Time for Dennis Erickson Era to Come to a Close at Arizona State

Following a 37-27 loss on the road to the then 3-6 Washington State Cougars, the Arizona State Sun Devils (6-4) need to cut ties with head coach Dennis Erickson at the end of the 2011 college football season. Although the Sun Devils started out the season hot, going 5-1, the 1-3 record over their last four is just inexcusable.

For one thing, the Sun Devils have been effective at home, where they stand undefeated. The road has killed them, though, and it is likely going to kill any potential of Erickson coming off the hot seat. The Sun Devils are bowl eligible, but considering that one of their wins came over FCS team UC Davis, the Sun Devils still have to win another game in order to put themselves in position for a better bowl game.

The Saturday night loss at Washington State was just the nail in the coffin. The Sun Devils were heavy favorites, even coming off a road loss to the UCLA Bruins the week before. Speaking of the Bruins, they lost on the road to the Utah Utes, giving the Sun Devils an opening to reclaim the division lead and automatic bid into the Pac-12 championship game.

In Saturday's game, the Sun Devils allowed freshman quarterback Connor Halliday to light them up. The Cougars' raw passer went 27-of-36 with 494 yards and four touchdowns.

The Sun Devils, who have arguably one of the better defenses in college football, have really fallen off the wagon in the last few weeks. While they are still a force in the turnover game, their pass defense has collapsed, and they are really starting to feel the absence of cornerback Omar Bolden down the stretch.

The Sun Devils do have talent. Their trio of juniors in quarterback Brock Osweiler, running back Cameron Marshall and middle linebacker Vontaze Burfict are extremely talented, but for some reason the Sun Devils are just not able to capitalize throughout the entire game. There are spurts of great play, but other than that, the Sun Devils just seem to lack cohesion as a whole team at the most important times.

Coach Erickson has had a chance to take the Sun Devils to another level, but he has failed to do so every time he has had a chance.

If the Sun Devils had kept their composure and played the way they should have all season, right now they should be standing at 9-1. They likely would have still lost to the Oregon Ducks, but there is no reason to doubt that the Sun Devils have the talent to defeat their other road opponents, Illinois, UCLA and Washington State. All three games should have been walk-over wins for the Sun Devils, but instead they failed to come through on the road.

The road losses are not the only issue. The Sun Devils have never been properly disciplined on the field. They have never been able to cut down on the penalties, and it has been one of the biggest criticisms of Erickson since he took over. Things have looked better from time to time this season, but never have penalties become an issue of the past for the Sun Devils.

With the USC Trojans eliminated from championship play this season, the Sun Devils have failed to capture the opportunity whenever it has been presented to them. Now, they must make the proper decision for this football program, and that would be to move in a different direction.

This is the best the Sun Devils have looked in years, but this is likely the best they will be able to get out of Erickson and his coaching. Even if the Sun Devils do make a decent bowl game, it will be time to move on following that game.