Arizona State Sun Devils Football: Changes Needed in 2011

After the NCAA denied Arizona State University’s bowl waiver, it became official that the Sun Devils would miss a bowl for the third straight season.

The 2010 season may have been an improvement over years past, but ASU had nothing to show for it.

As 70 other FBS schools are preparing for and playing in bowl games, the Sun Devils will spend the holidays at home, watching.

The 2010 season may have been disappointing, but before the season began ASU was picked to finish ninth in the conference, and they certainly exceeded expectations.

As 2010 comes to a close and all eyes begin to shift towards 2011, there are a few New Year’s resolutions the Sun Devils need to make a run at winning the Pac-10 South.

Quarterback Consistency

As the leader of the offense, and often the team, the quarterback is a very important part of an entire team. Whether it was Brock Osweiler towards the end of the year or Steven Threet in the first 10 games, the Sun Devils never got consistent play out of their quarterbacks.

Threet, who was the starter for the majority of the year, had 18 touchdown passes and looked to be a great fit for the new-look ASU offense at times. However, Threet also threw 16 interceptions and showed that his decision-making still needed improvement.

This offense did rank 14th in the country in passing yards while throwing for 286.4 yards per game, but the inability to complete passes in crucial moments cost this team more often than any ASU fan, player or coach would like to remember.

Osweiler finished the year strong, which has many Sun Devil fans believing there will be another quarterback competition prior to the 2011 season, just as there was prior to the 2010 season.

Whether it is Threet or Osweiler that wins the job next year, the quarterback will have to prove that he can perform at a consistent level. There are plenty of weapons on the ASU offense; the Sun Devils just lack a quarterback who can consistently get them the ball and manage the game.

Take Care of the Football

Although ASU put up 31 points against the Oregon Ducks, the Sun Devils turned the ball over seven times in that game and showed how incapable they were of maintaining possession. While the seven-turnover debacle against the Ducks was certainly the worst turnover performance of the season, it certainly was not isolated.

The Sun Devils turned the ball over 23 times this past season and finished the year minus-six in turnover margin. Turning the ball over more often than you are forcing turnovers is a simple recipe for losses. ASU averaged just over two turnovers per game last season, which is something that needs to be fixed.

If the Sun Devils want to compete in the Pac-12 South, they will need to protect the football and win the turnover battle.

Limit Penalties

“Holding on the offense. 10 yards from the spot of the foul, repeat first down.” These words seem to echo in the ears of anyone who watched ASU football this season, as penalties were constantly being called against the Sun Devils. It almost became comical to watch a great play and see who could find the flag first.

ASU had penalty problems on both sides of the ball and would frequently give teams first downs via penalties after coming up with a crucial stop. Likewise, the offense would lose yards after picking up an important first down.

Teams coached by Dennis Erickson always rank towards the bottom in the country in penalties and penalty yards, but ASU is not quite good enough to overcome this. Next year’s team needs discipline in order to avoid committing the simple mistakes.

Mature and Have Self-Control

While sophomore linebacker Vontaze Burfict was not the only culprit of overreactions and loss of self-control, he was the most frequent. Throughout 2010 Burfict would commit at least one personal foul per game. While you want players to be consistent, this is not the kind of consistency the Sun Devils wanted.

Burfict is a very talented player when he keeps his composure; unfortunately, he lets people get to him. He gets upset by trash talk and subtle things, and he eventually explodes.

Towards the end of the year he was being targeted and provoked, and while that may be unfair, he needs to learn to control himself despite the circumstances because the 15 yards that he kept giving up really hurt the defense.

Win on the Road

ASU was just 2-4 on the road last season, which is something that needs to be improved. There were many close games on the road that ASU could have won but didn’t. Winning on the road is what separates teams. It is a lot easier to win on your home field in front of your fans in your comfort zone. Good teams know how to go into a hostile environment and come away with a win.

For ASU to come away with the first ever Pac-12 South championship, they will need to steal a few games in their opponents’ backyards.

Be Consistent on Special Teams

ASU’s losses against Wisconsin and USC can both be linked directly to special teams. Blocked extra points in both of those games severely hurt the Sun Devils. Special teams is not often talked about as the deciding factor in a game, but it often was for ASU this season. Thomas Weber’s struggles at kicker have been well documented, but he was a senior and will not be back next season.

Erickson and his staff need to find a way to shore up the special teams unit because it is always best when extra points are unnoticed afterthoughts following a touchdown instead of becoming the talk of the town the following week.

While there are obviously some adjustments that need to be made, the 2010 Sun Devil football team provided fans with a glimmer of hope for 2011. With USC being ineligible for a postseason game, the Pac-12 South is winnable next year, and the Sun Devils should be towards the top if everything goes right.