Bowl Projections 2011: Arizona State Sun Devils Bound for Maaco Las Vegas Bowl
With head coach Dennis Erickson on his way out, the Arizona State Sun Devils need to shift their focus to making a statement on this lost season by winning their bowl game. That bowl is looking to be an appearance at the Maaco Las Vegas Bowl against the TCU Horned Frogs.
At 6-2, the Sun Devils were in great position to make a large bowl game. Their fall to 6-6 has put them in a much worse position. Still, the Las Vegas Bowl puts them against the top team in the Mountain West Conference. While a game against the Boise State Broncos, who are 10-1, would have been a much more satisfying win, a game against the Horned Frogs (9-2) poses just as great of an opportunity.
The Horned Frogs are currently ranked No. 18 in the latest BCS standings, and they have shown that they are a strong team with a win over their MWC foes the Broncos. There is no doubt that the Horned Frogs would pose a great challenge to the Sun Devils.
If the Sun Devils are able to defeat the Horned Frogs at the Las Vegas Bowl, they will be able to go out with a win in what has been an extremely unsatisfactory season. The Sun Devils have proven over the course of the year that they can beat strong teams. They defeated the USC Trojans and Missouri Tigers, who were both ranked at the time. Unfortunately, their play of late doesn't provide as much promise.
The bigger question is if the Sun Devils will be coached by Erickson in the bowl game. The Sun Devils may be better off without him, but it really depends on how the administration decides to handle his dismissal. They may feel that they will be best off letting him coach his team one last time.
With the recent fallout, they may see that a change at the helm will give them their best shot a bowl game victory. If Erickson leads the Sun Devils to a victory, they will have to pay him $25K. That may be enough of a reason to keep him off the sidelines.
As for the potential game, the Sun Devils have not played the Horned Frogs in recent years. That being said, it is hard to determine how the game could play out. The Horned Frogs are, of course, coming off of a huge Rose Bowl win over the Wisconsin Badgers just a season ago.
The Horned Frogs have proven that they can score. They are averaging 40.3 PPG this season. That could very well spell trouble for the Sun Devils defense, which has fallen off of late. On the season, TCU quarterback Casey Pachall has thrown for over 2,500 yards with 24 touchdowns and only six interceptions.
The Sun Devils' passing defense could be in a lot of trouble in this matchup. Through their first eight games, the Sun Devils allowed only nine passing touchdowns. In their last four, they have allowed nine. The defense has fallen apart, and that has resulted in the Sun Devils' collapse.
The Sun Devils have offensive threats in quarterback Brock Osweiler and running back Cameron Marshall, so they could have a chance to score a lot against the Horned Frogs, who are allowing 22.4 PPG.
The Horned Frogs haven't played many teams that have an offense like the Sun Devils, but when they have, they haven't held up as well. This season, they allowed the Baylor Bears to score 50 points and the Broncos to score 35. There is no doubt that the Sun Devils could score, but the defense will also need to step up.
No matter who the Sun Devils end up playing against this bowl season, they are going to be in for a challenge. At least if they go up against the Horned Frogs, they will have a chance to prove to the nation that they are still a team to beat in 2012. Under a new coach, that very much could be the case.
Jeff Chase is from Chicago and is an undergrad at Arizona State University. He currently is interning with B/R and is in the process of becoming a Featured Columnist for Arizona State football.
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