A message from Head Sun Devil Football Coach Dennis Erickson
With Spring Football well under way, and a new recruiting class to work on, Coach Erickson is focused on bringing the best talent to the Valley of the Sun. In this piece, he talks about the importance of recruiting, and developing solid relationships with high school coaches and recruits alike.
Talking about the amazing opportunities here for anyone, but especially the student-athlete, Coach Erickson is passionate about all the things that Arizona State has to offer.
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Head Coach Dennis Erickson announces the 2008 Recruiting Class
27 Signees headed for Sun Devil greatness!
The 2007 Pacific-10 Conference Coach of the Year assembled what is largely recognized as one of the school's most talented signing classes in the past 25 years and consists of elite athletes from the states of Arizona, California, Colorado and Nevada.
Similar to the Sun Devils' tremendous improvement on the field in Coach Erickson's first season in Tempe, the reigning Pac-10 Conference Co-Champions skyrocketed up the national recruiting rankings, as only two teams ranked in the nation's top-20 signing classes of 2008 improved more from 2007 than ASU has, jumping from 38th last year to 16th this season (Scout.com).
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Congratulations to the New York Giants!
Former Sun Devil Grey Ruegamer is a Super Bowl Champion
The Sun Devil Football family would like to extend congratulations to former Sun Devil Grey Ruegamer and all of the New York Giants on their exciting 17-14 win against the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLII.
Grey Ruegamer was a four-year starter at ASU, a part of the 1997 Rose Bowl Team, and was coached by current tight ends coach Dan Cozzetto. By the time he left Arizona State, Grey had received first team All PAC-10 honors, was a Walter Camp and Playboy All-American selection and was a finalist for the Lombardi Award.
Congratulations, Grey, from the Sun Devil Football family!
Holiday Bowl highlights some future Sun Devil starters
Many of the underclassmen got an opportunity in Holiday Bowl
Danny Sullivan got the opportunity to lead the team for almost an entire quarter on December 27th during the Holiday Bowl. He was able to convert on several opportunities, and got valuable playing time in a big game scenario. He completed a 10 yd pass to Mike Jones for a score. Jarrell Woods also got some carries including a 3 yard touchdown run.
With his two field goals and four extra points, PK Thomas Weber brought his season scoring total to 118 points, tying him for the most in program history with Mike Barth, who also scored 118 in 2002 (49 PAT and 23 FG). In overall scoring, Weber's 118 points ranks tied for third-best in a single season.
QB Rudy Carpenter completed the game with 187 yards on 18-for-36 passing with two touchdowns and two interceptions. In his career, Carpenter now ranks second all-time in completions with 246. His second touchdown pass gave him 65 for his career and tied him with Jake Plummer (1993-96) for the second-most in school history while his 25th scoring strike of the season is the second-most in a single campaign. Carpenter now has 3,202 season yards passing, the second-most in a single season behind Andrew Walter's 3,877 yards in 2002.
The Sun Devil football team gets some time to enjoy San Diego as they prepare to take on Texas in the Pacific Life Holiday Bowl. Day 1 was a visit to the Naval Base and a luncheon, while Day 2 found them at the San Diego Zoo.
Holiday Bowl practice continues for the Sun Devils in San Diego on Sunday Dec 23rd
Sun Devils focused on win #11
The Arizona State Sun Devils will head for San Diego this weekend and begin practice at the Spanos Training Facility on the campus of the University of California at San Diego. Practices are open to the public.
The Holiday Bowl will be played on Thursday, December 27th at 5:00 PM.
Sun Devils finish their regular season with a 20-17 victory over Arizona Wildcats
11th ranked Sun Devils (10-2) now headed to San Diego to take on Texas in Holiday Bowl
ASU completed its first double-digit win season since 1996 with a 20-17 win over Arizona Saturday in front of a third consecutive sellout crowd of 71,706 at Sun Devil Stadium.
"You've got to give credit to these players and what they've done," head coach Dennis Erickson said. "I'm just so proud of what they've done since I came here. For them to do what we ask and to end up 10-2, it's an amazing accomplishment by my coaches and my players."
The Sun Devils are now headed to a bowl game for the fourth consecutive season, tying the longest streak in school history, as they will meet Texas in the Pacific Life Holiday Bowl Dec. 27.
The win was also ASU's third straight and seventh out of the last nine in the Territorial Cup rivalry game with Arizona.
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No. 9 Sun Devils Claw Back to Down Bruins
Arizona State's BCS hopes remained in tact with a 24-20 comeback win at the Rose Bowl
For the fourth time this season, the ASU football team won despite trailing by double digits after the first quarter, this time coming back from down 10-0 to defeat UCLA 24-20 Saturday.
It was also the fifth time in their seven Pac-10 games that the Sun Devils have come back from a halftime deficit to get a victory.
"I guess we're a second-half team," wide receiver Chris McGaha said. "Guys came together and made some plays. It was interesting, but we came out on top, and that's all we can ask for."
The victory was ASU's first in the Rose Bowl since a 42-34 win over UCLA on Oct. 12, 1996.
"We always seem to find a way," head coach Dennis Erickson said. "I've been around a lot of teams in my days, and this team is just so resilient. UCLA played really well, and we were fortunate to win."
ASU has now outscored its opponents 177-50 in the second half this season
Herring's 71-yard touchdown run was his third run of 70 yards or more this season
This was also Herring's third 100-yard rushing game of the season and sixth of his career
Weber's 53-yard field goal was the third-longest in ASU history
TEMPE, Ariz.--Arizona State University senior quarterback Rudy Carpenter has been named to the Watch List for the 2008 Walter Camp Player of the Year award, the nation's fourth-oldest individual college football accolade.
As you will be able to see from the photos, we are nearing completion on the Locker Room overhaul of 2008. 7 plasma screens, new lockers, new graphics and new furniture will allow our players to relax and prepare for victory in style.
ASU completed its first double-digit win season since 1996 with a 20-17 win over Arizona Saturday in front of a third consecutive sellout crowd of 71,706 at Sun Devil Stadium. "You've got to give credit to these players and what they've done," head coach Dennis Erickson said. "I'm just so proud of what they've done since I came here. For them to do what we ask and to end up 10-2, it's an amazing accomplishment by my coaches and my players." The Sun Devils are now headed to a bowl game for the fourth consecutive season, tying the longest streak in school history, as they will meet Texas in the Pacific Life Holiday Bowl Dec. 27. The win was also ASU's third straight and seventh out of the last nine in the Territorial Cup rivalry game with Arizona.
Craig Bray begins his first season with the Sun Devil football program and his 33rd overall in the profession. Bray is reunited with head coach Dennis Erickson, and will serve as the Defensive Coordinator and linebackers coach at Arizona State. Bray coached under Erickson as the defensive coordinator and secondary coach at Oregon State from 2000 to 2002, and also as the secondary coach at Washington State from 1987 to 1988. Bray comes to ASU after spending last season at Minnesota, coaching the defensive secondary for the Golden Gophers. He held the same position at Colorado from 2004 to 2005.
