...but today's news could still have an impact a few weeks from now


David Kelly ‏@DavidKellyTNN 37m37 minutes ago
#ArizonaWildcats RB #NickWilson's injury is LONG term according to #RichRod. Long enough that he's been taken off the depth chart.

This team did not quit. Wow. Talk about flying by the seat of your pants and making something happen with your fourth string running back.

Difference in the game was not kicking it out of the end zone. Gave wazzu all the momentum in the world.

Refs were terrible, but we still could have won.

TONS of young guys getting experience in our rebuilding year. This is critical. Tough stuff with the injuries, but boy do those guys fight.

Got so many thoughts and just feel like venting. Sorry in advance for blowing up the boards:

I alluded in my last dissertation (as @SolDevil so eloquently and accurately put it) that ASU IMHO will never be an elite program. What is an "elite" program? I'd categorize an elite program having ALL of the following:

-Large amounts of tradition built upon generations and generations of excellence
-National brand recognition that anyone would instant recognize
-Amazing current state of the program including a coach that constantly has his team in the playoff picture
-Vast amounts of money from boosters with very deep pockets never hesitating to open up their wallets
-High end recruiting on both a regional and national level
-Top of the line facilities
-A resume of national titles, conference titles, Heisman winners, All Americans
-A great track record of putting players into the NFL in the early rounds of the draft leading to long careers in the league

1. Based on this criteria, i think only a small handful of schools could be truly considered "elite" in all areas at the moment. Those would be only:

-Alabama
-Ohio State
-Michigan

2. Then you have the other schools that have the "pedigree" to be elite but just are lacking in some areas. These are the types of programs where you conceivably could just bring in the right coach and get back to being elite:

-LSU
-Texas
-USC
-Florida State
-Auburn
-Florida
-Georgia
-Tennessee
-Oklahoma

3. Then you have some programs that have been consistently performing at a high level for years but just really lack that pedigree that would ever truly make them an "elite" school like:

-Michigan State
-Wisconsin
-Oregon (up until this season)
-Stanford (up until this season)
-TCU
-Baylor (We'll see what happens with Briles gone in the coming years)
-Louisville
-Clemson

4. You also have some programs that despite so many natural advantages, just seem to do less with more like:

-Ole Miss
-Arkansas
-Texas A&M
-Oklahoma State
-UCLA
-Washington (up until this year of course)

5. Then you have some programs that once were elite but just seem too far removed from ever realistically being seen to be back there like:

-Nebraska
-Miami
-Penn State

I think realistically I could see ASU being in group number three somewhere down the road but don't ever see them being in group #1 or #2. Granted I'd be thrilled to be mentioned in with those in group #3 which is not only attainable but I think it could be conceivable with the right trajectory and consistency.

What do you think?

Confirmed with Graham an earlier report that he will take an official visit to ASU this weekend. He did visit Arizona this past weekend.

Player page

ASU's top target in the 2017 class, SF Kimani Lawrence, will announce his college choice on Saturday. As we've discussed in the Huddle, this is an extremely important recruit for ASU and coach Hurley. As of now, ASU appears to be in very good shape. If I hear anything, I'll be sure to pass along the info.

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Also another ASU target, post Garrison Brooks, will also announce in the near future. However, as Hod has indicated on numerous occasions, it is unlikely he picks the Devils.

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Justin Toscano's story from today's press conference

Lots of discussion on this topic.
Want to Start back in December of 1996. I was listening to one of Snyder's assistance on the radio and he was asked about how going to the Rose Bowl would improve the next class. His
answer was it would not, but would for the 1998 class.( cant find that 1998 class anywhere) (Bruce should have had the staff out trying to turn as many kids as possible) This may have been the beginning of the end for Bruce
The next question he was asked was JC or HS kids. His response was that wanted the best football players they could get. (Makes sense to me, more on JC kids next)

In reading all of the posts on all of the boards it seems to be a general feelings ASU will never be a year in year out power.

JC kids appear to understand that for them playing time is of the highest importance and will go where they think they can get the most playing time
Yes the big time JC kids in are most likely to go to the power houses

A big time HS kid thinks at worse they will be a 2nd string as a FR and then start the next year, (no matter what school they go to) they almost never think about red shirting ( A QB may be the exception to this)

Chantel JenningsVerified account‏@ChantelJennings
Pac-12 trivia: ASU has led the P12 in blitzes in every season since Graham became HC, but this season 2 teams have blitzed more—Which teams?

