Six Points: The season is slipping away

Normally after an ASU game, win or lose, I like to post my immediate thoughts here on Fanster.com in this ‘Six Points’ segment.

This week was a little different. I let Arizona State’s tough 23-21 loss to Cal on Halloween afternoon marinate–really soak in before writing anything.

I think sixteen and a half hours is enough time. This thing is marinated. Now it’s time to throw it on the grill.

Here’s six points that stood out from ASU’s loss to Cal…

1

The penalties are out of control. The Sun Devils once again acted like emo kids on Saturday, continually harming themselves with stupid penalties. ASU drew 11 more flags against Cal, racking up 123 yards of penalties. That’s 312 yards of penalties in their last three games alone. And once again, the majority of the yardage was the result of 15-yard personal foul and unsportsmanlike conduct penalties. Jarrell Holman had a late hit on a Cal receiver out of bounds–fifteen yards. On the next play, defensive end Jamaar Jarrett grabbed Cal quarterback Kevin Riley’s facemask, turning a one-yard run into a 16-yard gain.
But maybe the biggest penalty occurred on Cal’s first possession. ASU linebacker Mike Nixon jarred the ball loose from Riley and defensive tackle Lawrence Guy scooped it up with a clear path to the end zone. Instead, Guy stumbled and fell at the Cal 24-yard line, and got up and spiked the ball, drawing a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct flag, putting ASU back on the Cal 39-yard line. With a struggling offense and a less-than-100% kicker, that yardage is incredibly important. ASU managed only 5 yards on the ensuing possession, and turned the ball over on downs.
Head coach Dennis Erickson again addressed the penalty problem after the game on Saturday, and threatened the loss of playing time for repeat offenders. “Pretty soon, it’s gonna boil down to, if you do it, you don’t play,” he said. We’ll have to see if he keeps his word.

2

Mr. Bass, how would you like your crow prepared? Earlier this week, tailback Ryan Bass openly questioned why he wasn’t playing more. With starting tailback Dimitri Nance slowed by a shoulder injury, Bass got an early chance to make an impression on the coaches and a difference in the game. He made a big difference in the game, but it wasn’t a positive one for ASU.
With the Sun Devils on the doorstep early in the 2nd quarter, Bass coughed up the ball inside the Cal 5-yard line. He didn’t see the field again.
Bass has lost two fumbles this season in only 29 carries this season. Never mind the fact that he’s averaging 6 yards per carry–if he doesn’t hold the ball, he won’t be on the field. The Sun Devil offense has enough problems to overcome even if they don’t turn the ball over; putting the ball on the turf is simply not acceptable.
Obviously, you want your players to be on the field more. But Bass’ strategy earlier in the week wasn’t the way to go about displaying that “desire”. With Cameron Marshall stepping up nicely on Saturday, Bass may have buried himself on the bench for a while.

3

What a shame. The Arizona State defense played pretty well again on Saturday. They bottled up the explosive Jahvid Best, holding him to just 63 yards on 18 carries. The Devil ‘d’ has been very good in 7 of their 8 games this season. You could certainly make the argument that ASU should be 7-1 or 6-2 right now–that’s how good the defense has been. This is the best ASU defense we’ve seen in at least a decade–good enough to challenge for a conference title.
The offense? That’s another story. ASU’s offense is bland, with an occasional splash of vanilla. In games against opponents not named Idaho State and ULM, the Sun Devils are averaging 20 points per game, and that’s simply not good enough. And no, it’s not all on the quarterback position…

4

…it’s about the receivers too. Outside of Chris McGaha, the receiving corps, which was supposed to be a real strength in ‘09, has been a huge disappointment. Kyle Williams has been injured and had a case of the drops. Kerry Taylor has been a complete non-factor while he’s been on the field. Gerrell Robinson has been inconsistent to say the least. The ASU tight ends have combined for 7 catches for 36 yards this year. Wouldn’t it be nice if Danny Sullivan had a big target to hit over the middle as a security blanket?
It’s also about play calling and creativity, too, but you already knew that.

5

On the verge of dubious history. Unless ASU can find a way to win two of their last 4 games, not only will the Sun Devils miss bowl season for the second straight years, but they will have suffered back-to-back losing seasons for the first time since 1946 and 1947 under head coaches Steve Coutchie and Ed Doherty.

6

43,459? Wasn’t yesterday homecoming? I know the economy sucks. I know it was Halloween. But the small gathering of fans at Sun Devil Stadium on what was a “chamber of commerce” Saturday is more a reflection of the unfortunate lack of excitement surrounding this football program.

<br/><a href="http://video.msn.com/video.aspx?mkt=en-US&#038;vid=2ad96af2-a98e-4a4a-a135-9b472fb9e2c2" title="Highlights: Cal - Arizona State">Video: Highlights: Cal - Arizona State</a>

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