After the play I was kicked in the head while I was trying to get the ball."Prior to the fourth quarter, ASU's best hope of stopping UCLA's offense was to pray. The persistent McNown split apart the Sun Devil defense by passing for a career-high 395 yards on 22 of 41 passes and three touchdowns and one interception.
"It was a little frustrating because we have a big target on our chests," said senior defensive end Brent Burnstein, who blocked an errant field goal attempt in the second quarter. "We are going to be getting everybody's best effort. They were doing some things that were frustrating us a little bit. The team stayed together and nobody pointed fingers."
In an attempt to fluster McNown, Snyder said ASU resorted to putting more pressure on the red-hot quarterback with eight- and nine-man fronts. Snyder also pulled out his starting secondary at one point in the second half.
"We increasingly brought more blitz as they game wore on," he said. "Eventually, I believe it took its toll on the running back and the quarterback. (McNown) wasn't nearly as accurate later in the game. I think that was because we kept on bringing more and more heat."
Snyder later added, "We pounded that quarterback. I bet he can't walk (Sunday). He'll be walking around very gingerly."
McNown seemed to be pushing all the right buttons early. He directed the Bruins to four touchdowns on their first six drives of the game against the No. 1-ranked defense in the Pac-10. The ecstatic crowd at one point began cheering "overrated, overrated" and mocking the No. 4 team in the nation.
The Sun Devils may have been stunned from the early onslaught. Before Saturday, ASU had never trailed after the half this season.
"I told the team, 'Hey relax,'" said Snyder about his halftime pep talk. "We were wound so tight. We were ratcheting up to where nobody was having a bit of fun, not one lick of fun. That's all we needed to do in my opinion was relax and feel at ease with our own ability to make plays."
Snyder said he can't compare this comeback to any other he's had as a coach, including last year's 37-33 thriller in Sun Devil Stadium.
"We seen everything," an overwhelmed Snyder said. "We were 21 points down on the road. That was monumental. It's almost like you can't do it. I don't know if I've ever been on the team that's come from 21 down on the road."
By Dustin Krugel
State Press
PASADENA, Calif. - It's a sight most head coaches would fear the most, seeing their starting quarterback running a pass pattern.
But in a critical juncture in No. 4 ASU's 42-34 win over UCLA, it unveiled the "Snake Pass."
In an attempt to exploit an aggressive man-to-man defense in the Red Zone (inside the opponent's 20-yard line), ASU devised an almost flawless play. During practice last week it had a success rate of almost 100 percent against the scout team, Head Coach Bruce Snyder said.
It involved senior quarterback Jake "The Snake" Plummer and freshman tailback J.R. Redmond. Plummer would pitch to Redmond, who would draw the defense to one side, and throw to a supposed wide-open Plummer on the opposite side of the field.
However, when the play was called on a second down and 10 yards to go on the Bruins' 16-yard line, Plummer ended up having to catch a slightly under thrown pass and evade several would-be tacklers. His head-first dive into the end zone gave ASU its first lead in the game, 35-34 with 6:33 left to play.
"It did not go totally as it was planned," Snyder said. "We felt like we could get him open through the boundary with the run, but he cuts right back into the teeth of the Bruins. He is so slippery. I guess that is why he is the 'Snake.'"
Plummer said if Redmond, had thrown a perfect pass, he might of bobbled it away.
"It's probably good I had to come back for the ball," he said. "I might have dropped it if I was alone in the end zone or something."
Redmond, who played quarterback among his eight positions at Carson High School (Calif.), has had the option to pass on a couple of trick plays earlier this season, but he didn't pull the trigger.
"I could have thrown it better than I did," he said. "I couldn't see Jake all that well with all the bodies, but we did the best we could do and it turned out to be good enough."
Don't look for Snyder to complain.
"Wasn't it brilliant or what?" Snyder asked.
Snyder said he wasn't concerned about making the same mistake twice despite an earlier failed attempt on a trick play.
On ASU's first offensive series of the game the drive was thwarted by Bruin safety Abdul McCullough, who intercepted an ill-advised pass by sophomore wide receiver Ricky Boyer on a reverse into double coverage at the Bruins' 10-yard line. It didn't help either, that Boyer's primary target, sophomore wide receiver Lenzie Jackson, slipped on the play.
"I have a part of me that when it becomes crunch (time). Blockers block, runners run, catchers catch, and throwers throw,"
Snyder said of his only doubt. "Don't ask somebody in crunch time
to do something other than that. The only thing I was a bit hesitant was
asking a runner to throw and thrower to catch. And yet we have good thrower
and runner, but yet it worked."
By Dustin Krugel
State Press
Taking the easy way out has not been an option for No. 4 ASU this season.