Chantel JenningsVerified account‏@ChantelJennings

Answer: Oregon and Arizona.

affter tonight, Todd will be 11-10 in last 21games. And does Manny have the ***** to QB this team? I'm not sure.

Courtesy of ASU's Media Relations

Consecutive FGs Made Streaks Among Active FBS Kickers

14- Zane Gonzalez, Arizona State
13- Kody Kroening, Fresno State
13- Younghoe Koo, Georgia Southern
11- Parker Shaunfield, Southern Miss.
11- Jonathan Barnes, La. Tech





Number of 50+ Yard Punts

TX ST Kaba 17
UTAH Wishnowsky 16
ARK Baker 16
BGSU Davidson 15
EMU Barnes 15
FLA Townsend 15
AZ ST Haack 15
SJSU Carrizosa 15
ALA Scott 14
N TEX Keena 14
TEX Dickson 13
OH ST Johnston 13
UVA Conte 13
SYR Hofrichter 13

Pct. of Punts 50+ Yards

1 FLA Townsend 28 15 0.536
2 ALA Scott 28 14 0.500
3 ARK Baker 34 16 0.471
4 OH ST Johnston 28 13 0.464
5 S ALA McKee 26 12 0.462
6 UTAH Wishnowsky 38 16 0.421
7 EMU Barnes 36 15 0.417
8 TEX Dickson 34 13 0.382
9 WAKE Maggio 33 12 0.364
10 MEM Smith 25 9 0.360
11 NTEX Keena 40 14 0.350
12 AZST Haack 43 15 0.349
13 SJSU Carrizosa 44 15 0.341
14 TXST Kaba 50 17 0.340
15 BGSU Davidson 45 15 0.333

Number of 60+ Yard Punts

BGSU Davidson 8
ALA Scott 4
TX ST Kaba 3
TENN Daniel 3
LSU Growden 3
OH ST Johnston 3
S ALA McKee 3
KAN Moos 3
NW Niswander 2
ECU Gregory 2
MEM Smith 2
ULL Coutts 2
CAL Klumph 2
SJSU Carrizosa 2
UVA Conte 2
UTAH Wishnowsky 2
VANDY Loy 2
ARIZ Pollack 2
UNT Keena 2
PSU Gillikin 2
ND Newsome 2
NEV Boy 2
NC ST Cole 2
AZ ST Haack 2

Pct. of Punts 60+ Yards (Min. 2 60+ Yard Punts)

BGSU Davidson 0.178
ALA Scott 0.143
S ALA McKee 0.115
OH ST Johnston 0.107
LSU Growden 0.094
NC ST Cole 0.087
ECU Gregory 0.080
MEM Smith 0.080
KAN Moos 0.071
CAL Klumph 0.069
TENN Daniel 0.067
TX ST Kaba 0.060
ARIZ Pollack 0.059
ND Newsome 0.057
NEV Boy 0.057
PSU Gillikin 0.056
UTAH Wishnowsky 0.053
ULL Coutts 0.051
UNT Keena 0.050
AZ ST Haack 0.047
NW Niswander 0.045
SJSU Carrizosa 0.045
UVA Conte 0.045
VANDY Loy 0.045

EDIT: Sorry about the article length. Had to break it up into four different parts to post it. Lots on my mind needless to say.

Alright Arm Chair QBs and Playstation Coaches....put down the controllers and listen up.....


Turning Fanboys into Superheroes, High End Coaches, and Elite Commandos since 1996

I'm getting sick and tired of all the Message Board ADs out there who believe they have all the solutions to turning us into an instant elite program. Their ideas not only won't work but they're dangerous to the long term health of this program. Let's recap first though shall we?

As much as it pains me to say, ASU is NOT an elite program, nor do I think we ever truly will be. Now does that not mean we can't be a great program? No I strongly believe we can. But "elite?" Never. Why? I believe in order to be a truly "elite" program you not only have to have boosters with unlimited deep pockets, but you have to have a rabid fan base with decades upon decades of traditions that includes Heismans, Upper-Tier Bowl Games, National Titles, and fans that pass down that tradition from generation to generation to generation. Let's be honest...there are probably only about ten such programs that exist and USC would be the only one in the Pac.


