Blogging with the Devils

Much has been made of the fact that the normally well-traveling Texas football program is having trouble selling its 11,000-ticket allotment to the Dec. 27 Holiday Bowl against Arizona State. ASU — which easily sold its batch — is encouraging its fans to buy tickets through UT.

Is the Holiday a downer for Longhorns fans that might be making arrangements for a Bowl Championship Series game had their team not lost to archrival Texas A&M? Have Rose Bowl trips in 2005 and ’06 caused the novelty of southern California to wear off?

How about this: Texas followers just might be sick of the Holiday Bowl.

This is the team’s fourth trip to San Diego this decade, thanks to the tired conference tie-ins such as the ones sending the Pac-10’s No. 2 team and the Big 12’s No. 3 squad to the Holiday each season. The Longhorns defeated Washington in 2001 and were beaten by Oregon in 2000 and Washington State in ’03.

At other schools, going to a bowl location is threatening to turn into a dull routine. Clemson is playing in the Peach/Chick-fil-A Bowl for the sixth time since 1993, and the Tigers went to Atlanta three times in a four-year stretch from 1996-99. West Virginia’s appearance in the 2007 Gator Bowl was its third in four seasons.

The conferences want to keep the tie-ins to ensure bowl bucks, but at least switch them around from season to season. An agreement between the Sun and Gator bowls — they swapped their Big 12 and Big East tie-ins for this year, sending Texas Tech to the Gator and South Florida to the Sun — is a start, but there needs to be more of it. A lot more.

After all, if Dennis Erickson turns the Sun Devils into an annual Pac-10 contender but the Southern California juggernaut keeps rolling, ASU fans could start getting sick of spending the holidays at the Holiday.

Miami (Fla.) defensive lineman Russell Maryland buries Texas quarterback Peter Gardere during the 1991 Cotton Bowl.

Speaking of Erickson, his only previous meeting against Texas was not enjoyable for the Longhorns — or anyone else that values sportsmanship.

Miami (Fla.) abused the Longhorns in the 1991 Cotton Bowl, winning 46-3. However, the most indelible images of the game were when the Hurricanes, as a college football preview magazine put it the next August, “offended the nation with (their) display of taunting, showboating and cheap-shotting.” Miami’s 202 yards in penalties that day are held up as Exhibit A in the oft-made charge that Erickson’s teams are undisciplined.

Since arriving at ASU, Erickson has been adamant in his dispute of that perception, which emerged again when the Sun Devils were whistled for 136 yards, including eight personal fouls, in a victory against Colorado on Sept. 15.

Afterward, Erickson said that Sun Devils who commit blatant 15-yard penalties “won’t play.” Since the Colorado game, ASU has limited its penalty frequency, averaging just 5.7 flags during the last 10 games.

“Anything that hurts our football team, I will not put up with,” Erickson said after ASU’s victory against Arizona on Dec. 1. “That is not how my teams play, and it never has been. We will have fun, but we will (show class).”

Tom Njunge, a 6-foot-5, 285-pound offensive tackle from Pasadena (Calif.) City College, has verbally committed to the Sun Devils, according to Internet recruiting services. Njunge is a teammate of cornerback Terell Carr, who pledged to ASU earlier this month.

Njunge is the Sun Devils’ 15th known commitment in the 2008 class, which Erickson said will include as many as 25 players.

The signing period for junior-college transfers who intend to enroll for the spring semester — as Njunge does — begins on Wednesday. Letter-of-intent day for current high school seniors is in February.

A few tidbits in the wake of Arizona State’s impressive dismantling of Xavier (which, despite Saturday, is every bit an NCAA Tournament team).

Here’s a nugget dug up by the ASU media relations department: ASU’s 77-55 win was the largest margin of victory over a ranked team in school history.

The previous margin was 20 points when fifth-ranked ASU beat No. 1 Oregon State on March 7, 1981. Before that, it was 19 points over No. 5 San Francisco in 1977.

ASU’s 60-percent shooting was the best against Xavier since St. Joseph shot 60 percent against the Musketeers in 2003-04. Both Xavier and St. Joe’s went to the Elite Eight that season.

Xavier shot 30.6 percent, the worst since a 29.8 percent night in 2004.