Ahead comfortably 42-21 in the season opener against Washington, the Sun Devils squandered the 21-point lead in less than four minutes, but prevailed on a last-second field goal by junior placekicker Robert Nycz.
Two weeks ago on the road against UCLA, ASU trailed 28-7 in the second quarter before prevailing 42-34 in dramatic fashion with a five-touchdown performance by senior quarterback Jake Plummer.
The Sun Devils' (7-0, 4-0 Pac-10) latest chapter can be added to that legacy, a 48-35 double-overtime thriller over USC (4-3, 2-2) Saturday at Sun Devil Stadium, in front of the largest crowd (74, 947) to witness an ASU game. The victory leaves the Sun Devils as the only undefeated team in the Pac-10 and the odds-on favorite to go the Rose Bowl, after Washington State defeated California 21-18 Saturday.
"We've had drama. This is a drama. Isn't it?," ASU head coach Bruce Snyder said. "It's not a comedy. It's not a tragedy. It's a drama."
ASU played the entire regulation without one single lead and rallied from 14-0, 21-14, 28-21 and 35-28 deficits.
In any previous year, the game would have ended in a 28-28 tie, but with the new rule changes this season, ASU and USC were allowed one offensive series each starting at the opposing team's 25-yard line and a first down and 10 yards to go. Play continues until one team outscores the other after each team has had an offensive series.
"Coach Snyder said we've been in every single possible situation a team can be in, but he forgot to mention overtime before the game," senior offensive tackle Juan Roque said. "So I guess that would cover all bases."
After winning the coin toss ASU elected to defend on the first offensive series in overtime and of course, ASU found itself behind when USC quarterback Brad Otton connected on 11-yard touchdown pass to Rodney Sermons.
"I thought it is was going to be a field goal and we'd go for the touchdown and win it," Snyder said of the Trojans' drive.
ASU then got the ball back, but needed to score a touchdown on its next series to keep the game from ending. On a critical third-down-and-two call, the Sun Devils opted to pass and senior wide receiver Keith Poole pulled down a six-yard strike from Plummer to tie the score at 35-35.
In the second overtime, USC chose to go on defense first and ASU went on the offensive and it didn't waste anytime taking its first lead. Junior tailback Terry Battle scampered 25 yards unscathed into the end zone on the first play.
"I think (USC's) gas tanks were done," Snyder said. "If (Battle) sees the end zone he has fresh legs."
ASU wasn't able to celebrate until an apparent forward pass by Otton was ruled a fumble and redshirt freshman Courtney Jackson scooped it up and raced 85 yards for the touchdown.
"I wasn't sure at first. The referees just looked at me, 'Why aren't you running faster.' Then I took it to the end zone," he said.
Plummer, who struggled in the first half with three interceptions (his total coming into the game), got untracked in the second half with a 21-yard pass to senior tight end Steve Bush in the fourth quarter and the overtime pass to Poole.
"It just seems like if you give us one way or another, the easy way or the hard way, we are going to choose the hard way," said Plummer, who finished with career highs in passing attempts (44) and completions (26) and passed for 277 yards.
Plummer, who guided ASU to 98- and 78-yard drives in the fourth quarter, said this team thrives under pressure. On fourth down and two yards to go on USC's 17-yard line, Plummer found an open Bush for 10 yards. Bush, who had not played since suffering a knee injury in the third game of the year against Nebraska, returned with seven receptions for 78 yards.
"We are a pressure team," he said. "When we are ahead by 30 points we probably couldn't score, but if we are down and we have to score, we usually get it done."
USC head coach John Robinson was in awe of Plummer in the second half.
"Jake Plummer is one of the best competitive players that I have seen," he said. "I hesitant to mention him in the kind of light we use for a Joe Montana. But he is as similiar as Joe Montana was, in terms of his style of football and his ability to make plays than anybody that I've seen. And yes, he's too small to be a high draft pick choice in the NFL, just like Joe Montana."
After a miraculous 98-yard kickoff return by R. Jay Soward that lifted USC to a 28-21 lead with less than seven minutes to play, Snyder said it may have helped push the offense.
"I don't think it crosses their mind that they can't do it," Snyder said. "I think our offense said 'OK we are taking off the gloves. That's it. Here we go.' We scored every time we had the ball after that. Most teams I think, and maybe the ones in the past, would have said it's not in the stars."
By Randy Jones
State Press
With starting tailback Michael Martin probably out for the season with a fractured vertebrate, ASU's other running backs knew they would have to turn it up a notch in order to keep their storybook season alive.
Dedicating the game to their fallen teammate, tailbacks freshman J.R. Redmond and junior Terry Battle each wore Martin's No. 29 on their uniforms.
Battle proceeded to have the best game of his career. Starting for the first time as a Sun Devil, Battle rushed for 184 yards on 30 carries with four touchdowns, all career highs.
