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7
Arizona State
The Sun Devils are absolutely giddy
that this season's national title game will be played in their
home stadium. Now, if they can just get themselves an
invitation...
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The Sun Devils will use Redmond, a player of rare talents,
on offense and defense, and at four positions.
(Stephen Dunn/Allsport)
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The story
of J.R. Redmond was one of the few that went untold during
the magical fall of 1996, when the Sun Devils came within
19 seconds of winning a national title. That season the
spotlight belonged to Derrick Rodgers, the former high
school trumpet player
turned All-America defensive end; left tackle Juan Roque, the
gregarious son of Mexican immigrants who also was
All-America; and Jake Plummer, the charismatic quarterback
and Heisman Trophy finalist. But even then cornerback
Courtney
Jackson could foresee a time when Redmond would be attracting just
as much attention as that trio. "I remember J.R.
standing at midfield as we were breaking down into position
drills toward the end of a summer practice in '96,"
says Jackson. "He had been
working out at a bunch of positions, and he was a little confused
because he had six coaches asking him, almost begging him,
to join their group. You could see it coming back then: the
day when people would be talking about J.R. Redmond as one
of the special
players in college
football.''
That day is here. Arizona State coach Bruce Snyder has no
doubt that Redmond can play six positions. This year,
however, he will ask the 6-foot, 205-pound junior to play
only four—tailback (a team-leading 865 yards, 6.1
yards per carry in '97), wideout
(15 receptions, 186 yards last fall), kick returner (21.6
yards per kickoff return,
9.8 per punt return last year) and his newest position, safety,
where Snyder plans to deploy the Heisman Trophy candidate
in passing situations. The reasons for this expanded role
are practical—Redmond played defensive back in high
school and the Sun Devils
are thin at safety—and psychological. "The
special players, the ones like J.R., make their teammates a
little
better, make them stand a little taller,''
Snyder says. "The more we get him out on the field, the
better this team is going to be.'' In short, Redmond can
mean the difference between 10-1 and a New Year's Day bowl,
and 8-3 and Christmas in El
Paso.
Redmond has bought into the strategy, largely because of
the success Charles Woodson had at Michigan last season.
"I don't know if anybody's ever dominated a game like
he did," says Redmond. "He walked onto a field,
on offense
and defense, and just said, 'I'm taking this game over.' And
look how Michigan ended
up.''
But Redmond, like Woodson, is not a one-man show; the other
talented Sun Devils should assure that Arizona State ends
up in the thick of the national title race, which will
conclude, seductively enough, in Sun Devil Stadium as the
Fiesta Bowl plays host
to the national championship game. This is Snyder's deepest
and most talented team since he arrived at ASU in 1992,
especially on offense, where he welcomes back his
quarterback, two of his three top rushers and the four most
productive receivers from
last season. Sophomore quarterback Ryan Kealy completed 54.5%
of his passes and had a 2-to-1 touchdown-to-interception
ratio as a redshirt freshman. With the return of Redmond
and senior Marlon Farlow
(450 yards on 57 carries), the Sun Devils, who led the Pac-10 in
rushing yardage last season, will again be loaded at
running back. Senior wideout Lenzie Jackson heads the
conference's finest group of receivers.
Defense, though, is a cause for concern in Tempe. After
losing players who accounted for
25 1/2 of the team's 37 sacks last year, Arizona State will have
to find new ways to generate a pass rush. Gone, too, are
three starting linemen and two of four starting
linebackers. Snyder signed three junior college linemen,
hoping that at least one of them
will have an impact similar to that of Rodgers, the juco
transfer who had 12 sacks in
'96. "Who knows how they'll work out," says Snyder
of his junior college additions. "It's like investing
in pork
bellies.''
The schedule could work out nicely for the Sun Devils. They
do not play powerful league rival UCLA, and they get
Washington and Notre Dame—most likely their toughest
opponents—at home. However kindly the schedule might
seem, ASU players promise it will
not breed complacency. "Every day we're going to walk
on the field where the national championship is going to be
played,''
Courtney Jackson says. "What can get you pumped up more than
that?''
From time to time even Snyder finds himself considering the
possibilities while staring out his sixth-floor office
window, which overlooks the stadium. Whatever
the uncertainties, he knows that he has
Redmond, that exceptional player who makes bigger things possible.
