Less upside for Georgia, more importance for Arizona State. That’s how this Saturday’s game has changed following the Sun Devils’ overtime loss to UNLV this past weekend. Point to Make Before I Say Anything Else: UNLV is a quality team. Not BCS bowl quality and not Top 25 quality, but still a good team.
And there’s still no excuse for Arizona State losing that game. The Sun Devils have more talent, a better coach (normally) and were at home. They’ve got to take as much blame as any credit you’re going to give the Rebels.
Regarding this coming weekend, the ’Dogs are better and should win the game, but were hoping to beat an undefeated ASU squad that hopefully would reside in the 10-win neighborhood this year. Georgia needs every vote possible this season and any extra gold star on the resume is valuable. Because Dennis Erickson didn’t have his team ready to play Saturday night, defeating ASU won’t help Georgia nearly as much as it could have. And just who are the main culprits in the rust-and-gold uniforms?
TAKE A LOOK
• Dennis Erickson: A resourceful, creative coach who may occasionally color outside the lines but has turned around programs at Miami, Washington State, Oregon State, Idaho and now Arizona State. Usually goes heavy on the JUCO route and the results on the field (and on the police blotter) speak for themselves.
• Rudy Carpenter: Probably the best quarterback in the Pac-10. Not a huge guy, but very accurate and has the complete confidence of his teammates. Every quarterback needs time to throw the ball, but if Carpenter is allowed to stand in the pocket he’ll shred the opposing defense. Through three games, Carpenter has completed 72 percent of his passes for nearly 1,000 yards.
• Keegan Herring: He’s the team’s best running back, but isn’t anywhere near 100 percent health-wise. Herring missed the season opener while still recovering from shoulder surgery and sat out this past weekend with a hamstring injury. If Herring plays, he gives ASU the legitimate running threat to make Carpenter even more dangerous.
• The Offensive Line: The group reeks, giving up 55 sacks last season and not showing much improvement so far this year. The guards are massive and probably could start for Georgia, but the rest of the line is sub-standard.
Defensively, it gets better for Arizona State the further away from the line of scrimmage that you get. Omar Bolden is an all-conference caliber cornerback and Travis Smith has the potential to be a fair complement on the other side. Otherwise, you’re dealing with a very hot-and-cold defense from ASU and that should be a recipe for disaster when they take the field this Saturday vs. Georgia. But beware, ’Dogs, that’s what the Sun Devils were thinking about their opponent last weekend …
Oliver can be heard on 790 The Zone’s “Afternoon Saloon” weekdays from 4-7 p.m. and can be reached at coliver@790thezone.com.
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