Pac-10 Power Arizona State Looks to Stick a "Fork" in SEC Foe Georgia

2007 Team Recaps

Dennis Erickson’s first year had ASU fans buzzing as the Sun Devils shared the Pac-10 title with the USC Trojans.  This was their first conference title since Jake Plummer and Pat Tillman led them to a memorable season in 1996 in which they upset the top-ranked Nebraska Cornhuskers.  Coach Erickson brought toughness, desire, and excitement back to a program that had been sleepwalking since.

Even though they lost to Texas in the Holiday Bowl, ASU has a lot to build on using the momentum of a 10-3 season.  ASU fans can expect the same, if not more, for their '08 campaign.

Georgia comes in with the “hottest team” moniker riding their dominating momentum from last year.  Georgia didn’t play for the SEC title, but many analysts believe they were the best team in the SEC.

Mark Richt's Bulldogs had one of the most memorable team celebrations in recent college football memory, as the entire team rushed the field to celebrate a touchdown in their victory against the Florida Gators.  This undoubtedly set the tone for the remainder of their season, which culminated in a victory over Hawaii in the Sugar Bowl.

In many preseason polls, Georgia is ranked at or near No. 1 in the country and is picked to go to a BCS bowl game.

Now both powerhouses enter '08 with high expectations as they do battle in Tempe, Arizona on September 20.

What to look for

There are athletes on both sides of the ball for both teams.  However, one area that will be of key concern and will ultimately make the difference in this contest is ASU’s offensive line.

ASU’s offensive line was absolutely atrocious last year, giving up a league-high 55 sacks (four per game), third-most in the nation behind Syracuse and Notre Dame.  Rudy Carpenter is as tough as they come, starting 31 straight games for the Devils.  However, one has to wonder how much more can he take.

Erickson addressed the offensive line woes that ex-coach Dirk Koetter left him by signing five offensive linemen in the '08 class and one for the '09 class.  Even though they may not pay dividends now, the '08 class undoubtedly adds a deeper talent pool to draw from. 

This unit was a topic of conversation in spring ball for Coach Erickson.

"We made a lot of progress.  Are we where we need to be?  No, we've got a long way to go, but I thought, from the beginning of the spring to where we're at now, it's way better.  I thought our pass protecting has been a lot better.  I thought we protected pretty well today.  That's been an area of concern, but they've made a lot of progress," said Erickson.

ASU has a supreme athlete in Jon Hargis who was switched to left tackle from the defensive line.  He will add much-needed speed to that unit.

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