"This one was for Mike," said Battle, who wore Martin's No. 29 on his wrist during the game. "Mike is a great running back. I got the opportunity, unfortunately, to play in his spot. I told him I was playing it for him. I love him and he gave me confidence. He told me to just run the ball, that's all you need to do."
Redmond, sporting a No. 29 on his right leg, pledged to keep the number on until Martin returns.
"Every week he's out I guarantee I'm going to have something that says No. 29 somewhere," he said. "We love him like an anchor. He holds down the offense."
Battle proved to be a clutch performer as well, as his touchdowns came at important junctures in the game.
In the second quarter, with ASU down 14-0, Battle capped an 89-yard drive with a 32-yard scamper into the end zone.
Five minutes later, Battle scored on an 18-yarder, on a fourth-down play, to tie up the score going into halftime.
"I think (USC) got confused there," Head Coach Bruce Snyder said. "I put (tight end) Devin Kendall on the line of scrimmage as a fourth blocker. They lost the third tight end. They were like 'Where do we line up?' We snapped the ball and got them a bit out of place."
But none of Battle's touchdowns were bigger than the last. Battle's 25-yard score put ASU up for good, 42-35, on the first play in the second overtime period.
Battle bobbled the ball at first, but recovered in time to go untouched into the end zone.
"I knew I had to get the ball in the end zone," Battle said. "The offensive line did a hell of a job blocking on that play. Keith Poole did an excellent job down-field blocking. I did take my eyes off the ball to look for the blocks, but it worked out well and we got the victory."
Twice Battle followed the offensive line's favorite call - the counter trey -in for scores, including the game winner.
"That's our play," senior offensive tackle Juan Roque said. "(Kyle) Murphy and myself pull through that lane, get it open and you see when we block that play perfectly it goes for a long way."
Battle's speed and moves in the field kept the Trojan defense off balance the entire game, said USC junior defensive tackle Darrell Russell.
"Terry Battle's pretty fast," Russell said. "He used his speed to their advantage. We were getting lots of upfield pressure (on ASU). When we did get up there for pressure, they used him for draws and things like that."
Snyder said Battle proved he is a big-time player.
"Terry just stepped up (Saturday)," he said. "We all knew he was a good back, but he got the chance to start against one of the premiere programs in America and he showed everybody what he could do."
By Doug Cook
State Press
USC quarterback Brad Otton has often used the shovel pass in the past.
So when the 6-foot-6, 235-pound senior signal-caller resorted to the seldom-used underhand toss on the last play of the second overtime against ASU, he expected the game's officials to recognize what he was doing.
Instead, the crew thought he fumbled the ball, resulting in a turnover for a touchdown that preserved the win for the 4th-ranked Sun Devils in double overtime, 48-35.
"You guys have seen me do that play a million times," a distraught Otton said to the media of the shovel pass play that went awry. "I've completed a lot of passes like that. Maybe I don't know the rules."
After the Sun Devils took the lead in the second overtime period, 42-35, USC received one last shot to tie the game and send it into a third extra session.
On third down and seven at the ASU 22-yard line, Otton went back to pass. As Otton scrambled, Sun Devil defensive lineman Albrey Battle caught up with the Trojan quarterback.
With Battle's arms draped over him, Otton looked downfield for one of his receivers. As Otton threw the underhanded shovel pass, intended for junior running back LaVale Woods, the game's officials thought Battle forced a fumble as it fell incomplete.
"It was the same play we ran the play before, hoping to get someone to come underneath (ASU's coverage)," Otton said of the final offensive snap for the Trojans. "They (ASU) were playing real physical defense on our receivers. So we were trying to beat their man-to-man coverage. We didn't, and I was trying to get rid of the ball."
Thinking the play would be called dead, Otton and his teammates stood in disbelief as ASU defensive back Courtney Jackson scooped up the ball at the 15-yard line and ran 85 yards for a touchdown and the victory.
"I thought the guy was just screwing around," Otton said of Jackson running to the end zone for the touchdown. "All of our guys did. We were all standing there and everyone saw it (shovel pass) pretty clearly."
USC head coach John Robinson said he couldn't tell what happened.
"I didn't see Brad Otton insist that he was trying to pass on the last play and throw an underhand pass," he said. "The referees saw that differently. That was the end (of the game) for us."
Trojan junior defensive tackle Darrell Russell didn't blame Otton for the loss. He said he wished his defensive unit could've kept the same pressure on Sun Devil quarterback Jake Plummer throughout the whole game as it did in the first half.
"We just needed to play Trojan defense," Russell said. "That's how we got two turnovers in the beginning. That's how we shut them down in the second half. Once everybody started to buckle down and become disciplined, we started to play our game. And once we started to lose our heads they (ASU) capitalized."
