Junior quarterback Sam Keller continued his strong play as a starter Saturday with his third consecutive game with four touchdown passes and his second straight with over 400 yards through the air.
In all, Keller was 20-31 for 409 yards in ASU's 31-point win over Northwestern Saturday.
Coach Dirk Koetter, who has coached NFL quarterbacks Matt Hasselbeck, Joey Harrington, AJ Feeley and Andrew Walter, said he has never had a quarterback pick up the system as fast as Keller.
"He's a special character," Koetter said. "He was red hot with his checks tonight. He does at least one thing every week that just makes you shake your head. He is a great leader on the field and he is always well-prepared."
Keller took over the game in the second quarter, throwing for 262 yards and three touchdowns in the frame as ASU surged ahead 38-14 at halftime.
He then capped his night in the third quarter when he delivered a 30-yard touchdown pass on fourth and one to senior wide receiver Matt Miller.
Zach who?
With preseason All-American tight end Zach Miller out with an ankle injury, fellow tight ends Jamaal Lewis and Brent Miller, Zach's brother, helped to carry the load.
Lewis continued his stellar start to the season, catching four balls for 67 yards and a touchdown, a 36-yard score at the start of the second quarter that gave ASU a lead it never relinquished.
In all, Lewis has four touchdowns this season on just nine total receptions.
Brent Miller caught the final touchdown of the game, a 7-yard pass from backup quarterback Rudy Carpenter.
Canidate returns
Senior running back Cornell Canidate saw his first game action since 2003 on Saturday night, as he carried six times for 25 yards and had one reception for 9 yards in the second half.
Canidate was ASU's leading rusher with 493 yards and seven touchdowns in 2002. But he was limited in 2003 with the groin injury that caused him to miss all of last season.
In all, ASU used six different running backs in the game, amassing 290 total rushing yards.
Dewitty Delights
Two other ASU freshmen running backs got their first career carries Saturday night.
Redshirt freshman Price Wilks and true freshman Shaun DeWitty each carried the ball three times on ASU's final drive, with DeWitty rushing for 14 yards and Wilks for eight.
Koetter said that he has decided to use just three true freshmen this season, Herring, DeWitty, and linebacker Chad Lindsay, while the rest of last year's recruiting class will be redshirted.
Reach the reporter at matthew.storey@asu.edu.
