Bordow: Fitting end to dismal season for Devils

TUCSON - There was a moment Saturday when it looked like Arizona State might save its season. The Arizona Wildcats were dropping passes and committing silly penalties, and coach Mike Stoops was in full-fledged maniac mode on the sideline.

Arizona scorches Sun Devils, 31-10

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ASU football notebook: Sun Devils’ offense sputters again

Cats earn winning mark at expense of rival

Read Scott Bordow's blog

It felt like one of those rivalry games where the underdog would win on a crazy play — say, the Wildcats’ punter taking a knee on his 19 and giving ASU a short field for a touchdown.

Then, just like that, it was over.

Rudy Carpenter threw an interception. Mike Thomas returned a punt for a score. Order was restored, and ASU got what it deserved — a 31-10 beating that ended its season.

Let’s be honest. The Sun Devils shouldn’t even have been in position to play in a bowl game. They beat Northern Arizona, Stanford, Washington, Washington State and UCLA. The Lumberjacks were the only one of those five teams to finish with a winning record.

So consider what happened Saturday justice served.

“We battled back during our second half of the season, so that is one positive,” coach Dennis Erickson said. “But 5-7 is not very good at all. Obviously we are disappointed.”

Disappointment doesn’t begin to sum up the season. Simply put, it was a disaster.

The Sun Devils were coming off a 10-win season. In Carpenter, they had one of the few experienced quarterbacks in the Pac-10. While it was folly to think they could challenge USC for conference supremacy, a free fall to 5-7 was unimaginable.

“I never thought we’d go from 10-3 to missing a bowl game,” linebacker Mike Nixon said.

Who’s to blame?

Everyone.

The coaching staff didn’t get the best out of the players. Fans want the head of offensive coordinator Rich Olson, but a defiant Erickson said, “that would be ridiculous. If I was to get rid of our offensive coordinator, I might as well resign too because I’m just as responsible.”

Actually, it’s his responsibility and no one else’s. This is his team. Just as he was praised last year for guiding ASU to 10 wins and the Holiday Bowl, he needs to be criticized this year for the Sun Devils’ belly flop.

One lousy season hardly means Erickson can’t get it done at ASU. But it’s a reminder that his reputation won’t produce victories.

As for Carpenter, I don’t agree with all the vitriol directed at him by ASU fans. But there’s no question he had a miserable season. He seemed to lose the greatest asset he had — his confidence — and by Saturday he was beaten up and broken down.

Carpenter hoped to play in the NFL next fall, but he’ll have to forget about that dream for a while and rehabilitate his career in the Arena Football League.

“I never thought that this would happen to us,” Carpenter said. “I thought we could win and manage to do something special this season.”

The Sun Devils’ future is just as tenuous as Carpenter’s. There’s no quick fix in store. Carpenter may have been the lightning rod for criticism, but is there any reason to believe Danny Sullivan or Samson Szakacsy can step in next year and play better?

In fact, there’s a good chance ASU will have a tough time equaling this year’s 5-7 mark, given it faces BYU and Georgia in nonconference play.

For now, at least, it’s over.

Carpenter can get his right knee worked on — he’s having arthroscopic surgery Monday — and get some rest. Erickson and his staff can focus on recruiting — anyone know a really good junior-college quarterback? And underclassmen like Lawrence Guy and Jon Hargis and Omar Bolden can remember what Saturday felt like and use it as motivation every time they lift a weight or run a wind sprint.

Finally, thank goodness for James Harden.

Otherwise, this would really be a lousy Christmas for ASU fans.