In the fourth quarter, ASU's offense controlled the ball for 12:25 of the period's 15 minutes. That helped Plummer get the Sun Devils back in the game.
Otton blamed himself for the Trojan offense's sluggish play in the final quarter.
"Obviously, we didn't do a great job of keeping our defense off
the field," Otton said. "Our defense was real tired. They gave
it everything they had and we kind of let them down."
By Dustin Krugel
State Press
STANFORD, Calif. - ASU head coach Bruce Snyder let out a huge sigh of relief Sunday after learning the Sun Devils can lose one of their three remaining games and still crown themselves Pac-10 champs.
With a victory next Saturday at Oregon State, No. 4 ASU can clinch a Rose Bowl berth with a win over Cal on Nov. 9 at Sun Devil Stadium.
Sound familiar? ASU assured itself of a Rose Bowl appearance with a 49-0 win over guess who, the Golden Bears, on Nov. 8, 1986 at Sun Devil Stadium.
Of course, nobody is going to be happy if ASU stumbles in one of its remaining three games, Snyder said.
"People are putting a moving target on us. Nobody will be happy if we finish 8-3. There is a good deal at stake. The stakes double it seems like almost by game. If we lose any one of these last three games, (critics would say) 'Yep, we knew that Nebraska game was a fluke.'"
The Sun Devils (8-0, 5-0 Pac-10) are in this enviable position after UCLA knocked off Cal, 38-29 and USC defeated Washington State 29-24 on Saturday. Washington (5-2, 4-1) is the only other team in the conference with less than two conference losses and ASU has the tiebreaker with the Huskies because of its 45-42 head-to-head opening-day victory.
ASU maintained its Rose Bowl course Saturday by disposing of a lagging Stanford (2-5, 1-3) squad 41-9 on the road in front of 32,550 fans.
For the first time since the Sept. 28 contest versus Oregon, ASU jumped to an early 21-0 lead after one quarter of play. In the three games prior to the Stanford game, the Sun Devils had to recover from 7-0, 28-7 and 14-0 deficits.
Wide receiver Keith Poole was the main beneficiary early, with six catches for 95 yards in the first quarter. The senior finished with 10 receptions for 162 yards.
"(Poole) came up to me before the game and said, 'Let's get started quick,'" Plummer said of his go-to-guy. "Usually I've been hitting him a little later. He was getting open. By the way it worked out, he had a huge day. We got the ball in the right guy's hands."
The fourth quarter may have been a bore to the 5,000 Sun Devil fans who made the trek to Stanford Stadium. There was no double overtime, no Jake Plummer touchdown catch and no fourth-quarter magic, but there wasn't much need for it, as ASU led 38-9 after three quarters.
"We were hopeful that one of these days we would get a boring fourth quarter," Snyder said. "I was really pleased with the fact that our defense shut them out after halftime."
At halftime things weren't quite as jovial. After three consecutive Lance Anderson punts, ASU's lead was quickly diminished to 21-9.
"They were outplaying us," Snyder said of getting outscored 9-0 in the second quarter. "I thought we went up 21-0 and put up an anchor. I was not happy at all. It looked to me like we were practicing."
ASU's offense was upset with the 'O-fer' in second quarter.
"We keep doing that," said Plummer, a senior, who completed 21 of 34 passes for 316 yards for two touchdowns and one interception before getting pulled for backup sophomore Steve Campbell with 9:38 left to play. "We get out to a big lead then we kind of went into a slump offensively and let them back into it. We have to learn hopefully by the end of the season, when we get a lead, to keep going and going (and) don't look back."
ASU's defense made for a lackluster second half by holding the Cardinal scoreless.
"When we came out in the second half, we weren't too happy with them scoring," said junior linebacker Pat Tillman, who intercepted his fourth pass of the season in the third quarter."We knew we had to come back and show that wasn't us."
The defense set up ASU's first two offensive scores in the third quarter with two consecutive interceptions by redshirt freshman Courtney Jackson and Tillman.
"We don't score consistently, but we can score in bunches," Snyder said of the 17 points scored by the offense in the third quarter. "All of a sudden bam, bam, bam. That was really the telling quarter."
By Dustin Krugel
State Press
STANFORD, Calif. - No. 4 ASU may need to place an ad in the classified section for healthy tailbacks, as the number of healthy tailbacks has dwindled to one.
"The critical thing we are looking at is tailback," ASU head coach Bruce Snyder said at his Sunday press conference.
Junior Terry Battle (shin) and J.R. Redmond (back) are questionable for Saturday's game against Oregon State after suffering injuries in ASU's 41-9 blowout of Stanford on Saturday.
