It begins with uncertainty.
The ASU football team will enter the 2009 season surrounded by numerous questions concerning its ability to compete at the top of the Pac-10 Conference, but the Sun Devils haven’t been paying attention to many of those.
Instead, they said they are focused on the opportunity they have to erase people’s memories of last season’s dismal results.
“Five-and-seven is definitely not a record we envisioned going into last season and one we weren’t satisfied with at the end of the season,” senior linebacker Mike Nixon said at the team’s media day earlier this month. “We’ve worked eight months now to try to make strides to get back to where we were two years ago and give ourselves a chance to win a Pac-10 championship.”
Coming off a 2007 campaign that saw the Sun Devils finish 10-3 and earn a trip to the Holiday Bowl, there was no shortage of talk about the possibility of a Pac-10 crown or Bowl Championship Series appearance heading into last season.
But those expectations were quickly knocked down when an overtime Thomas Weber field-goal attempt was blocked by a charging UNLV defensive line, crumbling the high hopes of the Maroon and Gold faithful as the loss began what would become a school-record-tying 6-game losing streak.
“We were grounded,” senior wide receiver Kyle Williams said of the effect the losing season had on the team. “We got humbled a little bit, because maybe we came in on our high horse after having a good year in [2007], and we kind of got knocked down.”
For ASU coach Dennis Erickson, getting back on the road toward winning meant hitting the road in the offseason.
The coach and his staff made visits to fellow college football coaches, including Texas coach Mack Brown, to seek advice on how to improve the Sun Devil offense.
Erickson said he had many sleepless nights during the offseason thinking about last year’s finish and knew it would be imperative to incorporate some fresh ideas into his game plan for this season.
“If you stay static or think you have all the answers, you’re going to get your rear end kicked,” Erickson said before the start of spring practice.
With new wrinkles to the offense in tow, the coach said the energy level is high as the team heads into its season opener against Idaho State on Sept. 5.
“It’s the start of the season and we’re like every other team in the country; we’re undefeated,” Erickson said. “We’re looking forward to making up for last year. … None of us were satisfied with 5-7. That’s not where we want this program to be, and that’s not where we want this program to go. Sometimes you get a wakeup call, and hopefully last year was a wakeup call. We have to figure out what we have to do to win football games, and that’s the bottom line.”
For the first time since 2005, a new starting quarterback will take the opening day snaps.
Senior Danny Sullivan got the nod as ASU’s starter following the team’s scrimmage on Saturday, and, after backing up former Sun Devil Rudy Carpenter for the past three seasons, the new signal-caller has the support of his teammates and coaches.
The confidence Sullivan has displayed in himself and in his ability to lead the team has made him the right man for the job, Williams said.
“The guy we had [at quarterback] the last four years had a lot of confidence in himself, so we’re used to that,” the wide receiver said as he compared the leadership abilities of the two quarterbacks. “As far as I’m concerned, as long as you go in there and have a confident mindset, then everyone around you will have that same mindset.”
Despite his inexperience in game situations — Sullivan is 40-of-87 for 409 yards in his career as a backup — the time the senior has spent in the system gives him an edge, Erickson said.
“Danny understands what we are doing,” Erickson said. “He’s smart and he understands our offense. His experience really put him ahead.”
Much of Sullivan’s potential success will hinge on the play of an offensive line that is trying to shrug criticism after yielding 89 sacks over the past two seasons. The group was also part of a rushing attack that finished 113th in the nation last year with 89 yards per game.
Erickson has stressed during the offseason that he feels much of the finger pointing toward the unit is unwarranted, and Sullivan believes the line and the rest of the offense are close to being on the same page.
“We have a great deal of confidence now,” Sullivan said. “We are starting to work as a unit. It takes one team; it’s not a bunch of individuals out here.”
Following the season opener against Idaho State, the Sun Devils will host nonconference opponent Louisiana Monroe at Sun Devil Stadium on Sept. 19 before traveling south for a rematch with powerhouse No. 13 Georgia on Sept. 26.
Reach the reporter at nkosmider@asu.edu.
