2008 Arizona State Sun Devils
Written June 5, 2008 by Jason Lowry
Jason Lowry is ready to give you his 2008 Arizona State Sun Devils predictions, but before we jump right into where we think they will finish the season, we are going to take a closer look both sides of the ball for this Pac 10 team. This will be the 2nd year for coach Dennis Erickson, who led them to a 10-3 finish and a spot in the Holiday Bowl. After starting the season 8-0 they ended slow with a 2-3 record, including a loss to Texas in their bowl game. The Sun Devils sent 5 players to the pros, but are bringing back 16 starters with 7 on both offense and defense.
Offense:
The Sun Devils are planning on using some bigger wide receiver packages, to spread the defense and hopefully help cure the 55 sacks they gave up last season. Senior QB Rudy Carpenter could have a break out year if the line gets better and he is given some more time to throw the football. The offensive line does have 2 returning starters, but they did lose a great talent in OT Mike Pollak to the NFL. At receiver this team is pretty set with returning starters Chris McGaha, Michael Jones, and Kyle Williams, but the guy you might want to keep your eye on is sophomore Kerry Taylor. For the running attack look for the Sun Devils to go with another shot at running back by-committee, with the heaviest loads being put on senior Keegan Herring who rushed for 815 yards and junior Dimitri Nance who rushed for 500 yards and 7 touchdowns.
Defense:
While defense isn’t this teams strongest point, it is getting better and with an offense that can put up plenty of points that all you need. After giving up 52 points to Texas in the bowl game there is no question that the unit will have to get better if they want to have a shot at making a run at USC for he Pac 10 title. The coaching staff wants to put more pressure on the quarterback and should be able to do so with the tandem of defensive ends Dexter Davis and Luis Vasquez who combined for 15 sacks and 25 tackles for loss last season. The line-backing core did lose MLB James Robert in the draft, but should be just fine with juniors Gerald Mumns and Mike Nixon. The secondary has its bright spots with a star in the making at corner in sophomore Omar Bolden and a strong safety in senior Troy Nolan who had 6 interceptions last season. Overall this is a pretty old defense and should be just as good if not better than last year’s squad.
Prediction: 2nd in the Pac 10
This is a very solid football team and while we feel they will end up in the top 20 at seasons end, they are nowhere near the level of USC. If we are wrong on this you will know before the season is half way over, as they will play two of the best teams in the country in USC and Georgia. A win over either team gives them hope for a big season and maybe a shot at a BCS bowl game.
If you are looking to get a head start on the NCAA Football season, be sure to head over to Bodoglife.com and get an account up and going. Also be sure to check back as professional handicapper Jason Lowry will continue to roll through his team-by-team 2008 NCAA football predictions. As always feel free to leave any comments in our comment box.