Bordow: QB Carpenter underappreciated by ASU fans

Rudy Carpenter's favorite color is pink.

He wears pink socks and pink shirts and if there's more pink in his wardrobe, well, there are certain things we don't need to know.

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Carpenter will freely admit his love affair with pink because, for the most part, he doesn't care what others think of him.

But there are exceptions.

Carpenter, for example, is obsessed about his standing in college football. During the recent NCAA baseball super regional in Tempe, he asked a reporter to Google a listing of the top quarterbacks in the country. He was dismayed to learn he was ranked 16th.

Then there's the on-again, off-again love affair Carpenter has with Arizona State fans.

If he stays healthy, Carpenter should end his Sun Devil career with every significant school passing record. He is the only quarterback other than Danny White to start three bowl games, he is 3-0 against the University of Arizona, and if ASU wins 10 games this season he'll become the winningest quarterback in school history.

Yet there is an inordinate number of ASU fans who never have embraced Carpenter. When he threw two interceptions against Texas in the Holiday Bowl last December, and backup Danny Sullivan led ASU to two meaningless touchdowns in the fourth quarter, there was talk that Sullivan should be the starter this season.

"Sometimes I really do wonder what it is I've got to do for all the fans to appreciate me," Carpenter said. "It kind of hurts me a little bit."

The criticism of Carpenter is inexplicable.

He started every game last season despite playing with a torn ligament in his thumb and behind an offensive line that allowed 55 sacks. He threw 15 more touchdowns (25) than interceptions (10). And he was hardly to blame for the losses to Oregon, Southern California and Texas. In those games, Carpenter completed 61 of 102 passes for 806 yards, with five touchdowns and three interceptions.

"Certainly our fans are way off base if they don't respect Rudy for what he's done here," coach Dennis Erickson said. "I certainly disagree with them."

Why haven't fans warmed up to Carpenter?

One reason might be the way he plays. Carpenter's antics - throwing his helmet in disgust, jabbering at opponents - don't always play well with the rank and file.

"I think sometimes with an emotional and excited guy, you either love him or you don't like him," Erickson said.

Carpenter also is viewed cynically for the manner in which he won the job, reportedly threatening to transfer if then-coach Dirk Koetter didn't name him the starter over Sam Keller.

"I do think what happened with Sam and the whole quarterback controversy played a big role," Carpenter said. "I think a lot of fans feel I'm selfish and a prima donna and somebody who cried until I got my way."

Carpenter wasn't a saint then, and he's not now. But his sins hardly outweigh his accomplishments, his passion and his toughness.

There's one more thing you should know about Carpenter: He is not biding his time in Tempe, waiting for the NFL to call. He has invested himself in the athletic program.

Carpenter is a constant presence at basketball, baseball and softball games, and when the softball team returned to Tempe after winning the national championship, there was ASU's starting quarterback, waiting to congratulate them.

"I really do believe in maroon and gold," Carpenter said. "I love the university and I love playing football. It's my life."

ASU will break in a new starting quarterback a year from now. It might be Sullivan or one of the two precocious sophomores - Chasen Stangel and Samson Szakacsy.

Maybe then ASU fans will realize how good they had it with Carpenter.

Maybe then they'll understand that the quarterback they never truly appreciated really did look pretty in pink.

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CONTACT WRITER: (480) 898-6598or sbordow@evtrib.com