Derek Glasser had a bandage wrapped around his left wrist to protect a thumb he banged in practice during the week, but appeared to be no hinderance. Freshman Jamelle McMillan had four assists, but also four turnovers and four fouls, so it was Glasser who played most of the second half, and played well.

Jerren Shipp’s sister, Brittney, begins a new job as a meteorologist at KTVK (Ch. 3) this week.

In a case of football foreshadowing, Thomas Weber works on his punting technique before the season. (Ralph Freso/Tribune)

Thomas Weber, the winner of the Lou Groza Award as the nation’s top kicker, is expected to go into the 2008 season as Arizona State’s primary punter, a job he has held since the Washington State game in October.

Weber, a redshirt freshman who made 22-of-23 field goals this year, has averaged 39.6 yards on 42 punts since taking over after Jonathan Johnson struggled.

Zach Richards — who Weber beat out for the kicking job in camp — will try punting, a job he did in high school. Coach Dennis Erickson said on Saturday that he believes Richards, a true freshman, could be successful performing running rugby-style punts that have become prevalent in recent seasons.

“Thomas will be a lot better because he will have had an offseason to improve,” Erickson said. “But Zach will do some stuff too, and we’ll look at a high school punter.”

While overall more consistent than Johnson was, Weber suffered from the shanks at times. Some coaches frown on one player kicking and punting, but Erickson said that he is not leery of Weber — who on Saturday was honored at halftime of ASU’s basketball game against Xavier — holding both jobs.

“I don’t think it’s a problem,” Erickson said. “Thomas never spent much time punting before this season, but he can do it. And if you want a future in (the NFL), if you can do both, you’ll have a hell of a future. Those guys are hard to find.”

Paul Wulff

Erickson applauded Washington State’s hire of Paul Wulff as coach. Wulff, who posted a 50-32 record in eight seasons at championship-subdivision Eastern Washington, was the starting center for Erickson-coached WSU teams in 1987 and ’88.

“He was an outstanding player for me, a smart guy and great competitor,” Erickson said. “He’s done a great job in his coaching career and will be a great fit for Washington State. It was a great choice. He’ll do a good job there, he really will.”

Wulff, 40, has overcome much life adversity. His mother disappeared, perhaps killed by his father, when he was 12. His first wife, Tammy, died in his arms in 2002 after a five-year battle with brain cancer.

School’s out forever.

Shawn Redhage got his degree from Arizona State this week, four years after his eligibility expired, but never too late.

A solid four-year contributor for the Sun Devils, Redhage found his role off the bench, and became an integral part of the 2003 NCAA Tournament team.

On Feb. 8, 2003, he scored a school-record 29 points off the bench (including 11 free throws) and had eight rebounds in an overtime win against Washington.

Former ASU whiz kid Shawn Redhage graduated this week with a degree in construction.

Since 2003, Redhage has played overseas, mainly in Australia.

As for the whiz kid part, he held  a 3.61 GPA and was a Pac-10 All-Academic selection three times.

He earned All-Tournament honors at three different venues. He made 78 percent of his free throws in a four-year career and also had 76 blocks, tied for 10th-best in ASU history entering this season.

Arizona State coach Herb Sendek talked for nearly two minutes, urging fans to fill Wells Fargo Arena on Saturday — not just because No. 17 Xavier is coming to town, but for the overall benefit of the hometown college program.

This stemmed from a couple philosophical questions he fielded Wednesday about non-conference scheduling and the balance between ultra-competitive teams (Maui Invitational, Xavier) and more “winnable” games (Coppin State, Delaware State, etc.).

Sendek relayed an oft-used analogy about his two elementary school-aged daughters (Kelly and Catherine) who played softball this summer, and never asking who the opponent was.

When it was mentioned to him he didn’t have to pay admission to watch his daughters play, Sendek tried to stay dead-pan among a background of laughs:

“I did not have to pay, but I did have to pay for them to be on the team,” he said. “They charged a lot for the the team picture. Gatorade after games costs a lot, then you stop at the Dairy Queen. So it wasn’t free of charge. In fact, (ASU basketball) tickets are so reasonable it might have cost me more, now that you bring it up.

“I’m sure it cost me more.”

Nobody said kids were cheap.

ASU’s Jeff Pendergraph blocks Xavier’s Justin Cage during last year’s game.

