STANFORD, Calif. – Maroon pants, and a business-like approach was all the No. 18 ASU football team needed to end its 14-game losing streak in the state of California.
The 41-3 beat-down against the Stanford Cardinal over the weekend wasn't exactly a huge surprise, but the maroon game pants worn during the whooping was a topic of conversation after the game.
The players themselves only found out about the decision to not wear the traditional gold when they saw the maroon pants waiting for them in their lockers.
"It's all part of his plan," junior quarterback Rudy Carpenter jokingly said of the reason behind the fashion statement.
According to Carpenter, Erickson came up with the idea after he noticed a picture inside the ASU football offices of former Sun Devil Todd Heap wearing maroon
pants in a game against UA in 1999.
"I'm not much of a fashion guy, they all look the same to me," Erickson said. "I guess it's a fashion statement."
While Erickson downplayed the uniform change, some of his players were excited to see the new gear.
"Personally, I like these better than the home pants," true freshman cornerback Omar Bolden said. "I thought we looked fly today."
Even more important than looking sharp — the Sun Devils made their biggest statement on the field — by making sure they handled their inferior opponent and left the state of California with a win.
"I had no idea what this felt like until today," senior wide receiver Rudy Burgess said. "It's good to finally get that first win in California."
The Sun Devils were able to avoid a season-killing upset unlike nine other top-25 teams thanks to the leadership from their veteran coach.
Erickson preached to his team all week to treat their first road game like a business trip.
And with the distraction of upsets taking place across the country while the Sun Devils were getting ready in the team hotel, Erickson didn't pay much attention to the out-of-town scores.
"I don't screw around with stuff like that," he said. "I have to worry about how we play, I can't worry about the [top-25 teams]."
Spoken like a true veteran.
With 28 years of experience and two national championship rings, Erickson's confident leadership is the biggest factor behind the Sun Devils 5-0 record.
After pulling out back-to-back wins despite being down two touchdowns in consecutive weeks, Erickson's latest victory is a direct result of the influence he has on his players.
Whether his team is facing a double-digit deficit or flying to the Golden State for a big conference game, Erickson has brought a professional attitude to the ASU football program.
It's business time at: edward.price@asu.edu.