ASU's starting tailback for the first six games of the season was junior Michael Martin, but he was lost for the season after fracturing a vertebrae in his neck in the UCLA game.
Snyder hinted that he might have to move another player from a different position to fill in the gap. Sophomore Ricky Boyer was mentioned as a possibility. Boyer had four receptions for 62 yards against the Cardinal.
"Maybe that's the answer," Snyder said. "(Boyer) would be exciting."
Fourth-string tailback Marlon Farlow took advantage of a depleted running back corp by rushing for 74 yards on 16 carries in the second half.
"You've got to be ready all the time," the sophomore said. "The coaches always tell us that you never know when your number is going to be called. When it is, you've got to be ready to go in there and do your thing."
When Farlow needed a rest in the fourth quarter, he called on an unlikely candidate at tailback, 238-pound flyback Jeff Paulk.
In the third quarter, the sophomore scored his first touchdown of his Sun Devil career on a 1-yard plunge.
"I didn't want to be denied of the touchdown," Paulk said of the play. "When I got the ball, I lowered my shoulders and drove in without even looking for a hole."
Paulk was actually lined up as a tailback on ASU's first touchdown of the game in the first quarter. After Scott Von der Ahe's interception, Paulk switched positions with Redmond on the ensuing play.
A confused Stanford defense left Redmond open on a 31-yard touchdown reception.
"It was the first time we had done that," Snyder said of lining Paulk up at tailback. "It was after a change of possession, so we huddled on the sidelines and ran out (and) went into our stances."
By Dustin Krugel
State Press
STANFORD, Calif. - ASU's offense may want take the defense out for lunch this week after it served up several goodies for the offense on Saturday.
The Sun Devil defense was responsible for four Stanford turnovers (three interceptions and one fumble recovery), which led to 24 points. On all four possessions the offense started with ball in Stanford territory.
After seeing ASU's defense accumulate five touchdowns and three safeties in its first seven games, senior linebacker Scott Von der Ahe was thinking six points for himself when he intercepted Cardinal quarterback Chad Hutchinson and rambled 29 yards before unintentional stepping out of bounds at Stanford's 31-yard line in the first quarter.
"I was thinking of scoring right away when I got the ball," a semi-frustrated Von der Ahe said afterward. "I don't know, I got tired real fast. I was going to try to juke (the defender), but he got my leg. I'm not used to looking for the line and I stepped out of balance, I guess. I thought I could get at least another 15 yards and maybe (a) touchdown. Oh well, we got a touchdown the next play."Indeed, ASU's offense finished what Von der Ahe started.
One play and eight seconds later, the Sun Devils took a 7-0 early nod thanks to a scrambling Jake Plummer, who found freshman tailback J.R. Redmond wide open for a 31-yard touchdown.
For Von der Ahe, it was his second interception of his career. Against BYU last season, the 247-pounder carried himself 31 yards for a touchdown.
"Ever since that play all I think is points," he said. "Sometimes when the ball is coming, I'm thinking of scoring before I even get the ball. I might drop it."
Von der Ahe wasn't the only linebacker getting his hands on the ball. Junior linebacker Pat Tillman hauled in his fourth interception of the season, which netted a Robert Nycz field goal. For Nycz, a junior, it was his first field goal attempt in 16 quarters dating back to the Oregon game on Sept. 28.
"Tillman's getting picks all over the place," Von der Ahe said of his linebacking partner. "He's like a cornerback playing linebacker."
After Hutchinson left with an injured thumb in the first quarter, ASU's defense momentarily let redshirt freshman backup John Husak get the Cardinal back in the game. Stanford rattled off nine unanswered points in the second quarter, including a 45-yard strike to tight end Greg Clark.
"They kind of got it going there for a little awhile," Tillman said of the Cardinal offense. "It happens. In a football game there is a lot of up and downs. If you can be on the upside the whole game you are doing a damn good job. They had a little bit of an up, but it's part of the game."
The second half was completely another story. Stanford, the worst offensive ranked team in the Pac-10 in total yards, rushing, and scoring, was limited to only 93 yards in the second half.
The Cardinal did not gain a first down in the second half until 6:30 left in the game. Prior to Husak's 17-yard first down pass to wide receiver Troy Walters, Stanford had gained only 20 yards of offense in the second half.
Stanford's quarterbacks combined for 20 of 41 passes for one touchdown and three interceptions. Redshirt freshman Courtney Jackson, in his first collegiate start due to a groin injury to Marcus Soward, helped contribute to the Cardinal miscues. He intercepted a deflected ball off of the hands of Stanford wide receiver Brian Manning in the third quarter.
"Courtney is a flashy player," ASU head coach Bruce Snyder said. "So he'll make plays. I think we are comfortably with him at corner. He's going to be very good."
Plummer, a senior, appreciated all the gimmes from the defense.
