Blogging with the Devils

Derek Shaw (Fresno Bee photo)

Derek Shaw, the well-traveled and oft-troubled former Arizona State quarterback, has been suspended indefinitely from Fresno City College’s team for what coach Tony Caviglia called “things he needs to take care of in his personal life.”

Said Caviglia, “His priorities need to be re-established.”

Shaw, who arrived in Tempe as a highly-touted recruit in 2005 and was gone by the end of spring drills in ‘06, was slated to start for the Rams, who open their season on Saturday. The Oceanside, Calif., resident originally committed to Miami (Fla.), signed with ASU and transferred to Texas Tech, where he spent one semester before winding up in Fresno.

Now, one has to wonder if he will play again anywhere.

Neil Parry

The visiting radio booth at Sun Devil Stadium on Saturday will contain an inspiring story.

The color analyst for San Jose State’s broadcasts is Neil Parry, the former Spartans player who returned to play in 2003 after having part of his right leg amputated. The amputation stemmed from a 2000 game against Texas-El Paso, in which Parry, covering a kickoff, suffered a gruesome break in which the bone pierced through the skin, leading to an infection.

Parry — brother of Seattle Seahawks fullback Josh Parry, also a SJSU product — does speaking engagements about his experience and hopes to turn his story into a movie. He also has ambitions to coach.

ASU has eight players who have received undergraduate degrees, tying the school for fifth (with Pittsburgh) in Division I-A.Boston College has the most with 17, and Washington has 11. Auburn and Notre Dame are tied for third with nine each. Mississippi, Southern California and Virginia have five apiece.

The Sun Devil graduates are offensive linemen Robert Gustavis, Zach Krula, Mike Pollak, Julius Orieukwu and Brandon Rodd, safety Josh Barrett, cornerback Littrele Jones and tight end Tyrice Thompson.

Only one active player in the Pac-10 has surpassed 1,000 yards rushing and receiving in his career. Take a bow, Rudy Burgess:

Burgess has achieved a grand in both categories — the Arizona State senior has 1,051 career yards rushing and 1,069 receiving — because of his willingness to play anywhere on the field. He came to Tempe as a wide receiver, played running back in 2004 and ‘05 and moved back to wideout last season. In October, he was pressed into duty at cornerback.

During his time at ASU, Burgess — now exclusively at receiver — has been just as versatile with a comb and clippers as on the football field.

“Rudy is the team stylist, man,” quarterback Rudy Carpenter said. “He cuts everyone’s hair.”

And he has clearly put a lot of thought into his own hairdos, emphasis on the plural. As a Sun Devil, Burgess has sported a wide collection of styles on the top of his head:

THE CORNROWS: This is perhaps Burgess’ most frequent ‘do during the last three years. It was his style late in 2005, when his third-quarter touchdown sparked a come-from-behind victory against Arizona, which was followed up by an MVP-caliber performance (170 yards of total offense, two TDs) against Rutgers in the Insight Bowl. The practical benefit of this look is that his hair stays in place under his helmet.

THE AFRO: This style is more for levity than anything else. At ASU’s media day two years ago, Burgess drew guffaws when he showed up with hair so puffed up that Oscar Gamble — who has baseball’s most famous afro in the 1970s — would have blushed. He has rarely displayed this look during games, however.

THE MODEST LOOK: This is Burgess’ current ‘do, and perhaps it reflects this stage of his life. A senior in college, he is about to make the leap into full-blown adulthood. Professional. Understated. We like it.

Of course, Burgess’ hairstyle is always subject to change.

San Jose State has played football annually for eight decades, and in that time, only twice have the Spartans faced the same opposing head coach in consecutive regular-season games. Both coaches have ASU ties.

Darryl Rogers led Fresno State against SJSU in the last game of the 1970 regular season and the 1971 opener, winning both contests. Rogers coached the Sun Devils from 1980-84. Dennis Erickson, who guided Idaho in a 28-13 loss against the Spartans on Nov. 25, 2006, will make his game debut as ASU coach on Saturday.

Shameless plug department: I will be part of an ASU football roundtable discussion on The Sports Zone with Bob Kemp at 1 p.m. Friday on KDUS (1060 AM). The segment is scheduled to last an hour.

Al Simmons

Despite some damaging blocked punts in 2004 and ‘05, Arizona State has taken pride in the play of its special teams during recent seasons. This year, the unit has a new mentor, with cornerbacks coach Al Simmons adding the special-teams duties held by Tom Osborne from 2001-06.

