When an extra-point attempt turns into a two-point conversion for the opponent, part of a withered bouquet of unsightly and almost unimaginable plays that occurred at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on Saturday, it flips the old cliché of hindsight being 20-20, if not on it’s head, surely face-down, blindfolded.
The ASU football team’s one-point loss to the Trojans on Saturday contained so many unpredictable play outcomes it’s hard to filter the contest into conventional measures that could make for reasonable retrospect.
ASU coach Dennis Erickson attempted to do so Monday at his press conference, addressing the rationale behind his team’s two-point conversion attempt in the fourth quarter.
Down 29-21, junior cornerback Omar Bolden intercepted Trojan quarterback Matt Barkley and returned it 66 yards for a touchdown 15 seconds into the fourth quarter. Erickson went for two, and redshirt junior quarterback Steven Threet’s pass was batted down in the end zone.
“What we did Saturday was exactly what you need to do,” Erickson said. “We have a deal upstairs that tells us exactly where we are at. We don’t just pull it out of our ears. You’re going to go for two sometime and I decided to do that then and I would do it again.”
Erickson said his team has a chart, one that presumably is similar to a standard chart made for coaches that gives them the scenarios for going for two point conversions, to advise him on the correct circumstances for such a call.
Erickson, however, said he does not understand the criticism, much of which could be heard on post-game talk shows, as to why the team didn’t go for two on the fateful blocked extra point.
The Sun Devils went up 33-29 after Threet found sophomore receiver Jamal Miles from nine yards out with just under ten minutes remaining.
“When they blocked that extra point, there was no reason to go for two,” Erickson said. “I don’t even know what people would be thinking. We score a touchdown, we make [the extra point], we're up five, [and] they go down and can’t beat us with a field goal. They go down and score a touchdown and it’s a [two-] point game and we can come back and kick a field goal and win.”
Erickson added, “Anybody who could tell me that was going to happen, God bless ya’. That’s the football gods I guess.”
Threet’s struggles
On Saturday, Threet threw two more interceptions, pushing his total to 15 on the season, which ranks third out of the top 100 qualified FBS passers. Eight of those have come in the second half of Pac-10 games, though three have been desperation heaves late in fourth quarters.
Many of Threet’s interceptions have occurred after drives into opponent territory.
“We’ve thrown more interceptions than we’ve liked,” Erickson said. “He has improved a lot, but unfortunately in what we do offensively, you throw at the wrong place and you will have some issues.”
After driving into USC territory during the third quarter Saturday, Threet put a ball in the wrong place and an interception turned into a touchdown.
“I can’t put the team in that situation,” Threet said Monday. “Any time you throw a pick six, the chances of winning the game are a lot less. It has to be corrected. I can’t keep making that mistake.”
Erickson was pleased with how Threet bounced back from a tough first half in which many errant throws stalled drives. Erickson believes Threet is going through a normal progression for a first year starter in Noel Mazzone’s offense.
“He is getting better all the time and once he gets a year in this offense … the second year is going to be a heck of lot better,” Erickson said.
Erickson said that many of Threet’s interceptions are the result of his competitive nature, which Erickson believes is natural to the position.
Penalty points
Sophomore linebacker Vontaze Burfict was whistled for another personal foul on Saturday, this time a fourth quarter penalty that would have put USC in a third down. The Trojans ended up scoring the go-ahead field goal on the drive.
“He just hit a guy late,” Erickson said. “They both came and they hit each other and they threw the flag. It’s not like he was looking for someone to hit him. He hasn’t had anything like that in a long time and obviously it hurt us.”
Player updates
Erickson has not decided whether senior punter Trevor Hankins will be re-instated for Saturday’s home game against Stanford after Hankins was suspended last week for violating team rules.
Erickson said he plans to speak to Hankins soon.
Junior defensive end James Brooks suffered a concussion last Saturday and it is not known whether he will be able to play this week.
Freshman defensive end Junior Onyeali had what appeared to be a shoulder dislocation but was able to return to the game Saturday, and Erickson said he would be available for Stanford.
Reach the reporter at nick.ruland@asu.edu
