Arizona State Football: 7 Things That Need To Be Fixed Before 2012

The Arizona State Sun Devils have already taken the right step in the right direction for next season with the firing of head coach Dennis Erickson. That is only the first step of many in fixing this Sun Devil team that had much potential for 2011 only to falter at the end.

The Sun Devils showed they could play with some of the best teams this season, but ultimately the pressure crushed them. They will be under new leadership in 2012, so hopefully that will become a thing of the past.

With hopes still high and a fanbase that is finally excited about the potential of its football team, the Sun Devils must fix the following in order to make 2012 have better results.

Consistency: Offense

The Arizona State Sun Devils were not the most consistent team on the field last year. One place where they needed to find more consistency was in the running game. While the passing game, led by quarterback Brock Osweiler, was relatively consistent each game, the same can't be said for running back Cameron Marshall.

While Marshall did run for over 1,000 yards and had 18 touchdowns, he just was way too inconsistent despite his injury woes. He had three games of over 140 yards, but he also had six games under 70 yards. That is just way too inconsistent for a potential All-American back.

If Marshall decides to return for his senior year, he will need to be more consistent. He has shown the talent, and he could be an elite back in not just the Pac-12, but the entire NCAA.

Consistency: Defense

The Arizona State Sun Devils allowed 26.3 PPG this season. While that is affected by their last four games, the Sun Devils allowed too many points this season. This was most due to their secondary that fell apart at the end of the season.

The Sun Devils were unstoppable against the passing game to start the year. They only allowed nine passing touchdowns over their first eight games. In their last four, they allowed nine. That is just an inexcusable drop-off.

The Sun Devils also forced 25 turnovers over their first eight games. In that final four-game stretch, they forced only four, none of which were interceptions. This secondary disappeared—it is mostly to blame for the Sun Devils' final four-game skid. 

In 2012, the defense needs improvement all around, but no place more than its secondary.

Get a Better Kicker

The Arizona State Sun Devils lost two of their last four games due to missed field goals by kicker Alex Garoutte. On the season, Garoutte only converted 14 of his 21 field-goal attempts. Two of those misses came at home, while the rest came on the road.

All five misses came from between 30 and 49 yards, as Garoutte never had to kick a field goal from over 50 yards. That was good for the Sun Devils, as it seems likely that they would not have converted that kick.

Here is where people will stand divided. Garoutte is only a freshman. That is a lot of pressure to take for a freshman kicker, so he may get a chance again next year. It depends on who the coach is and who he goes with. If the new coach does pick Garoutte, he will definitely be working to redeem himself with a lot of pressure on him.

Reduce Penalties

The Arizona State Sun Devils were notorious for penalties during the Dennis Erickson era, and this season wasn't any different. They recorded an FBS fourth-worst 94 penalties. The lack of discipline is one thing that any coach has to work on when he takes over this football program.

The Sun Devils could be great on a consistent basis, but they first need to reduce the penalties. Otherwise, they are going nowhere but backwards. This team has talented players all over the field, but the time is now to teach them proper fundamentals.

There are always going to be penalties—that is inevitable. The point now is to fix the situation so that they occur less often.

Stay Healthy

The Arizona State Sun Devils were relatively healthy this year, but they were set back by injuries to a few key players.

The Sun Devils lost running back Deantre Lewis and cornerback Omar Bolden before the season even started. Both were significant losses for the Sun Devils, but Bolden is a senior, and his days as a Sun Devil are likely over. He was their best man in the secondary and was a dangerous returner. They will need to keep dual threats like that healthy next year.

The Sun Devils also had injuries to running back Cameron Marshall and defensive end Junior Onyeali. Marshall was able to play through his injuries, but it definitely slowed him down. Onyeali, on the other hand, was out for four games in the middle of the season, and that was a big loss for the Sun Devils.

Injuries are going to happen, but staying healthy is key.

Find a Consistent Target at Reciever

The Arizona State Sun Devils had a solid passing game this season. Quarterback Brock Osweiler was able to spread the ball each game, but he never could find a consistent target.

Wide receiver Gerell Robinson had over 1,000 yards receiving and had six touchdowns, but he tended to disappear at the end of games. This was a problem for the Sun Devils because they often lost their games in the fourth quarter.

It seemed as if Osweiler didn't have a primary "go-to" guy in his receiving corps. While guys like Jamal Miles and Aaron Pflugrad are fine targets, they were not as big or dominant as Robinson. Robinson will be gone in 2012, so the Sun Devils will need to make sure they decide at camp who their primary receiver will be.

Win Games That Should Be Won

Nothing ruined the Arizona State Sun Devils' season more than losing games that shouldn't have been lost.

The Week 3 road loss to Illinois was an OK loss, as the Illini were playing at a season high, and it was the first road game of the season. The other loss that was not a shock to most was the Week 6 loss at Oregon.

As for the other losses, both at home and on the road, they were not OK. The Sun Devils dropped five of their last six games. Those losses came at the hands of the UCLA Bruins (6-7), Washington State Cougars (4-8), Arizona Wildcats (4-8) and Cal Golden Bears (7-5). 

The Sun Devils were in full control of their fate standing at 6-2. Instead of winning their final four games over easy opponents, they managed to lose them and fall to a final record of 6-6.