Rest assured,
Redmond's story will not again go untold this
fall. —Christian
Stone
Fast Facts
1997 record: 9-3 (6-2, 3rd in Pac-10)
Final ranking: No. 14 AP, No. 14 coaches' poll
| 1997 Averages | Offense | Defense |
| Scoring | 27.9 | 18.4 |
| Rushing Yards | 193.8 | 112.8 |
| Passing Yards | 212.6 | 223.9 |
| Total Yards | 406.5 | 336.7 |
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Lineup
Coach: Bruce Snyder
Seventh year at Arizona State (41-27); career Division I-A record: 109-88-5
| OFFENSE |
| WR | Lenzie Jackson | Sr. | 53 rec., 733 yds., 5 TDs |
| LT | Marvel Smith | So. | 6 starts as a freshman |
| LG | Scott Peters | Fr. | Weighs 321 lbs., heaviest on OL |
| C | Grey Ruegamer | Sr. | Moved from LT at midseason |
| RG | Victor Leyva | So. | Agile run blocker |
| RT | Troy Davis | Sr. | 3 starts at RT in '97 |
| TE | Kendrick Bates | Jr. | 13.9-yd. avg. on 23 rec. |
| WR | Tariq McDonald | So. | 5 rec., 33 yds., 2 TDs |
| QB | Ryan Kealy | So. | 15 TD passes, 7 int., 126.9 rtg. |
| RB | J.R. Redmond | Jr. | 865 rushing yds., 186 receiving |
| FB | Jeff Paulk | Sr. | Gained 80 yds. on 35 carries |
| K | Stephen Baker | Fr. | Brother kicked at ASU, '93-94 |
| DEFENSE |
| LE | Quincy Yancy | So. | 6'8" pass swatter |
| LT | Albrey Battle | Sr. | 25% of tackles were for losses |
| RT | Junior Ioane | Jr. | 51 tackles, 11 sacks at Snow J.C. |
| RE | Erik Flowers | Jr. | 97 tackles at Trinity J.C. |
| MLB | Stephen Trejo | So. | 22 tackles, 1 int. |
| OLB | Joe Cesta | Sr. | 24 tackles, 3 for losses; 1 int. |
| OLB | Adam Archuleta | So. | 15 tackles in a backup role |
| CB | J'Juan Cherry | Jr. | Int. secured win at Oregon St. |
| SS | Christon Rance | So. | Just 7 tackles in '97 |
| FS | Mitchell Freedman | Sr. | Led team with 4 int. |
| CB | Courtney Jackson | Jr. | Honorable mention All-Pac-10 |
| P | Mike Gauthier | So. | Transferred from Missouri |
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Pivotal Players
What kind of impression did
J.R. Redmond make while trying out at safety during spring
practice? Teammates are still crowing about his hit that laid out
tight end
Kendrick
Bates, who at
6' 5",
250 pounds, is five inches taller and 45 pounds heavier than
Redmond.... The Sun Devils' questionable run defense will be aided by
the presence of cornerbacks
Courtney
Jackson
and
J'Juan Cherry,
whose strong single-coverage skills will enable defensive
coordinator Phil Snow to stack the line of scrimmage with
seven or eight
men.... Senior center
Grey Ruegamer,
whose agility belies his 304 pounds, could make a strong bid for
the Outland and Lombardi
awards.... Senior
Steve Campbell,
who last August was the leading candidate to start at
quarterback, is being tried on special teams, on which his
6' 8" height could be advantageous. Over the last two
seasons, Arizona State has blocked five field goal
attempts, but only one extra point try and one punt.
Key Games
Schedule strength: 41st of
112
Sept. 5 vs. Washington
A season-opening 45-42 win over the Huskies in Tempe two
years ago was Arizona State's springboard to the Rose Bowl.
Oct. 10 vs. Notre Dame
The revamped Irish option will be a stern test for a
defense that lost five starters from last year's front
seven.
Nov. 27 at Arizona
The Wildcats have won four of the last five meetings,
including a 28-16 victory last year that knocked the Sun
Devils out of the Alliance Bowl
picture.
X Factor
Junior college transfers Erik Flowers, Junior Ioane and
Jawell
Samilton must shore up a defensive line if the Sun Devils expect to
lead the league again in scoring
defense.
Bottom Line
Ten wins, one loss and a lesser Bowl Championship Series.
Too many shortcomings on
defense will deny the Sun Devils their dream of playing at
home for the national
title.
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