Simmons is one of two holdovers from Dirk Koetter’s staff, with defensive line coach Grady Stretz the other. Like any special-teams coach, he delicately tries to put the best players on the field while preserving the offensive and defensive starters.

“You try to get everybody you can involved,” Simmons said. “If you have enough depth, you can do it. Finding that balance does become a problem. Ideally, you’d like (starters) to play no more than two special teams, but sometimes, guys have to play three.

“Then, you have those players who don’t start but are good enough to play on four special teams. Those guys really help your depth, but we’ll always be trying to find that balance, because I want the best guys out there.”

The starting cornerbacks, Justin Tryon and Chris Baloney, are currently on four of the six units, and strong-side linebacker Travis Goethel is on three. They are complemented by such role players who have earned reputations as special-teams standouts — Brett Nenaber (four units), Tyrice Thompson (three) and Chad Lindsey (three).

The punt unit has gotten the most attention during the preseason.

“A punt block can change the whole complexion and momentum of a game,” coach Dennis Erickson said. “I feel good about where we are, protection-wise. (Jason) Perkins has been snapping it well, and J.J. (Jonathan Johnson) has been punting it well.”

Here are ASU’s No. 1 special-teams units:

KICKOFF: Thomas Weber boots the ball, and from left to right are Omar Bolden, Chris Baloney, Tyrice Thompson, Chad Lindsey, Brett Nenaber, Jovon Williams, Anthony Reyes, Littrele Jones, Travis Smith and Justin Tryon

KICKOFF RETURN: LE Rodney Cox, LG Jeff Bereuter, C Josh Barrett, RG Tyrice Thompson, RE Brett Nenaber, LW Anthony Reyes, ROV Mike Nixon, RW Zach Brown, FB Garrett Judah, LS Chris McGaha, RS Justin Tryon or Kyle Williams

PUNT: The downfield gunners are Chris Baloney and Travis Smith, with the rest of the unit LW Jeremy Payton (protector), LT Jovon Williams, LG Travis Goethel, SN Jason Perkins, RG Morris Wooten, RT Chad Lindsey, RW Brett Nenaber (protector), UB Mike Nixon (protector), P Jonathan Johnson

PUNT RETURN/BLOCK: Kyle Williams is the returner. At the scrimmage line, Justin Tryon, Littrele Jones, Jeremy Payton and Chris Baloney line up outside, with the interior Angelo Fobbs-Valentino, Tyrice Thompson, Mike Nixon, Travis Goethel, Chad Lindsey and Brett Nenaber

FIELD GOAL/EXTRA POINT: LE Brady Conrad, LT Brandon Rodd, LG Robert Gustavis, SN Jason Perkins, RG Paul Fanaika, RT Zach Krula, RE Dane Guthrie, LW Brent Miller, RW Kellen Mills, H Jonathan Johnson, K Thomas Weber

The field goal/extra point block unit will consist of the base-defense personnel.

Arizona State on Monday released its first depth chart of the fall, and it is pretty much as projected. Here is how the units are staffed heading into Saturday’s season-opening game against San Jose State:

Brent Miller

OFFENSE

SE: 1 Michael Jones; 9 Brandon Smith
LT: 62 Brandon Rodd; 75 Richard Tuitu’u
LG: 73 Robert Gustavis; 67 Shawn Lauvao
C: 76 Mike Pollak; 56 Thomas Altieri
RG: 63 Paul Fanaika; 67 Shawn Lauvao
RT: 78 Zach Krula; 73 Julius Orieukwu
TE: 87 Brent Miller; 83 Brady Conrad
SLOT: 6 Kyle Williams; 3 Rudy Burgess
FL: 13 Chris McGaha; 5 Kerry Taylor
QB: 12 Rudy Carpenter; 15 Danny Sullivan
TB: 26 Ryan Torain; 24 Keegan Herring

Dexter Davis

DEFENSE

LE: 80 Dane Guthrie; 85 Kellen Mills
DT: 77 Michael Marquardt; 94 Alex Asi
DT: 90 David Smith; 59 Jon Hargis
RE: 58 Dexter Davis; 85 Kellen Mills
SLB: 44 Travis Goethel; 2 Ryan McFoy
MLB: 52 Morris Wooten; 47 Gerald Munns
WLB: 29 Robert James; 25 Mike Nixon
CB: 23 Chris Baloney; 32 Omar Bolden
CB: 4 Justin Tryon; 9 Littrele Jones
FS: 19 Josh Barrett; 22 Rodney Cox
SS: 14 Troy Nolan; 7 Jeremy Payton

