Of the available tallies that could be used to describe ASU’s 41-20 win over FCS opponent Northern Arizona, the final score is likely the least reflective of the Sun Devils performance Saturday night at Sun Devil Stadium.
“I am not happy with how we played,” ASU coach Dennis Erickson said. “We didn’t play very well for whatever reason.”
In what essentially functioned as a warm-up for next week's big, scary, Big Ten opponent No. 11 Wisconsin (in Madison), the Sun Devils (2-0) appeared to be a team regressing back to its most foul tendencies of 2009.
The Sun Devils racked up 13 penalties for 131 yards; a record in the Erickson era, which is staggering considering he has seen the Sun Devils finish 76th, 108th and 120th in the country (out of 120 FBS teams) in penalty yards the last three years.
“It is ridiculous,” Erickson said when asked about penalties. “I am beside myself on this. I’m really upset about it. We talked afterward and that is all I talked about in the team meeting. We’ve addressed them. Obviously, the bottom line is it is on me. They are not listening or whatever the case may be."
Just like in the opener against Portland State, ASU dropped at least five balls. Unlike their first game, the Sun Devils struggled on the ground, accumulating just 56 yards on 29 carries.
“We wanted to run,” Erickson said. “We didn’t run it very well, but we didn’t run it very often to establish it."
Erickson added that one of the reasons for his team’s lopsided pass-to-run ratio was changes of play at the line of scrimmage based on the amount of defenders at the line of scrimmage or within the ‘box.'
The prime beneficiary of ASU’s pass-happy attack was redshirt junior quarterback Steven Threet’s stat line.
While Threet threw two interceptions, both of which led to Lumberjack scores, and battled inaccuracy much of the night, he finished with almost 400 yards passing with three touchdowns on 49 attempts.
Threet’s second half was much better than his first, as he helped lead the Sun Devils to 24 second-half points before the halfway mark of the fourth quarter.
“We had poor execution by the offense in general, a lot of which I attribute to myself,” Threet said. “I just wasn't completing passes in the first half."
Threet gave the Sun Devils’ offense a vertical attack it desperately lacked last year, showing touch and accuracy on throws of 17, 19, 37, 45 and 62 yards—each completion lofted just over the defender in coverage and in stride to the receiver.
Junior receiver Mike Willie was Threet’s favorite target, catching eight passes for 114 yards.
“It was a night where I didn't really have to worry about it being my first game, so I was more comfortable,” Willie said. “I got to go to work and not worry about too many people. I could just worry about working on my routes and catching the ball. Steven [Threet] threw the ball, and I caught it."
ASU held the Lumberjacks (1-1) to 238 total yards on offense, led by sophomore linebacker Vontaze Burfict with 11 tackles and a forced fumble.
Burfict, who struggled to control his emotions throughout his freshman year, had the same issues Saturday night. Burfict could be seen talking to the NAU sideline and its players throughout the first half, having to be restrained by the officials as it ended.
ASU had 41 penalty yards on a third quarter touchdown drive by the Lumberjacks, 15 of which came on a personal foul penalty by Burfict. Burfict was pulled from the game for redshirt senior linebacker Gerald Munns after the play. When Burfict was reinserted on the next Lumberjacks drive, Burfict was flagged for a late hit on NAU senior quarterback Michael Herrick.
“If he doesn't get his emotions [in check] he won't play,” Erickson said. “We can't afford to have that happen. As good of a football player as he is, we just can't afford to have that happen. I don't know exactly what happened, so I have to look at the tape. I think a couple of those calls were a little iffy but we'll see."
Notes
Redshirt sophomore cornerback Deveron Carr had his first career interception ... Nine different players caught passes for ASU, though junior receiver Gerell Robinson was not one of those, dropping a ball in his first game of the year ... Redshirt junior center Garth Gerhart had a catch for a yard, however, it came on a deflected pass ... Sophomore running back Cameron Marshal led the team with 28 yards on ten carries, though he did have a 4-yard touchdown run in which he bulldozed an NAU defender at the goal-line ... Sophomore Jamal Miles had two touchdowns, one receiving and another on the ground. Miles added 105 yards in punt returns, including a long of 49.
Reach the reporter at Nick.Ruland@asu.edu
