BOULDER, Colo. - ASU football coach Dirk Koetter and his staff were on the winning end of a battle of old friends Saturday, when his Sun Devils defeated the Dan Hawkins-led Colorado Buffaloes, 21-3.
Hawkins and current Colorado offensive coordinator Mark Helfrich served as assistants when Koetter was the head coach at Boise State from 1998 to 2000.
When Koetter took the job at ASU before the 2001 season, many members of his staff migrated to Tempe, including Helfrich, who served as the Sun Devils' quarterbacks coach from 2001 to 2005.
But Hawkins stayed in Boise because he was offered the head coaching job there. Hawkins remained with the Broncos until this past offseason when he took over at Colorado. Upon being hired to head the Buffaloes, Hawkins brought on Helfrich as his offensive coordinator.
The old colleagues spoke before the game and after it, when Koetter consoled Hawkins regarding his 0-3 start at Colorado.
"I just told him to hang in there," Koetter said. "I've been where he's at. I know what he's going through. Dan Hawkins is a heck of a football coach. Colorado made a very wise decision in hiring him. And they just have to keep doing the things they're doing."
ASU quarterback Rudy Carpenter said the Sun Devils didn't throw an abundance of changes into the playbook for the game despite Helfrich and Hawkins' familiarity with their offense.
"We had our normal offense," Carpenter said.
On the flip side, senior defensive tackle Jordan Hill said any knowledge Colorado's staff had of ASU's defense didn't have an effect as the Sun Devils held the Buffaloes to 219 yards.
"Going into the game, I kept thinking if Helfrich knows our defense and he knows the things that we do and our tendencies, all we can do is execute it to the best of our ability and make things happen," Hill said. "If we're outplaying the guy in front of us, there is nothing that schemes will do to stop us or to hold us down."
Lewis returns: Former tight end Jamaal Lewis made his season debut Saturday, also marking the senior's first official game as a wide receiver, a position he switched to in the offseason.
Lewis' impact was immediately felt as he caught three passes for 48 yards, including an acrobatic 16-yard grab in the first quarter and 29-yard grab up the middle in the third quarter.
"It's important we've got a guy like Jamaal," Carpenter said. "He's 6-foot-5. He obviously helps out, especially in the passing game. Jamaal is one of our best playmakers. We just need him to get back into rhythm."
Lewis was suspended for ASU's initial two games after being arrested and charged with excessive speeding.
Funky punt: The Sun Devils attempted a fake punt - sort of - with just more than two minutes remaining in the first half.
On fourth and 13 at the Colorado 39, ASU lined up in punt formation - only it was Carpenter, instead of junior punter Jonathan Johnson, in punt formation. To no one's surprise, Carpenter didn't punt and instead scanned the field to throw. The pass, intended for junior wide out Rudy Burgess, was incomplete.
"I think that's going to be a staple in our offense this year," Carpenter said. "We were close to getting it too. It's just one of those things where the play didn't go as planned. We got a little bit of a bad snap and had to rush the throw."
Koetter said his team had been working on the play in practice.
"We were in that dead zone. We were too close to punt, too far for a field goal," Koetter said. "It really only costs you 14 or 15 yards if you don't get it. We put the ball in Rudy's hands to make a play, and it just didn't work out. You have to be aggressive on special teams."
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