Erickson keeps even keel despite mounting losses

Photo: Fanster.com

Arizona State’s Associate Athletic Director for Communications, Mark Brand, started Monday’s weekly Dennis Erickson press conference by asking the standard “questions for Dennis” After a brief moment in which no media member spoke up, Erickson offered “any answers for Dennis? Please give me some answers. Help.”

Erickson’s Sun Devils stumbled into dubious history on Saturday night, losing their 6th straight game, this one at the hands of the Oregon State Beavers, 27-25. It’s ASU’s first 6-game losing streak since 1929. But it hasn’t affected Erickson’s demeanor…at least on the outside.

Like others who follow the program, maybe Erickson is encouraged by the Sun Devils showing signs of life in their most recent loss. “We played with great effort. I liked the energy we played with against Oregon State. I thought we had chances, obviously, to win the football game”, Erickson said, before adding “we’re just not making plays when we need to.”

The Sun Devils did have opportunities in Corvallis. Erickson singled out Nate Kimbrough’s electrifying 57-yard punt return that allowed the Sun Devils to set up shop first and ten at the Beavers’ 23-yard line, but didn’t get any points out of it. After an incomplete pass on first down, right tackle Tom Njunge was flagged for a false start, putting the Devils in a 2nd and 15 hole. On the next play, Carpenter was flushed out of the pocket, hit by Oregon State’s Victor Butler and fumbled which was recovered by Shaun Lauvao. Another incomplete pass made it fourth down, on which Thomas Weber missed a 44-yard field goal wide right, keeping the Oregon State up by a point, 7-6.

About those false start penalties, Erickson definitely noticed them, and pointed to them as a huge part of the loss. “We had ten penalties. We had six offsides or moving of the ten. Maybe anxious, not focused, crowd. I mean there’s a lot of different things. They’re all excuses, though. You can’t do that. You can’t put yourself in first and fifteen on the road as many times as we did”, Erickson said before adding “if you cant handle it, we’ll get somebody in there that can.”

Shaun DeWitty was named the starting tailback for this week’s game at winless Washington. The junior had 109 yards on just 16 carries on Saturday. Erickson did say that he would switch it up a little bit, and we’ll see more of senior Keegan Herring in the backfield against the Huskies as a change up to DeWitty. Herring carried the ball just 5 times in the Oregon State game.

Homecoming announcement

Arizona State University today made the announcement that their November 15th homecoming game vs. Washington State was not picked up by television, and thus, the kickoff will be at 3:30 PM.

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Tags: Arizona State Football, ASU Football, Dennis Erickson, Keegan Herring, Rudy Carpenter, Shaun DeWitty, Shaun Lauvao, Thomas Weber, Tom Njunge