Also worth noting:  Xavier’s 76-58 victory against ASU at Cincinnati last year was the Sun Devils’ first (and now continued) use of a zone defense under Sendek, which he didn’t originally want to use.

“We tried to play some zone there last year, “Sendek said. “We played some different defenses, some which still haven’t been named.”

The zone helped, as ASU clawed back into the game early in the second half before the Sun Devils went stone cold down the stretch. 

“We went into Xavier last year thinking we better try something, short of slipping a sixth man on the court,” Sendek said.

Poor offense by ASU and Musketeer free throws (15-of-16 in the second half) turned a five-point deficit with six minutes remaining into an 18-point defeat.

It’s part deux of Xavier-Arizona State on Saturday afternoon in Tempe, with many folks around town getting their wish of seeing a legitimate NCAA Tournament team on the Sun Devils’ non-conference schedule.

Is it ever.

The 17th-ranked Muskateers (8-1) have won 20 games for nine of the past 10 seasons (and 20 of the past 25) and made the Big Dance in seven of the last 10. They’ve already beaten tournament regulars Indiana (ranked No. 8 at the time), Creighton and Kent State in convincing fashion this season.

It adds up to victory in 71 percent of its games the past 10 years.

All five starters average double figures in scoring, and the defense hasn’t allowed more than 68 points after surrending 59 in the huge rivalry win against Cincinnati Wednesday night.

So much for being a “mid-major.”

“Those are terms we conveniently use to categorize schools, but in Xavier’s case it’s a complete misnomer,” ASU coach Herb Sendek said. “Their facilities are world class. Their attendance and following is as good as any in the country. Almost. They play before sellouts night in and night out. They compete year in, year out in the NCAA Tournament, not just 1 or 2 or 3 or 4 years, but going back decades regardless of who sat in the chair.”

Sendek called Xavier coach Sean Miller – a Sendek assistant at Miami (Ohio) and N.C. State — as ”a real superstar in the coaching profession,” which is hard to argue given Miller’s track record this decade.

That’s a 30-something Herb Sendek from his Miami (Ohio) days in the mid-1990s. He’s flanked by former assistants, Xavier coach Sean Miller (behind, right) and Ohio State coach Thad Matta (left).

Here are two jaw-droppers for the month: 

ASU freshmen have made a total of 162 starts in 38 games of the Herb Sendek era.  Xavier in that span: zero.

Xavier is the first ranked team to play a non-conference game in Tempe since No. 18 Texas-El Paso beat ASU on Dec. 18, 1983.  The 17th ranked Muskateers are the highest-ranked non-conference team to play ASU since December 20, 1980 (No. 14 ASU beat No. 7 Ohio State).  

Quick injury update:  Forward Jerren Shipp banged his knee in practice on Monday, but an MRI exam taken Wednesday revealed no issues, and he’s likely to play Saturday.

Eric Boateng was fighting with a virus and on an IV bag Wednesday. He’s likely to be better by Saturday, but there are no guarantees.

Preliminary designs related to the construction of an indoor practice facility at Arizona State reveal the school’s vision for the land sitting East of the intersection of Rural Road and Sixth Street.

The football “bubble” and Weatherup Center basketball practice structure — both projects were approved by the Arizona Board of Regents last week — are the impetus for the creation of the Sun Devil East Athletics Village, which will eventually house the game or practice facilities for at least 14 of ASU’s 22 varsity teams.

The area, which already includes Karsten Golf Course, softball’s Farrington Stadium, the Soccer Stadium and practice facilities for gymnastics and wrestling, is also expected to house a relocated Mona Plummer Aquatics Center.

ASU’s “bubble” football practice facility will resemble the one used by Texas, the Sun Devils’ opponent in the Holiday Bowl.

The football facility will be located on the current band field and is expected to be ready by the start of the 2008 season. The cost of the project is $8.4 million.

“Our target for the football facility includes everything relative to the property,” athletic director Lisa Love said. “Not just the structure itself, but where we move the field for band and intramurals, landscaping, walkways, a lot of the necessary other things.”

The Weatherup Center is due to be completed in March 2009. The $22 million price tag includes aquisition of the Athletes Performance Institute facility, which sits adjacent to the future basketball facility site. ASU owns the API property but must pay $2.5 million to terminate the lease early.