"They got the ball for us a lot," he said. "That's what
allowed for us to put up for 41 points."
By Dustin Krugel
State Press
Ten years ago, ASU cinched its only Rose Bowl berth with a victory over California at Sun Devil Stadium.
Now an encore performance may be in the works on Saturday, as No. 4 ASU (9-0, 6-0 Pac-10) hosts Cal (6-2, 3-2) at 4:30 p.m.
ASU needs either a win over Cal or UofA on Nov. 23 to crown itself Pac-10 Champions and earn a trip to Pasadena. The Sun Devils are in this enviable position after a strong second-half showing and a 29-14 victory against lightly-regarded Oregon State (1-7, 1-5) last Saturday in Corvallis.
Down 14-9 at halftime, ASU head coach Bruce Snyder's worst nightmare was becoming reality. Snyder said last week he was "very concerned" about the game. His view was not shared by many, as ASU entered the game as 23-point favorites.
"I knew the Beavers were going to be this way," Snyder said. "They were almost on a religious crusade, in terms of how hard they were going to play."
ASU quietly may have been thinking of the Rose Bowl in the first half, as a sleepy offense failed to score a first-half touchdown, and the defense failed to contain OSU's option.
The Beavers' option poked holes in ASU's No. 1-ranked rush defense in the conference, as their running attack piled up 245 yards in the first half. The Sun Devil defense hadn't given up more than 130 yards rushing in any game this season. The Beavers finished with 309 yards on the ground.
OSU quarterback Tim Alexander made his first start after missing four games with a hamstring injury, but he didn't appear to have much rust. Alexander rushed 180 yards, with 48 yards coming on a touchdown run, which gave OSU a 14-6 lead with 5:48 left to play in the second quarter.
ASU solved its defensive woes with a few adjustments in the second half, but even more importantly, the defense started to finally wrap up and bring down OSU's runners on first contact.
"I don't care what scheme. It doesn't matter what the scheme is. If you do not tackle on defense, if you don't come off blocks and tackle ... it does not matter what you are playing," Snyder said. "You could line up in a 20-man front and it would not matter."
ASU's offense moved the ball across midfield in the first half, but stalled deep into OSU territory. The Sun Devils settled for three field goals by junior place kicker Robert Nycz.
Senior quarterback Jake Plummer, who completed 11 of 22 passes for 146 yards and no touchdowns or interceptions, may not have helped his Heisman cause, but Snyder said Plummer was himself.
"The best thing Jake does is lead his team," Snyder said. "He does a great job in the huddle. He settles guys down. From that standpoint he led his team to a victory.
"We may be getting a bit spoiled and used to him throwing for more numbers. But this is a very difficult environment for us. They pressure every single down and we were not able, other than for once or twice, to make bleed for all their pressure. And, they use up so much of the clock with their running. You don't get many chances."
ASU's Terry Battle and Jeff Paulk ran for a career-highs in rushing against OSU. Battle, a junior tailback rushed for 190 yards and one touchdown. Battle also had a 100-yard kickoff return in the opening seconds of the third quarter.
Paulk, a sophomore flyback, rushed for 114 yards on 11 carries, including
a 52-yard run in the second quarter.
By Dustin Krugel
State Press
Now that the "thing" is signed, sealed and delivered, what about "it"?
"It" is the national championship that could become reality if the fourth-ranked ASU football team (10-0) closes out the season with two wins.
Two weeks ago, ASU head coach Bruce Snyder's superstitious nature was exposed when he swapped the words Rose Bowl with the "thing."
"You can't deny it anymore," senior quarterback Jake Plummer said of ASU's 35-7 shell-shocking of California. A record 74,963 fans attended Saturday's game at Sun Devil Stadium. "It's reality. It's here. We are the Pac-10 champs, which means we are going to the Rose Bowl. No sense trying to candycoat it anymore."
With a Rose Bowl bid guaranteed, Snyder may need to adopt a new euphemism. For ASU to receive its first-ever national championship, the team needs to defeat rival UofA on Nov. 23 in Tucson and receive a little help from its likely opponent in the Rose Bowl - No. 2 Ohio State (9-0).
"That scenario places a huge importance on that Tucson game," Snyder said. "The thing (national championship) is not even possible without doing what we set out to do in Tucson."
Ohio State can clinch a berth in the Rose Bowl with a win at Indiana on Saturday, but the Buckeyes must also defeat No. 16 Michigan on Nov. 23 to keep alive any national title talk.
After No. 1 Florida and No. 3 Florida State meet in Tallahassee on Nov. 30, ASU would likely move up to No. 3 in the rankings and could potentially create a No. 2 vs. No. 3 matchup in the Rose Bowl.