SPECIALISTS

K: 28 Thomas Weber; 43 Zach Richards
P: 35 Jonathan Johnson; 28 Thomas Weber
KR: 4 Justin Tryon; 6 Kyle Williams
PR: 6 Kyle Williams; 13 Chris McGaha
SN: 53 Jason Perkins; 51 Clay Davie
H: 35 Jonathan Johnson

Among the players who are not listed but figure to contribute:

The Sun Devils’ deep running back corps is bolstered by Dimitri Nance, Shaun DeWitty and Jarrell Woods. Only Nance figures to get a mentionable number of carries, especially as long as Woods is slowed by an ankle sprain. Coach Dennis Erickson said that “a committee” of tight ends will be used behind Miller, so Andrew Pettes and Tyrice Thompson factor in the position conversation. Wide receiver Nate Kimbrough is still working his way back from a knee injury.

On defense, Luis Vasquez was the starting left end before suffering a sprained ankle and is unlikely to play this week. Junior-college transfer Paul Unga has the flexibility to play end and tackle, and ASU would have redshirted 320-pound true freshman tackle Jonathan English if there were no plans for him to play regularly. Travis Smith was one of the Sun Devils’ most improved players in fall camp and could see time at cornerback and nickelback. Angelo Fobbs-Valentino is expected to be part of the safety rotation.

I have been asked if I am working on a story on the one-year anniversary of the bizarre, season-defining quarterback shakeup at Arizona State that saw Rudy Carpenter being named the starter after Sam Keller had the job for less than 24 hours.

Nope. Thought about it a little, but that’s it.

Even though the reasons behind then-coach Dirk Koetter’s decision have not been made public, what is left to write? In the spring, Carpenter made it clear that he has said all he is going to say about the subject, and the two other principals involved, Keller and Koetter, are no longer in Tempe.

As a result, not much has happened to advance the story from an ASU standpoint, other than Carpenter’s brief response to comments made by Mike Keller, Sam’s father, in a recent ESPN.com article.

However, with Keller’s recent appointment as Nebraska starting QB, there is a compelling angle in that part of the college football world, and the Lincoln (Neb.) Journal Star and Omaha (Neb.) World-Herald published stories on Sunday.

The Journal Star article indicates that Koetter and Carpenter declined the paper’s interview requests.

Rich Olson

Among the Arizona State aides that will work in the coaches’ booth during games this season are defensive coordinator Craig Bray, tight ends coach Dan Cozzetto and offensive graduate assistant Bryce Erickson, son of Sun Devils coach Dennis Erickson.

“That’s the plan for now,” Dennis Erickson said. Then, putting tongue firmly in cheek, he added, “But it depends on how things are going. If things start going bad, I’ll go hide in the booth.”

Offensive coordinator Rich Olson will be on the field, which quarterback Rudy Carpenter said will benefit him.

“I think it’s going to be good because we’ve not been in this offense long,” Carpenter said. “I’m going to need that help with me, and (Olson) will be right there, telling me that this is what we need to do on certain plays. Having him down there, he’ll see things the way I see them and answer my questions when I have them.”

Carpenter working with the offensive coordinator on the field is not something foreign to him:

Former ASU coach Dirk Koetter was his own coordinator until last year, when Roy Wittke had the title. Koetter, however, joked during the preseason that he had “51 percent of the vote.”

Wittke worked from the booth, but Koetter evidently utilized his majority rules often. Asked about the play-calling after the home loss against Oregon in which Carpenter passed for just 33 yards, Koetter replied, “Let’s get one thing clear: I’m calling the plays.”

In 2005, Carpenter regularly phoned upstairs to speak to former quarterbacks coach Mark Helfrich, who departed after the season to become offensive coordinator at Colorado. By the end of his tenure, Helfrich assumed more of the play-calling duties, though his selections went through the headset of Koetter, who had veto power at any time.

The myth that admissions standards are stricter at Arizona than Arizona State — sparked in February, when Wildcats coach Mike Stoops claimed that ASU signed junior-college transfers that “we couldn’t get in” — was fueled recently by Jarrell Barbour’s oral commitment to the Sun Devils.

Barbour, a Peoria Centennial receiver-cornerback who rescinded his pledge to Arizona to commit to attend school in Tempe, said that ASU “has a better plan to get me in. I was a little concerned about Arizona’s admissions.”

However, Barbour — who is believed to have catching up to do in order to qualify academically at any Division I school — was talking about the admissions preparations, not standards; hence, his mention of ASU’s “better plan.” Since both schools are public institutions governed by the same Board of Regents, the admissions standards are virtually identical, ground that Ryan Finley of the Arizona Daily Star covers in an article on Friday.