API’s facility is 19,875 square feet. The school is expected to utilize it for strength and conditioning, training tables and office space for trainers and strength coaches.

The current Mona Plummer Aquatics Center, which is located south of Sun Devil Stadium, is in need of repair. However, with the Stadium Tower condominiums and Lumina Hotel being constructed at Veterans Way and College Avenue, the 27-year-old pool sits on prime real estate, making relocation a more attractive option.

And all of this, the Sun Devil East Athletics Village, can be named after you — if you have $10 million to spare.

The don’t-overwork-the-players practice philosophy of Arizona State coach Dennis Erickson evidently includes the bowl season.

The Sun Devils begin on-field preparations for the Holiday Bowl on Friday, and they are scheduled to use just 10 of the 15 bowl practices permitted by the NCAA.

(Final exams, which began on Dec. 5 and run through Wednesday, and the coaching staff spending last week recruiting also factor into the lighter practice schedule.)

ASU works out Friday and Saturday and Dec. 17-21 at the Kajikawa Practice Facility on campus. Those workouts are slated for 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

“We’re going to practice like we normally would during the season,” Erickson said. “Most of the bowl game preparation will be done here. All the game planning will be done and most of our contact stuff will be done before we go to the bowl site.”

The team departs for San Diego on Dec. 22 and practices at UC-San Diego in La Jolla, Calif. Their itinerary through game day:

Dec. 23 — Practice, 8:15-10:15 a.m.; Navy and Marine Corps luncheon aboard the USS Ronald Reagan.

Dec. 24 — Practice, 10:15 a.m.-12:15 p.m.; team day at the San Diego Zoo.

Dec. 25 — Practice, 10:15-11:45 a.m.; team day at Sea World.

Dec. 26 — Kickoff luncheon; walk-through at Qualcomm Stadium.

The 12th-ranked Sun Devils (10-2) face No. 17 Texas (9-3) in the 30th annual Holiday Bowl at 6 p.m. Dec. 27. The game will be broadcast on ESPN.

Since the Holiday began pairing the Pac-10 and Big 12 in 1998, the Pac-10 entrant has been the designated visiting team in odd-numbered years. As a result, ASU will wear its white jerseys, Texas its burnt-orange tops.

Checking out the NCAA’s latest statistics: 

Arizona State is ranked 182nd in the nation in scoring (69 points per game). But the Sun Devils are 11th in points allowed (55.8), trailing only UCLA and Washington State among Pac-10 schools.

They’re also 25th in field-goal percentage allowed at 37.6 percent, tied with Washington State atop the conference, and lead Pac-10 teams with 7.8 steals per game while committing the second-fewest turnovers (12 per game).

ASU is 11th in free throw percentage (No. 1 in the Pac-10).  So much for those early-season foul-shot woes.

James Harden leads all Pac-10 guards in rebounding (6.1) and is shooting 56 percent, trailing only UCLA’s Kevin Love in the Pac-10. The difference: Harden is a 6-foot-4 guard. Love is 6-foot-10.

James Harden is shooting 56 percent. Pretty good for a guard. He’s also averaging 16.5 points per game, one of four freshmen in the Pac-10’s top 10. (Lisa Olson/Tribune)

Jamelle McMillan is averaging 3.13 assists per every turnover he commits. Also pretty good, especially for a freshman.

The NCAA leader is Marcus Lawrence of Nevada-Las Vegas.  He’s at 9.33 assist-to-turnover ratio.

Yikes!

Four Pac-10 teams are in this week’s top 25 rankings (undefeated Washington State, UCLA, Oregon and Arizona). Washington State (9-0) is off to its best start since 1991-92 when it won 12 consecutive to begin the season.

Happy times in Pullman in December? Not for the other team. The Cougars are third in the nation in defense (52 points per game). 

The Sagarin ratings – a formula of records and strength of schedule which eventually helps determine the NCAA tournament field – has the Pac-10 as the No. 1 conference in America.

So, who had the most athletic, improbable, eye-popping pass reception for Arizona State during the regular season?

Was it Kyle Williams against Colorado on Sept. 15?

Or Chris McGaha against Arizona on Dec. 1?

Let the debate begin.

However, there is no doubt who makes the big catches for the Tribune, as on both occasions, photographer Darryl Webb had his lens pointed at the right place at the right time. Nice work.