If you combined the sound of a car accident and a novice garage band and amplified it a hundredfold, you could come close to replicating the intermittent noises heard at Thursday’s ASU football practice.

ASU (4-5, 2-4 Pac-10) brought in members of the school’s band to play randomly and in the highest pitch, in an attempt to simulate the atmosphere in Eugene’s Autzen Stadium, where the Sun Devils face No.14 Oregon (7-2, 5-1 Pac-10) on Saturday.

“We wanted to develop some annoyance for everyone that was out here, including the players,” coach Dennis Erickson said. “There is going to be a lot of that up in Eugene on Saturday. Give them a little bit of an idea of what it’s going to be like.”

ASU vs. Oregon preview, State Press Television

Bass instruments, drums and even the flute players cleared their pipes for the Sun Devil offense as it approached the line of scrimmage during team drills.

Freshman quarterback Brock Osweiler, in place of senior Danny Sullivan, who is down with a biceps injury, will be making his first career start in one of the most hostile road environments in the nation.

“It’s good that they came out and helped us get ready for Autzen Stadium,” Osweiler said.

The freshman showed his ability to throw on the run, but was also off the mark on several deep passes in practice.

Everyone is waiting to see how he reacts Saturday.

“He is good at times and not good at times,” Erickson said. “He is a freshman who hasn’t played the game. This is the first week he has had turns with the first group. Obviously, we know he has a lot of physical talent.”

Already adept at player-speak, Osweiler hopes to translate his poise with the media to game day.

“I am excited,” Osweiler said. “I think the number one thing this Saturday is it’s going to be a great learning experience for myself and my teammates.”

Osweiler knows he isn’t expected to be a hero.

“The biggest thing is to put my teammates in a position to make plays,” Osweiler said. “My biggest goal is to limit turnovers and make plays when I have to. Get my teammates, especially the veterans, to be in position to make plays.”

There’s been no rift between young and old, Osweiler and Sullivan.
“Danny has been awesome. He has told me a lot,” Osweiler said. “He’s given me a lot of keys and clues for the game on Saturday.”

Sullivan, who has been unable to throw and remarked that his biceps injury is “killing me right now,” said all the quarterbacks have good relationships.

Sullivan, who was once an underling to Rudy Carpenter, said he’s happy to try to help the youngster.

“I have it learned from history past, dealing with it for me,” Sullivan said. “I’m trying to bring it down to these guys and help any way I can.

“It’s tough not being out there. Trust me, it’s not a good feeling. But I get some satisfaction in trying to help these guys.”
His tips for Osweiler?

“He better be ready for some screaming fans and people in duck hunting gear,” Sullivan said. “It’s going to be a fun experience for him. He’s going to learn a lot and learn on the fly.”

Erickson said sophomore Samson Szakacsy will be the backup for Osweiler, and Sullivan would only be used in an emergency situation.

Sophomore tight end Dan Knapp will be available, but likely won’t be used much, Erickson said.

He also said senior Dimitri Nance is completely healthy and should get a heavy load of carries.

Reach the reporter at nick.ruland@asu.edu