Friday’s mock game at Sun Devil Stadium begins at 7 p.m. and consists of situational plays and special teams, with the players in helmets and shorts and no tackling. An on-field fan appreciation function will follow.

The Sun Devils are off Saturday and do not practice on Monday. The normal game-week preparation schedule follows: practices on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday and a walk-through on Friday.

Jonathan English

The Arizona State coaching staff is expected to decide which true freshmen will play this season during a meeting on Thursday morning.

Receiver Kerry Taylor and cornerback Omar Bolden have long been sure bets to stay off the redshirt list, with a pair of defensive linemen, tackle Jonathan English and end James Brooks, figured to go either way. The smart money is on English playing immediately, with ASU using Brooks in 2007 only if he is needed due to a desperate injury or poor-performance situation.

English is listed at 335 pounds, but Erickson said that the Kenner, La., resident has lost weight and increased his mobility since arriving on campus. During Wednesday’s scrimmage at Kajikawa Practice Facility, English received healthy playing time with the second-team defense.

“He’s getting better. He can help us,” coach Dennis Erickson said. “Jonathan is just about down to his regular playing weight, and he might be our fourth tackle.”

Michael Marquardt and David Smith are the starting DTs, with English, Jon Hargis, Alex Asi and Tashaka Merriweather the projected reserves. Redshirt freshman Saia Falahola (triceps) should return the third or fourth week of the season.

Brooks has displayed impressive athleticism, especially during practices at Camp Tontozona. However, the emergence of converted tight end Dane Guthrie at DE lessens the urgency for Brooks to play right away.

Although Luis Vasquez (high ankle sprain) will likely miss the season opener against San Jose State, the Sun Devils could utilize a defensive end rotation of Guthrie, Dexter Davis, Kellen Mills, Wes Evans and Paul Unga while Brooks gains experience and confidence on the scout team. (It is possible that Eric Tanner could return from a knee injury before the San Jose State game, further stocking the DE corps).

Bolden said that he and the other true freshmen chosen to play this year will not be satisfied with just getting on the field.

“(The freshmen) tell each other all the time that we have to keep working, because we want to be part of the first team,” Bolden said. “Freshmen, sophomores, whatever, we’re trying to help the team compete for a national championship like everyone else.”

For ultimate Sun Devil football data junkies, here are the numbers from the Wednesday scrimmage, as best compiled by myself and two other reporters. These are very unofficial:

SCORING PLAYS: Torain 56 run; FG Weber 47; Barrett 40 interception return; FG Richards 47; FG Richards 28; FG Weber 40; FG Weber 22

RUSHING: Torain 3 for 62, TD; Woods 3 for 31; P. Jones 7 for 24; Herring 5 for 21; DeWitty 4 for 20; Szakacsy 2 for 7; Carpenter 1 for minus-2

PASSING: Carpenter 2-of-10 for 50, INT; Sullivan 7-of-15 for 48; Szakacsy 8-of-13 for 92, INT

RECEIVING: Taylor 4 for 35; Gray 3 for 49; K. Williams 1 for 41; DeWitty 1 for 24; Simpson 1 for 15; Glass 1 for 9; Miller 1 for 9; J. Williams 1 for 4; Conrad 1 for 3; Evbuomwan 1 for 3; P. Jones 1 for minus-1; Woods 1 for minus-1

MISSED FIELD GOALS: Richards 30

DEFENSIVE SUPERLATIVES: Anderson (sack); Asi (sack); Barrett (sack, interception); Nenaber (interception)

Sammie Stroughter

Keegan Herring can relate to the anguish of Oregon State receiver Sammie Stroughter, who will reportedly sit out the season due to grief over the deaths of three people — two male family members and OSU assistant coach Jim Gilstrap — close to him.

Herring, an Arizona State running back, is pressing on after death claimed his father, sister, aunt and a friend during the offseason.

“My condolences to him,” Herring said after Tuesday’s practice. “Things happen for a reason, and if he could hear me, I would tell him to keep his head high and find the strength to get through it, just like I am.”

Stroughter is one of the Pac-10’s top players, with 1,270 yards and five touchdowns receiving a year ago. He also returned three punts for scores. The senior has a redshirt year available, and Oregon State coach Mike Riley expects Stroughter to utilize it and return to the Beavers in 2008.

Keegan Herring

Though Herring is still playing, he can understand why Stroughter feels the need to take time off to mourn. Herring’s focus on football was affected during spring and summer workouts — at times, he became so overwhelmed with emotion that he had to go off to the side to cry.

What has helped Herring cope is a support system consisting primarily of his mother, girlfriend and teammates.

