There comes a time in every football camp where the team is just flat out sick of hitting each other.
The ASU football team is beyond that point and is anxious to line up against another team. The Sun Devils finally get the chance Saturday when Portland State comes to Tempe to open up the 2010 season.
Every player and coach is always excited for a new season to get underway, but there is even more excitement from the Sun Devils this season.
ASU football fans want to erase a bad taste in their mouths — the ugly, putrid taste of two straight losing seasons.
There is plenty of reason for hope.
A new offense with playmakers is going to be unveiled for the first time on Saturday and the defense returns a lot of talent from a successful unit last season.
“I’m anxious to watch and see where we are at offensively against an opponent,” ASU coach Dennis Erickson said. “We would like to think we are much better than we were, and again, we won’t know that until we play.”
New offensive coordinator Noel Mazzone’s offense is focused on the wide receiver position. The Sun Devils have roughly ten guys that are expected to see the field in the no-huddle offense.
There are also new faces on the offensive line and playmaking ability at the running back position. While both units have shown their ability in practice, Erickson wants to see how it translates to game day.
“I’m excited to watch our offensive front and the mixed groups that we will have in there,” Erickson said. “I’m anxious to see what I believe is a much faster offensive football team, especially with Michael (Willie), Jamaal (Miles), Cameron (Marshall), and Deantre Lewis who is a true freshman who is going to make a big difference.”
While the defense was one of the best in the conference last season, Erickson is still looking for a bit more consistency out of the unit in 2010.
“There were times where we played lights out and got turnovers,” Erickson said. “But there were also times where we didn’t play as well as we could have. It’s more about consistency since we do have talent over there.”
With the talent and athleticism returning on the defensive side of the football, and if ASU can be consistent, they could reach their goal of being one of the top units in the country.
“If we can just play consistent and play the run, then I like where we are at,” Erickson said. “Knock on wood; we have two good healthy corners that can play man-coverage, which allows you to blitz a little more.”
“I believe we can be a dominant defense but in this league, with the different offenses and talent, you’re going to have to play your rear-end off.”
Portland State is an FCS team that plays in the Big Sky Conference. The Vikings have struggled over the course of the past few years, leading to coach Jerry Glanville’s resignation.
PSU hired Nevada offensive coordinator Nigel Burton as its new head coach prior to this season. That leaves ASU without much knowledge as to what to expect from the Vikings.
“I don’t know a lot about them personnel wise,” Erickson said. “They have a brand new coach, Nigel Burton, who I have known for a long time. He coached at Oregon State and Nevada-Reno. They got Reno connections in terms of what they do offensively which means the ‘Pistol.’ We expect them to be in that. Their offensive coordinator has been at Cornell the last few years so we have tried to figure out what he did there.”
On the defensive side of the ball, Erickson expects Burton to draw a lot from OSU.
“Defensively, they are very similar to what Oregon State has done,” Erickson said. “Really, that is all we know, and it has been a mystery to us in terms of their players.”
Through fall practice, the intensity and attitude has gone up from a year ago. There has yet to be a practice that lacked effort.
The Sun Devils seem to have a chip on their shoulders as they begin a very important year for the program.
“It’s pretty obvious to them what has happened the last couple of years,” Erickson said. “We believe we are a much better football team than people give us credit for. We have to change that attitude, and go out and play and win football games. We can talk all we want about the new offense and the new defense but, until we go out on the field, it doesn’t make a difference.”
Reach the reporter at andrew.gruman@asu.edu
