ASU coach Dennis Erickson is likely wishing for a fast-forward button right about now.
No matter how close the Sun Devils came to several big wins this season — four losses came by a combined 13 points — the end result was a 4-8 mark, the program’s second straight losing record.
It will mean a busy offseason for Erickson and his coaching staff as they try to figure out how to not only avoid a third straight losing season, but also bring ASU in the direction of a Pac-10 finish it had in 2007, when, in Erickson’s first season, the Sun Devils finished 10-3 with a berth in the Holiday Bowl.
“I have to sit down and figure out where we’re at as a program and as a staff,” Erickson said following ASU’s 20-17 gut-wrenching loss to UA on Saturday.
The 2010 season, like the one that just came to a disappointing end, will begin with uncertainty at the quarterback position.
This time, though, Erickson and his staff will have some more appealing options to work with.
After sitting out this season because of NCAA transfer rules, Steven Threet will begin his junior season in the running to become the starting signal-caller.
Threet showed impressive arm strength in directing the scout team offense this season, and with his size — 6-foot-5, 230 pounds — the former Michigan quarterback fits the mold of prototypical pocket passer.
In eight starts for the Wolverines in 2008, Threet threw for 1,105 yards, nine touchdowns and seven interceptions.
He enrolled at Georgia Tech out of high school before transferring to Michigan, and the native of Adrian, Mich., has two years of eligibility remaining.
The big question mark for quarterback Samson Szakacsy, who will be a junior next season, will be his health.
Szakacsy’s elbow was finally healthy enough at the end of the season to warrant substantial playing time.
Though he showed flashes of great playmaking ability at times as he scrambled out of the pocket and made big passes on the run — completing three such strikes for touchdowns to wide receiver Kyle Williams — Szakacsy’s inexperience was evidenced by a host of turnovers and at times being unable to get the ball off quick enough in the face of pressure.
Also in the mix to start will be Brock Osweiler. As a freshman, the 6-foot-8 Montana native saw action in six games, including a start against Oregon in rowdy Autzen Stadium, and finished the season 24-of-55 passing for 249 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions.
Four-star recruit Pete Thomas from El Cajon, Calif. will also be on the depth chart at quarterback.
The Sun Devils will lose two big receiving targets in Chris McGaha and Williams, who was undoubtedly ASU’s offensive MVP in 2009.
Kerry Taylor — who was hampered by injury a portion of the season — and Gerell Robinson will be key returners, though, and after sitting this season following his transfer from Oregon, Aaron Pflugrad will also aid the receiving corps in the two years of eligibility he has remaining.
Though Pflugrad sat out this season, he worked daily on the scout team with Threet, and the season the two had to develop on-the-field chemistry could prove valuable when next season kicks off.
The offensive line for the Sun Devils made strides this season in both the pass and run game, and with a number of players returning, the unit figures are to be even better next season.
ASU will have to replace Shawn Lauvao at the pivotal left tackle position, but if players such as Zach Schlink and Matt Hustad can stay healthy, the unit should have valuable depth.
Defensively, ASU will lose a host of players to graduation, including linebacker and captain Mike Nixon and ironman defensive end Dexter Davis, who ended with more career starts than anyone in the history of the program.
But the defense will still be loaded with young talent, particularly at linebacker, where the trio from Corona, Calif. — Vontaze Burfict, Brandon Magee and Shelly Lyons — could make up the starting unit.
Senior Gerald Munns, who missed almost all of the 2008 season for personal reasons, will return next season, providing experience for a defense that finished the season with a No. 12 ranking.
The Sun Devils lose four members of the secondary, including two starting cornerbacks, but the return of Omar Bolden, who missed most of this season with a knee injury, will be key.
ASU must still fill a game on its 2010 schedule after San Jose State dropped the Sun Devils in July in favor of a date with Wisconsin, a team ASU will play next season in Madison.
Reach the reporter at nkosmide@asu.edu
