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ASU Football notebok: Carpenter, James, Weber earn team top player awards
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The Arizona State football team honored its best of 2007 during its awards banquet on Sunday at the Phoenician resort.
ASU to play Texas in Holiday Bowl
Junior quarterback Rudy Carpenter, senior linebacker Robert James and freshman kicker Thomas Weber were chosen the offensive, defensive and special-teams players of the year, respectively.
Carpenter threw for 3,015 yards and 23 touchdowns while often subjected to heavy blitzes, James compiled a team-leading 99 tackles and four interceptions and Weber, a finalist for the Lou Groza Award, made 22 of 23 field goals.
Other notable winners were Brandon Rodd (top offensive lineman), Dexter Davis (top defensive lineman), safety Troy Nolan (academic achievement award), and cornerback Omar Bolden (top freshman). Receiver Chris McGaha was named most improved offensive player, and Nolan and cornerback Justin Tryon shared most improved defensive player honors.
INJURY REPORT
Coach Dennis Erickson said that he expects the Sun Devils to be as healthy as they have been all year when they take the field for the Holiday Bowl against Texas on Dec. 27.
Safety Josh Barrett, who sat out Saturday’s victory against Arizona with a knee sprain, should be available, as will Rodd, who departed the game after he aggravated an ankle injury.
Running back Keegan Herring sprained an ankle against Arizona be expects to be healed after a week of rest.
“Three of four more days and some ice, I’ll be good,” Herring said.
OLD BUDDIES
Hawaii’s win against Washington on Saturday night/Sunday morning might have locked ASU out of a Bowl Championship Series berth. However, that did not stop Erickson from giving Warriors coach June Jones some advice when the two spoke by telephone on Sunday.
Erickson is a friend of Jones, whose team plays Georgia in the Sugar Bowl.
“They haven’t been off the islands for a bowl game, so he asked me what we did in bowls I’ve been in,” Erickson said.
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