Arizona State 2005 Season | Team Page	Select Conference ACC Big East Big Ten Big 12 Conference USA Independents MAC Mountain West Pac-10 SEC Sun Belt WAC Select Team

Special Athlon offer for SI.com readers

The Lowdown 2006 Schedule Coach: Dirk Koetter (6th season, 33-28) 2005 record: 7-5 (Beat Rutgers in Insight Bowl) Pac-10 finish: 4-4 (t-4th) 2005 I-A offensive rankings: Rushing: 58th (145.7 ypg) Passing: 3rd (373.4 ypg) 2005 I-A defensive rankings: Rushing: 89th (179.8 ypg) Passing: 112th (289.0 ypg) Date Opponent Aug. 31 Northern Arizona Sept. 9 Nevada Sept. 16 at Colorado Sept. 23 at California Sept. 30 Oregon Oct. 14 at USC Oct. 21 Stanford Oct. 28 at Washington Nov. 4 at Oregon State Nov. 11 Washington State Nov. 18 UCLA Nov. 25 at Arizona Depth Chart: Offense 8 returning starters in red Ps. No. Player Yr. No. Player Yr. WR 1 Michael Jones So. 82 Jamaal Lewis Sr. WR 17 Terry Richardson Sr. 3 Rudy Burgess Jr. LT 62 Brandon Rodd Jr. 53 J.D. Walton Fr. LG 66 Stephen Berg Sr. 70 Leo Talavou So. C 76 Mike Pollak Jr. 69 Thomas Altieri Fr. RG 78 Zach Krula Sr. 73 Robert Gustavis Jr. RT 52 Andrew Carnahan Sr. 79 Julius Orieukwu Jr. TE 86 Zach Miller Jr. 84 Jovon Williams Fr. HB 87 Brent Miller Jr. 80 Dane Guthrie So. QB 9 Sam Keller Sr. 12 Rudy Carpenter So. TB 24 Keegan Herring So. 37 Preston Jones Jr. Depth Chart: Defense 5 returning starters in red Ps. No. Player Yr. No. Player Yr. DE 57 Tranell Morant So. 66 Loren Howard Sr. DT 77 Michael Marquardt Jr. 98 Shannon Jones Sr. DT 1 Jordan Hill Sr. 90 David Smith So. DE 50 Kyle Caldwell Sr. 91 Will Kofe Sr. SLB 48 Chad Lindsey So. - Garrett Judah Jr. MLB 51 Beau Manutai Sr. 54 Adam Vincent So. WLB 29 Robert James Jr. 14 Derron Ware Sr. CB 8 Keno Walter-White Sr. 23 Chris Baloney Jr. CB 21 Chad Green Jr. 10 Justin Tryon Jr. SS 19 Josh Barrett Jr. 18 Troy Nolan Jr. FS 5 Zach Catanese Sr. 7 Jeremy Payton So. Special Teams Ps. No. Player Yr. Ps. No. Player Yr. K 20 Jesse Ainsworth Sr. P - Jonathan Johnson Jr. KR 17 Terry Richardson Sr. PR 17 Terry Richardson Sr.

To order your 2006 Athlon Sports annual and receive $1 off plus free shipping courtesy of SI.com, click here.

Arizona State wants to scratch its 10-year itch. In 1986, the Sun Devils finished 10-1-1 and went to the Rose Bowl, where they beat Michigan.

In 1996, quarterback Jake Plummer led ASU to an 11-0 regular-season record and its second Rose Bowl appearance. The Sun Devils took the lead with 1:40 left but lost to Ohio State, 20-17.

The Devils believe they can make it to Pasadena three decades in a row. ASU returns eight starters offensively from the team that finished 7-5 last season and won its second straight bowl game, beating Rutgers 45-40 in the Insight Bowl.

A more balanced Pac-10 will help ASU's cause. USC won't be as dominant as it's been in the past, having lost Matt Leinart, Reggie Bush and LenDale White. But for the Sun Devils to make the jump from conference afterthought -- it was 4-4 in Pac-10 play last year -- to conference powerhouse, it needs to do something about its defense.

Coach Dirk Koetter's wide-open offense will score points. ASU averaged 36.8 points per game last season, the third time in Koetter's five years the Sun Devils have topped the 30-point mark. But ASU finished 114th nationally in total defense last year and has to replace its two best linebackers -- Dale Robinson, Jamar Williams -- and find two new starting cornerbacks.

The Sun Devils will be tested early. Starting on Sept. 16 they play at Colorado, at California, against Oregon in Sun Devil Stadium and then at USC. If ASU can survive that stretch, the schedule is favorable the rest of the way.

OFFENSE

Dirk Koetter came to Arizona State with the reputation as an offensive wizard, and he's lived up to the hype. The Sun Devils last year were the No. 2-ranked offense in the country, racking up 519.1 yards per game. ASU returns eight starters from that unit.

The focus all season will be on the quarterbacks. Sam Keller and Rudy Carpenter both had spectacular seasons in 2005. Keller threw for 2,165 yards and 20 touchdowns before he had surgery on his right thumb, and Carpenter ended the season ranked No. 1 in the nation in passing efficiency.

Keller is the starter heading into fall camp -- Koetter's policy is that a player doesn't lose his job because of injury -- but Carpenter's emergence will make this one of the most-watched position battles in the country.

While ASU's passing game has been a constant under Koetter, its rushing attack has too often been inconsistent or non-existent. The Sun Devils need a more balanced attack, and that responsibility will fall to speedy sophomore tailback Keegan Herring, who rushed for a team-high 870 yards last year.

ASU's front five is experienced and talented. Three full-time starters return, and a fourth, center Mike Pollak, started six games.

DEFENSE

ASU's defense allowed 29.9 points per game in 2005 -- including 40 to Rutgers in the Insight Bowl -- and will have to improve dramatically for the Sun Devils to contend in the Pac-10.

The Sun Devils are banking on a trio of defensive line transfers -- ends Loren Howard and Tranell Morant and tackle Michael Marquardt -- to make a difference, but Howard missed spring practice with continuing knee problems.

ASU has to get a better push up front because it lost its two best defensive players from last season -- linebackers Dale Robinson and Jamar Williams -- and both its starting cornerbacks.

There's little depth in the linebacking corps, and the projected starting corners -- Keno Walter-White and Chad Green -- have zero career interceptions between them.

SPECIALISTS

Wide receiver Terry Richardson was one of the nation's best return men last season -- he returned two punts for touchdowns -- and Jesse Ainsworth made 9-of-11 field goal attempts. Richardson, however, is facing some eligibility issues.

The Sun Devils have to fix their punt protection problems after having four kicks blocked last season. Koetter recruited junior college punter Jonathan Johnson to take over for Chris MacDonald. Koetter thought MacDonald's low trajectory was partly responsible for the blocked kicks.

FINAL ANALYSIS

The Sun Devils poured in points last season but finished 7-5 because the defense couldn't hold up its end. That has to change. Koetter recruited 15 defensive players, including six junior college transfers, but how much they'll be able to contribute remains to be seen.

Can Arizona State compete for the Pac-10 title? If it can emerge from an early tough stretch with just one conference loss, it will be a force to be reckoned with in the conference.

The Sun Devils, as usual, will be fun to watch. Whether anybody will be watching them in January depends on the defense. As usual.