Observations - ASU

Sorry for the infrequent posting....work has been wearing me down, and by the time I get home and work on the house (we are in the middle of a kitchen re-model), I can't seem to find the energy or brain power to knock out a post...not that you can tell that my posts normally take a lot of brain power.

Anyway...on to the ASU game recap.

First of all, it was great to see how well the Dawgs were represented in Tempe. I'd say at least 15K Dawg fans were in the stadium, and you could actually hear them on the TV coverage. When the Sun Devils were facing third down, at times it sounded like they may have been in Sanford. I think the Bulldawg Nation showed the nation Saturday night what kind of fan base we have.

As far as the game goes, I agree with Coach Richt. That was the most complete game we have played so far. Not perfect yet, but certainly our strongest showing yet.

THE GOOD:
This could be a long list...the aspects of the game that were the most satisfying and exciting to me were (in no particular order):

- The offensive line. Thought they were very solid, considering this was their first game together in their new lineup.

- AJ GREEN. The guy catches everything in his area code, speed, ups...by the time he leaves, I think he will be the best receiver we have ever had. Saturday was his coming out party.

- Stafford/Moreno. I put them together, because I think that's why they are effective (well, that plus their enormous talent). Saturday night, we came out throwing to loosen the defense up (a strategy I was in full agreement with), and then in the second half Knowshon started ripping huge gaping holes through the defense. Knowshon added another Heisman clip as well. Looked to me like he has been playing NCAA '09...that play looked exactly like it does when you get down near the goal line in the corner and press the "Y" button on Playstation.

- Defensive line. Finally provided some pressure with the four man rush, which Coach Martinez's defense desperately needs.

- Rennie Curran. The guy is like a torpedo to the football. Can't wait to see him against the Tide's running game on Saturday (more on that in the Bama preview).

THE BAD:
- Kickoffs. Some improvement this week, but we still can't seem to consistently kick it deep and cover effectively. This could really hurt us against the Brandon James and Trindon Hollidays of the world.

- Penalties. Yes, a couple of these were bogus, particularly MoMass tripping his own player, but still, you take away the questionable calls and we still have ten penalties, or close to it. This hasn't hurt us yet, but we can't continue to give up that kind of yardage every week.

Overall, this game went about as well as you could have hoped for. Went out west, took care of business, and showed the country a little better idea of what we are capable of. Now comes the fun part....'Bama, Blackout, and Gameday. GO DAWGS!!