The Florida/FSU winner will play in the Sugar Bowl against the next best ranked team that isn't locked into another bowl. As it stands now, No. 5 Nebraska would be the likely opponent. The Pac-10/Big Ten champions are locked into the Rose Bowl this season.
Nebraska could hold the key to ASU's national championship aspirations. A Cornhusker win in the Sugar Bowl on Jan. 2, combined with an ASU victory over Ohio State in the Rose Bowl the night before, would likely move ASU into the No. 1 ranking. The Sun Devils defeated the Cornhuskers 19-0 earlier this season.
"Our team goal," said senior offensive tackle Juan Roque, "was to go to the Rose Bowl and win the Rose Bowl, but if we go down and beat UofA, we'll see. Why not?" In ASU's only other Rose Bowl appearance in 1987, that team was stunned by the UofA in Tucson. It spoiled what would have been an undefeated season for the Sun Devils.
"When we get there for the (Rose Bowl), we are going to be undefeated," Snyder promised. "That is our plan. I know how tough a game that is. Hell, I've been in it. So I know they are not easy and the best doesn't always win. Not always does the ball bounce the right way."
Snyder said the national championship has never been an issue of discussion with this year's team in the preseason.
"When we were in Camp Tontozona I don't know if it ever dawned on us that that might be an issue," Snyder said. "We just said we want to win the Pac-10 Championship, go to the Rose Bowl and win that game. Those were the words we kept on using."
By Becky Hill
State Press
The ruckus wasn't just at Sun Devil Stadium as the Sun Devils secured a Rose Bowl spot.
Following the game Saturday, fans toppled goalposts, Memorial Union furniture, and in some cases each other. But Tempe police, the ASU Department of Public Safety and members of the MU administration downplayed much of the hoopla and chalked it up to fan enthusiasm.
The new goalposts, put up in September when a similar ritual followed the ASU victory over Nebraska, were dismantled by fans, then paraded down the street by four or five different bands of celebrants. Each group was in charge of a different piece of the fallen symbols of the Sun Devil's victory.
Though ASU Chief of Police Lanny Standridge would not condone tearing down the goalposts, he seemed less concerned about the University property and more concerned with the threat of injury.
Standridge said stadium management had hoped to minimize the crowd on the field and take the posts down themselves, but never had a chance.
"You must realize if thousands of wildly enthusiastic celebrants come pouring onto the field there is no staffing level that could possibly repel that," Standridge said.
Sgt. Toby Dyas, public information officer for the Tempe Police Department, said the goalpost abduction was not a complete surprise and the officers did what they could.
"When you have that many people, you just try to oversee the crowd," he said. "We kind of let them celebrate and enjoy themselves a little bit."
But according to Dyas, the party did reach a point where some officers felt a little crowd control and a little mace were necessary.
"We had a situation on Mill (Avenue) and Third (Street) where people were getting knocked over by the mob and trampled," he said.
In an attempt to protect these fallen fans, Dyas said officers tried to disperse the crowd and get people off of the ground.
"Some people didn't want to let go of it (the goalpost) and a few officers used their mace," he said.
According to MU Associate Director Randy Johnson, another group of about 300 took their celebration and a piece of the goalpost to campus and marched into the MU and the SRC.
"It was just kind of a walk through," he said. "It only lasted about 10 minutes. Just long enough to walk from the north end to the south end, make some noise and turn over some tables and chairs."
Johnson also said ketchup and mustard packets were splattered all over the floor in the part of the MU known as the "marketplace." A door, a hole in the wall and a trash receptacle must be repaired.
"I would say damage is about $150," he said. "It was really more of a mess than anything else. They were having fun."
Standridge said he wasn't aware of any reported injuries from the rush onto the field or the removal of the goalposts, but the potential was there.
"About a minute or a minute and a half before the game even ended, people began scaling the fence and positioned themselves in the area where the disabled were viewing the game," he said.
Standridge said the fans in this section were in a vulnerable position and it is these types of situations that concern him.
"Not that the fans would do anything purposely or maliciously, but in the heat of the moment some fans did not realize what they were doing."
Even though there were some problems associated with the post-game revelry, Standridge understood the fans' excitement.
"We're proud of our team," he said. "We were pulling for them as much as anyone."
By Dustin Krugel
State Press
TUCSON - The ASU football team doesn't live in the past, and Saturday it provided another simple reminder to historians that the 1996 version is like no other.
Again and again last week the team was reminded of ASU's first Rose Bowl team. Ten years ago, archrival UofA knocked that bowl team off its undefeated perch 34-17 at Arizona Stadium.
Entering Saturday's game against the Wildcats in Tucson, ASU had beaten UofA only twice since 1982. The Sun Devils had lost the last three contests, including last year's 31-28 heartbreaker at Sun Devil Stadium.
