ASU tries to stay positive, focus on Pac-10 race

One of the challenges of coaching in the Pac-10 is to keep looking for the roses — literally — when many around see a bushel of thorns.

Arizona State is coming off two losses and has two tough assignments ahead, but when others fear a 2-4 record, coach Dennis Erickson considers it an opportunity to get jump-started in a conference race that, save for runaway favorite Southern California, appears wide open.

“The players came in (on Sunday) ready to go to work on the last eight games of the year,” Erickson said. “We have the rest of the Pac-10 schedule left, and that’s a good thing. That’s what it’s all about to us right now.

“So, as you look back, we are disappointed in a few things, but as we look forward, we have an opportunity to still have a great season.”

The next two games for the Sun Devils (2-2) are on the road, at California and top-ranked USC. However, first up is a bye week in which ASU will be competing — on the practice field. After a 27-10 loss against No. 3 Georgia on Saturday, Erickson said that some positions “would be up for grabs.”

Competition will be created on the offensive line — especially at right tackle, where starter Adam Tello will try to hold off Tom Njunge and Matt Hustad — at running back, linebacker and in the secondary.

Jarrell Woods and true freshman Ryan Bass could get more involved in the rotation at running back, and Keegan Herring is expected to return at California after missing three games with a sore hamstring.

“As I look through our team, there are a lot of positions we could look at,” Erickson said.

Finding someone, anyone, to run the ball with consistency is vital for the Sun Devils, as they will probably continue to see the cover-2 defense, designed to take away passing options.

Last year, Stanford put ASU’s susceptibility to frequent blitzing on film, and the Sun Devils managed to win games despite the constant assault on quarterback Rudy Carpenter. Opponents copying the two-deep zone success of Nevada-Las Vegas could present a more daunting challenge.

“If you can’t run the football against a two-deep and six guys in the box, you’ll have trouble,” Erickson said. “You have to be able to do it.”

While Erickson acknowledged that much work lies ahead for the Sun Devils, he added that there were a number of things in the Georgia game that were encouraging.

The roses, remember?

“There’s some positive things to look at,” Erickson said. “We had some changes against Georgia, we really did. There were some guys that played hard. We had some opportunities, but they made some big plays that hurt us. We had our chances, too. We missed a couple of throws and missed some protections.

“But you look through (the film), and there are some possibilities where we had the opportunity to win or make it closer. It’s there. We have to continue to work, so we don’t make those mistakes. On both sides of the ball, we have a chance. We just have to continue to get better.”

 GRADING OUT

• Arizona State’s defensive line had its best performance, Dennis Erickson said, since his arrival as coach in the Sun Devils’ 27-10 loss against Georgia on Saturday.

The eight-man rotation achieved its objective of plugging between-tackles gaps for star Bulldogs running back Knowshon Moreno. Most of Moreno’s 149 yards rushing came when he went outside.

“We rotate a lot of guys in there, and they were all good,” said Erickson, who cited the play of starting end Dexter Davis and reserve tackle Lawrence Guy, who had four tackles and a half-sack. “It was a good performance by the front four. When a runner gets outside, that becomes a matter of linebacker support,”

• The Sun Devils are 14-for-15 (.933) in the red zone this season, which ranks first in the Pac-10.

So that is good, right?

Not if you want touchdowns, as ASU has just seven after venturing inside the 20-yard line.

“When you have a long drive and have to settle for a field goal, even that can be deflating,” quarterback Rudy Carpenter said. “It takes away your momentum, even if you get a field goal. That’s been our story all season. The coaches can only call the plays; we have to do it. It’s that simple.”

• The Sun Devils’ defense was opportunistic in 2007, forcing 26 turnovers. The unit has just three this season, all interceptions against Stanford.

“If I had the answer, I’d make a lot of money,” linebacker Mike Nixon said. “The other team fumbles a snap, and they fall on it, instead of the ball getting kicked to us, so we can fall on it. I guess we used up a lot of luck last year when it comes to good bounces. We’ll have to start creating our own luck.”

INJURY REPORT

• The Sun Devils came out of the Georgia game with no significant aches and pains.

• In addition to running back Keegan Herring (hamstring), linebacker Brandon Magee (pectoral) and safety Angelo Fobbs-Valentino (knee) could return at California on Oct. 4.

NOTES

• Erickson said that he cannot remember the last time one of his teams had a punt blocked. On Saturday, Thomas Weber’s boot was stuffed by Georgia’s Zach Renner.

• Nixon is fourth in the Pac-10 with 8.8 tackles a game.

• ASU has played a school-record 10 true freshmen this season, the most recent offensive lineman Zach Schlink, who debuted on the field-goal unit against Georgia.

• The Sun Devils will practice Tuesday through Thursday, then take Friday and Saturday off.