Enough of Sullivan; it’s Osweiler’s turn

Danny Sullivan tried three times not to answer the question.

He didn’t want to talk about his performance in Arizona State’s 28-17 loss to Oregon State Saturday.

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He didn’t want to reflect on the boos or Brock Osweiler or whether he thought he would be the starting quarterback next Saturday against Washington State.

Finally, someone asked how he was doing emotionally.

“I don’t want to speak my mind on that right now,” said a besieged-looking Sullivan. “I’m done.”

With that, Sullivan grabbed his water bottle and walked out of the postgame press conference, slamming a door behind him.

Clearly, Sullivan is in a bad place these days. But so are the Sun Devils. And that connection won’t be interrupted until coach Dennis Erickson makes a change at quarterback.

“We’ve got to evaluate it and see where we’re at,” Erickson said. “But my gut feeling is he (Sullivan) will be the starter.”

One question: Why?

ASU’s offense scored three points on its own against Georgia. Saturday, it was held to 10 points before scoring a meaningless touchdown with 11 seconds left. How much evidence does Erickson need before he hands the ball to Osweiler?

Maybe we’ll find out the freshman isn’t ready for Pac-10 football. But what’s the risk? It’s not as if the Sun Devils can do much worse offensively. And — news flash — they’re well on their way to a 6-6 or 5-7 season. Might as well see if the kid can do something.

Look, I don’t believe for one second that Sullivan is the sole reason ASU’s offense is mired in quicksand. He didn’t play horribly Saturday, completing 32 of 58 passes for 338 yards, with one touchdown and an interception.

But it’s pretty clear by this point that Sullivan can’t win games with his right arm. And with so few playmakers on that side of the ball — ASU’s longest play from scrimmage against the Beavers was 29 yards — the Sun Devils need a quarterback who can make some big plays.

“He didn’t play the best, but a lot of other guys didn’t, either,” Erickson said … “It’s not all on Danny, but that’s the territory. You deal with it and get better.”

Can Sullivan get much better, though? He is what he is, a senior with limited mobility and an inaccurate touch on throws over 15 yards.

Do his receivers sometimes run wrong routes and make him look bad? No question. Do they drop too many balls? Absolutely. But there are too many plays when Sullivan simply misses open receivers.

One example: On the last play of the third quarter, Sullivan scrambled to his left but misfired to wide receiver Kerry Taylor, who was open over the middle. If Sullivan is on target, Taylor likely gets the first down inside OSU territory.

Sullivan knows what’s being said about him and how ASU fans feel about him. He couldn’t help but hear the chants of “We Want Brock, We Want Brock,” late in the second quarter and the boos as the Sun Devils ran off the field at halftime, trailing 21-3.

“I don’t even want to discuss it,” he said.

But he can’t get away from it.

“The whole crowd was chanting for Brock,” said wide receiver Chris McGaha, who was ASU’s offense with 15 catches for 165 yards. “I felt bad for him.”

That’s the hard part about this. Sullivan is a great kid. He patiently waited his turn behind Rudy Carpenter, never complaining that he was sometimes thrown into situations that could only make him look bad.

But loyalty and respect can’t trump results. And right now, Sullivan isn’t getting any.

“That’s a position, it’s either glory or not glory,” Erickson said.

Erickson has steadfastly defended Sullivan from the first day of spring ball. But the avalanche of criticism is rolling, and ASU just lost its Pac-10 opener before a home crowd that’s already up to its eyeballs in disgust.

Maybe benching Sullivan won’t change a thing. But there isn’t a better time for a freshman quarterback’s first start than against Washington State.

Sullivan has had his chance. It’s Osweiler’s turn.