You mean we're not elite?

What we can be however is another Stanford or Oregon (up until their meteoric collapses). Both programs are great programs. They're not "elite" but they are great programs. Both programs however had plenty of things going for them that we do not, nor do I anticipate probably ever will.

First these programs have deep pockets. Stanford with all of its Silicon Valley cash and Oregon with the Nike mint. Next these programs were not built over night. Stanford was pathetic for decades and Harbaugh's teams were a joke his first two years at Stanford and his third year team was mediocre. Oregon went through a lot of inconsistency with Mike Belotti. For every Rose Bowl year they produced, they also had a number of 7-8 win mediocre seasons. (Sound familiar?) Still Oregon stuck through it and the consistency of Belottie lead to the smooth transition to Chip Kelly and put them in place to be a great program. Much could be said the same way Harbaugh transitioned to Shaw. Third these programs have incredible national brand appeal that allows them recruit nationally. Oregon with its ties to Nike and Stanford through its educational reputation. Now what did these programs not do? They didn't call for their coaches heads after every little bump in the road. They didn't piss and moan that they weren't elite programs after three years. (They aren't even today) While Oregon likely will want to get rid of Helfrich, do you think Stanford wants to get rid of Shaw? Not happening.


Gold plated urinals for the new volleyball only facility? Sure! How much?

So for those of you wanting Graham's head let's look at the harsh reality of where this program has been, where it is today, and where it's going:

(continued below)

By going after this 6-5, 240 DE and WSU commit: https://n.rivals.com/content/prospects/180394

Joe Tryon is a bit of a late bloomer and his recruitment is about to take off.

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This article by Dan McDonald lists the Sun Devils as one of the favorites

Please post them in this thread by 10 am Monday morning. Thanks.

Mornin Mates...

Today's Topic = Luckless

That's a good description of our Sun Devils this fine morning as you don't win PAC games having to use your fourth string QB, missing a couple of OL, missing some key defensive players and having a secondary that has to use a converted RB as one of its DBs, etc...

So far, this season is the antithesis of our 2014 season when we had the Jael Mary against USC that propelled us to another 10 win season...

The difference between most PAC teams, ASU included, and elite programs such as USC, most of the time, is the quality of the depth that the Trojans have compared to almost all other teams in the conference...that has also been true of Stanford until this year...

Additionally, it was such a fluke that Brady White was injured right after Wilkins was injured and, with Bryce Perkins being injured, even before the season started, you have such a mess that even Nick Saban could not overcome with the personnel the Devils have at hand...

It was a miracle of sorts and a credit to the team and staff that the Devils didn't ever quite last night and were competitive, with a very good Cougar team, until the bitter end...

I've been very critical of Keith Patterson and Todd for the defensive mess but the mess is largely due to poor past recruiting on defense, especially in the secondary and line-backing spots, if you include the hybrid D-backer position in the equation...

Half of the "talent" in the secondary, that has to include the converted Gump Hayes there, out of necessity, is not PAC quality type players the way Irabor, Nelson, Darby and some other holdovers from the Erickson regime were big time players for the Devils...

There is no comparison and is why the Devils have struggled so mightily the past couple of seasons on defense...it really is as simple as that whether any of us want to believe that or not...

And, as stated numerous times before, that should not be the case in a head coach's fifth season at a school, so it squarely rests on Todd's desk where the buck stops...

The same thing has happened elsewhere in the PAC and you don't have to look any farther than Tucson and Arizona to see the results of poor recruiting by Rich Rod, during his first three years at the school, where "his kind of guys" aren't big enough, fast enough or smart enough to beat most good teams...

The Cats have also had some significant QB issues that have really hindered things as well...

Therefore, the moral of this story is that until the Devils get better players on defense, particularly in the secondary, don't run out of viable QBs and establish a lot more quality depth at almost every position, they will be at the mercy of Lady Luck during seasons like this one...

And, you do not want to ever be messing with the fickle Lady Luck if you can help it...

End of story...

G'day Mates and Go Devils!!!

My interview with Thomas Graham

Game story with players' quotes by Justin Toscano

2017 Linebacker pledge Loren Mondy (pledged back in 2013 if you recall) told me that he suffered a fractured fibula two weeks ago. He did play one game on it but then decided to not risk further injury. He will be out of a cast next week and out of a walking boot before the end of November.