A record 59,920 fans turned out Saturday at Arizona Stadium for the game.
Would history repeat itself?
"That's all over," said senior middle linebacker Scott Von der Ahe after Saturday's 56-14 beating of the UofA. "I didn't really think back to the history. Everyone thought we were going to lose because of the past years and everything.
"This is the '96 Sun Devils and I don't care about all that. We are going to come after every team and play hard. We have great, talented players and a lot of heart. You can't just say we are going to lose to an Arizona team that's (5-5 and now 5-6). They can't even faze us."
ASU completed the regular season with an 11-0 record for the first time since 1975, when then-coach Frank Kush finished the season with a perfect 12-0 record, including a Fiesta Bowl victory over Nebraska.
The win vaulted ASU up to No. 3 in the AP and USA Today/CNN Coaches' Polls Sunday after No. 2 Ohio State lost Saturday 13-9 to Michigan.
The Buckeyes' (10-1) loss means that the Rose Bowl will not be the battle of the undefeated everyone wanted, but ASU still holds the hope of finishing No. 1 with a victory over Ohio State on Jan. 1.
"I don't know what the circumstances are, but we'll take care of our end of the deal," said senior linebacker Derek Smith. Smith finished with nine tackles - many of the "crunch" variety - including three sacks. "Whatever falls into place after that, happens. We'll do our part, but it's up to everyone else."
No. 1 Florida vs. No. 2 Florida State will play Saturday in Tallahassee. The winner will likely play the winner of Friday's Nebraska/Colorado game in the Sugar Bowl on Jan. 2. The loser will drop in the rankings and ASU will move to No. 2 in the polls next week.
For the Sun Devils to win its first-ever national title, the Nebraska/Colorado winner will have to knock off the winner of Florida/Florida St. in the Sugar Bowl.
"That makes only one undefeated team left and that's us," said ASU head coach Bruce Snyder. "We should be (No. 1) if we are undefeated. I'm going to vote us as No. 1. I've not seen a better team."
By Josh DeFamio and
Percy Ednalino Jr.
State Press
TUCSON - After the ASU/UofA game Saturday, there were 58 things on the minds of the Wildcat payers.
One was a vicious clip by ASU's Glen Gable in the fourth quarter.
The second was the hundreds of Sun Devil faithful who swarmed onto the field immediately after the game and failed in their attempt to rip down the goal posts at Arizona Stadium.
And the other 56 were the number of points the Sun Devils scored against the Wildcats - the second most points ever scored by ASU in this storied rivalry.
But were ASU's 56 points created by superior talent, or did the Sun Devils run up the score on their hated rivals?
"I don't know," Wildcat quarterback Keith Smith said.
"They were just really running the ball on us and our offense really couldn't get anything clicking, so you can't really say that. If they were passing the ball every down, maybe I'd say yes (they were running up the score), but they weren't."
Wildcat coach Dick Tomey agreed with Smith.
"I don't think it's anybody's responsibility to keep them from scoring on us," Tomey said. "It's our responsibility to stop them."
Tomey and his players were more upset, however, with a fourth-quarter play in which ASU offensive guard Gable apparently clipped Wildcat defensive lineman Daniel Greer, injuring his ankle. The incident happened during a play in which
UofA defensive back Mikal Smith returned an interception 98 yards for a touchdown.
"I don't want to talk about (the clipping)," Tomey said. "Because I will get real emotional. It was hard to communicate with (Greer) because he was in so much pain."
"Coach Tomey acknowledged that that was one of the dirtiest shots he had ever seen in his college coaching career," UofA cornerback Kelly Malveaux said. "I agree with him. I've only been playing for three years, but I've been playing football for a while and I just have to say that that play was just awful."
The final blow for UofA came after the game ended, when hundreds of screaming ASU fans streamed on to the field and attempted to pull down the goal posts.
"I'm glad none of (the Sun Devil fans) got in my way," Mikal Smith said. "They were flying across the field, that was minor. I don't care about their fans."
"I think the thing that is really going to be on our minds is the fact that they were trying to tear down our goalposts," Keith Smith said. "And that they were dancing on our field. That is something that is going to be on our minds during the offseason."
All this adds up to even more intensity when the Wildcats travel to Tempe for next season's contest.
"They beat us and we have to wait 364 more days until we get the chance to play them again," Mikal Smith said. "I'm counting down the days right now. The seconds, the hours, everything. It's going to be at the front of my mind (during the offseason). We are going to have a good offseason and get stronger and faster."
From Staff Reports
The ASU football team held its annual ASU Football Awards Banquet Sunday night at the Phoenician Resort.
Senior quarterback Jake Plummer and junior defensive end Derrick Rodgers were named Most Valuable Players. It was the third consectutive year Plummer has won the award.
Other award winners were:
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