Time has not healed the wounds created by that victorious team from Vegas.

ASU football coach Dennis Erickson said Monday that he had not slept since the team’s stunning overtime loss to UNLV Saturday night.

Senior quarterback Rudy Carpenter said that he simply feels angry.

The team (2-1, 1-0 Pac-10) met Sunday, and Erickson said he tried to convince his players of the season’s remaining potential.

“They were pretty quiet [Sunday], pretty subdued,” he said. “We didn’t play well [Saturday]. That’s an understatement. [But] there’s a lot of things left to play for.”

Erickson continued to fault himself for last weekend’s result and said the team watched film from the game, trying to identify its mistakes.

ASU’s troubles in the red-zone were magnified against UNLV, as the Sun Devils settled for a field goal from the 3-yard line on their first drive of the game.

Only six of ASU’s 13 red zone chances this season have resulted in touchdowns.

“We don’t run [the ball] very well down there,” Erickson said. “If there’s any one thing that’s a concern [about the lack of red zone production], that’s it.”

A loss against UNLV highlighted the need for remedy.

“You live and learn,” the coach said. “We can’t sit around and feel sorry for ourselves right now, or else that loss will create another one and another one.”

Carpenter said he expects the team to liven up in practice this week as the team prepares for No. 3 Georgia’s visit on Saturday.

“I know the character of our team,” Carpenter said. “I have got to make sure that all that negative energy and all the bad feelings they have from last week, hopefully they use that as some type of motivation or rallying cry to take all that anger out on somebody else.”

The Sun Devils can finally turn their full attention to the game that was talked about all summer long. The challenge against the Bulldogs this weekend is sold out and will be nationally televised.

“That’s going to be the biggest game for most of the guys who have been here in their career,” Carpenter said.

Georgia (3-0) features two of the nation’s highest-regarded offensive players in junior quarterback Matthew Stafford and sophomore running back Knowshon Moreno.

Erickson and Carpenter both said, though, that the Bulldogs’ defense can’t be overlooked.

“They’re experienced guys and they’re also very athletic guys,” Carpenter said. “There’s no doubt I think the defense is the biggest strength of their team and we’re going to have to be very prepared.”

The Sun Devils’ own linebacker corps will get a bit of relief this weekend when senior Morris Wooten returns from suspension to takes the field for the first time this season.

Wooten was suspended for unspecified reasons before the season began. He made eight starts at middle linebacker and racked up 47 tackles in 2007. His presence adds a new element to the defense, as he is a load at 245 pounds.

“He brings a little more physical presence … against the run because he’s bigger,” Erickson said. “He’ll play some, and I think that will help us.”

Erickson said he also expects junior linebacker Gerald Munns to play Saturday. Munns sat out the UNLV game after having three pins placed in his pinky finger earlier in the week.

Erickson said that running back Keegan Herring, who did not dress against UNLV, remains day-to-day with a hamstring injury. Herring is questionable for Saturday’s game.

The senior’s only action this season came against Stanford on Sept. 6.

“He’s a lot better than he was last week,” Erickson said. “He feels better than he did even the week before that when he played, because that thing probably wasn’t totally healed when he played against Stanford. We probably got him out there too soon, so we want to make sure it’s right.”

Junior running back Shaun DeWitty saw his first consistent action in more than a season Saturday, carrying the ball 13 times for 48 yards.

Dewitty redshirted last season when he was behind Ryan Torain, Herring and Dimitri Nance on the depth chart.

“He’s a big guy that can run inside, and that’s what he did for us,” Erickson said. “It’s good to have him back.”

Reach the reporter at gmizell@asu.edu.