The fact that his injury doesn't involve a lengthy rehab is huge because he's scheduled to enroll at ASU in the spring. Remains to be seen if he will be limited in the winter conditioning program, but should be full go for spring practice in March.

Mondy has been recruited at Devilbacker, and while he may get reps there to begin with I suspect he ends up an inside linebacker (WILL or SAM).

ASU was reminded once again that resiliency and character can only carry you so far when you suffer significant injuries.

Washington State at ASU Postgame Thoughts

Tells me he's landed an ASU offer. His First.

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Team — NCAA/Pac-12

Fewest Penalties — 21st nationally/1st Pac-12 at 35
Fewest Penalties Per Game — 12th nationally/1st Pac-12 at 4.38
Fewest Penalty Yards Per Game — 26th nationally/2nd Pac-12 at 46.63
Net Punting — 4th nationally/2nd Pac-12 at 43.91
Punt Return Defense — 12th nationally/2nd Pac-12 at 2.54
Punt Returns — 27th nationally/3rd Pac-12 at 11.30
Red Zone Offense — 2nd nationally/1st Pac-12 at 0.967
Rushing Defense — 7th nationally/1st Pac-12 at 99.9
Team Sacks — 26th nationally/3rd Pac-12 at 2.88
Team Tackles For Loss — 18th nationally/1st Pac-12 at 7.6

Individual — NCAA/Pac-12

All Purpose — Tim White, 12th nationally/4th Pac-12 at 158.38
Combined Kick Returns — Tim White, 2nd nationally/2nd Pac-12 at 692
Field Goal Percentage — Zane Gonzalez, 5th nationally/1st Pac-12 at 0.952
Field Goals Per Game — Zane Gonzalez, 1st nationally/1st Pac-12 at 2.50
Forced Fumbles — Koron Crump, 22nd nationally/4th Pac-12 at 0.38
Fumbles Recovered — Koron Crump, 9th nationally/3rd Pac-12 at 2
Passes Defended — Laiu Moeakiola, 24th nationally/3rd Pac-12 at 1.3
Punt Return TDs — Tim White, 3rd nationally/1st Pac-12 at 1
Punt Returns — Tim White, 8th nationally/2nd Pac-12 at 14.4
Punting — Matt Haack, 8th nationally/2nd Pac-12 at 46.1
Receptions Per Game — Tim White, 28th nationally/3rd Pac-12 at 5.9
Rushing TDs — Kalen Ballage, 9th nationally/1st Pac-12 at 10
Scoring — Zane Gonzalez, 6th nationally/1st Pac-12 at 11.0
Total Interceptions — Gump Hayes, 17th nationally/3rd Pac-12 at 3
Total Points Scored — Zane Gonzalez, 3rd nationally/1st Pac-12 at 88
Total Points Scored — Kalen Ballage, 21st nationally/3rd Pac-12 at 66
Total Touchdowns — Kalen Ballage, 7th nationally/1st Pac-12 at 11

Alright fellas,

Let's get a good one tonight!

Lots of players that had not played much this season got action vs Wazzu.

Lawal-lined up at Devil and ILB in Q1 and periodically throughout. I don't recall any tackles but it's good to see him get action EDIT Lawal was credited with 1 tackle

Jay Jay WIlson-lined up a H-Back and went 5 yards downfield to find a LB and knock him back at least 5 yards, something I haven't seen during CTG's years here

McClure played a solid game. The fumbled snap was nearly inevitable considering it was the first of the game and the season for both McClure and DSC under center.

Robertson had another rough outing (his 3rd with the others being NAU and UCLA) giving up a sack early. He was shuffled in and out with numerous other changes to the OL throughout the game, (Stephen Miller to LG, Bailey from RG to RT, McCray from LG to RG and Cohl Cabral even playing TE in Sparky

Stephen Miller-seemed to hold his own at LG

DSC-had some flashes for the future

Jack Smith-threw the wounded duck pass despite tight coverage (DB was not fooled, thought he had a perfect bead on it and when it died mid-air and he tried to come back to it he fell down allowing the catch) and threw it very short and well behind White who made a good adjustment and extension to make the catch and pick up 10 more yards for a gain of 40 yards, Happy for Jack Smith and for the good fortune on this play

WHERE WAS ROBBIE ROBINSON??