“He needs to remember to always find someone to talk to and let his emotions out,” Herring said. “I (kept them in) for too long, and it just built up inside. Talking about it helps, but it’s still not easy, trust me. I’ve gone through hard times with this.”

But if (Stroughter) talks to others and prays about it, I know he’ll come out of this a better person.”

The site of some of Arizona State football coach Dennis Erickson’s biggest victories is being vacated.

The University of Miami (Fla.) announced that it will leave the Orange Bowl after this season and relocate to Dolphin Stadium. The school signed a 25-year lease and expects to earn as much as $2 million annually in extra revenue due to the move.

Erickson, who coached the Hurricanes from 1989-94, was 37-2 in contests at the Orange Bowl, which opened in 1937. He won his second national title in the venerable facility with a 22-0 win against Nebraska in the 1992 Orange Bowl game and was coach when Miami’s NCAA-record 58-game home winning streak ended with a 1994 loss against Washington.

“I’m a die-hard Orange Bowl fan,” Erickson said. “We won a lot of games there, and the atmosphere there made it a tough place to play. I have fond memories of it, but (Dolphin Stadium) is a beautiful facility, a nice venue to play in. I’m sure it will be good for the fans. The school, I’m sure, put a lot of thought into (the decision).”

The absence of a primary tenant will likely lead to the demise of the Orange Bowl — it has been suggested as the site of a new stadium for baseball’s Florida Marlins — leaving a hole in football history.

No venue has staged as many notable games. And it’s not even close.On the Orange Bowl field, Nebraska, Notre Dame, Clemson, Miami and Florida State were among those that won national titles.

Two Orange Bowl contests between Miami and Nebraska were especially memorable. Bernie Kosar led the Hurricanes to their first No. 1 finish by edging a mighty Cornhuskers squad in one the biggest upsets in college football history in 1984. Eleven years later, Nebraska coach Tom Osborne removed the championship monkey from his back, beating Miami in Erickson’s last game as the school’s coach.

It is where Vince Lombardi was carried off the field as Green Bay Packers coach for the final time. Where Joe Namath made good on his guarantee. Where Lynn Swann walked on air to make three spectacular catches in Super Bowl X. Where Doug Flutie threw a long bomb into the night that somehow sailed past three Hurricane defenders to settle into the arms of Gerard Phelan.

And finally, the greatest game ever played — the 1981 San Diego Chargers-Miami Dolphins AFC playoff — took place at the Orange Bowl. Find me a better game. I dare you.

Derek Shaw

It is a question that I’ve fielded multiple times from curious fans, and one that gets typed out on Internet message boards regularly: Whatever happened to Derek Shaw, the highly-touted quarterback recruit with a howitzer arm that arrived at Arizona State in the fall of 2005 and was gone by the following spring?

Fresno Bee columnist Matt James wrote a nice piece on Shaw, whose supposedly can’t-miss college football career took him from Miami (Fla.) to ASU to Texas Tech to Fresno City College. The Oceanside (Calif.) High graduate, the nation’s most celebrated QB recruit coming out of high school, is in Fresno to try and resurrect his career.

If that’s what he truly wants.

Shaw’s comments about his brief ASU tenure suggest that he was burned out on football before he even arrived in Tempe.

“It’s always been about football. All my life,” Shaw told the Bee. “Football-football-football. I was trying to figure out, ‘What is football?’ When you look at the big picture in this world, what are we all striving for? What’s our purpose here? Is it football? There’s this huge world, and it’s so complex. It can’t just be football. Every single day I gotta get up at 5:30 a.m. and do football? All? Day? Long? Is this what I want?”

On his decision to play at ASU, Shaw said, “I wanted to go (to Miami), but I was kind of in love with this girl at the time. She went to Arizona State and I ended up going with her. We ended up breaking up like a week into being there. It was such a bust. It was just that first experience of love, I guess.”

After a practice during the 2005 season, Shaw told me that he was on the “(expletive) list” of then-coach Dirk Koetter.

“It’s been up and down, a tough transition, Shaw said then. “I picked up a lot of bad habits in high school, and I’ve had trouble getting used to everything.”

Away from home for the first time, Shaw admittedly did too much partaking of the Sun Devil party scene. The pressure to live up to the hype was present — after his arrival, some thought it would not be long before he vaulted past then-unheralded Rudy Carpenter for the No. 2 spot on the depth chart. Add in issues with his father, and it’s easy to see why his head could have been a mess.

Shaw will have two seasons of eligibility after 2007, so a big season in Fresno could earn him another Division I opportunity.

If that’s what he truly wants.