Blogging with the Devils

Camp Tontozona came to a close on Wednesday, and for the first time in a while, no camp awards were presented by the Arizona State coaching staff. It was explained to me that first-year coach Dennis Erickson and his assistants “aren’t exactly awards kind of guys.”

Hey, that’s all right. The Tribune will gladly be the ASU prize patrol.

Here are the four most noteworthy performers during the 10 practices in the pines:

TOP OFFENSIVE PLAYER — Kyle Williams, WR. The sophomore built on his impressive spring and shows all of the signs of being the big-play pass-catching threat that the Sun Devils crave. He caught everything thrown his way and, barring injury, will be the starter at the slot position in Erickson’s three-receiver offense.

Kerry Taylor (Darryl Webb/Tribune)

TOP OFFENSIVE NEWCOMER — Kerry Taylor, WR. If you draw comparisons to Derek Hagan, he of the three 1,000-yard seasons at ASU from 2003-05, you are doing something right. A lot in the previous paragraph about Williams also applies to Taylor, who is polished beyond his true-freshman status and will play a lot this season, whether he starts or not.

TOP DEFENSIVE PLAYER — Robert James, LB. There was not a single defensive player that stood out — the entire unit had a solid camp, which should be the most encouraging result for ASU fans — but James is worthy of this honor. The senior returned after missing spring ball with concussion-related headaches, stepped into the weak-side linebacker spot and performed like he had never left. He has the speed to get into the opposing backfield and wreak havoc.

TOP DEFENSIVE NEWCOMER — James Brooks, DE. The injuries on the defensive line dictate that the Sun Devils will likely need the athletic 6-foot-6 true freshman this season, and he displayed great promise at camp, especially in the intrasquad scrimmage. With his quickness, he is capable of developing into a terror off the edge. DE Luis Vasquez and MLB Morris Wooten stood out during camp, but since they were with the team during spring practice, they do not qualify for this category.

The Tribune’s ASU coverage on Thursday consists of my feature on fast-healing safety Troy Nolan and notebook that details the final Tontozona workout. I’m off, so coverage of the Sun Devils’ evening practice will be capably provided by Kyle Odegard.

Some leftovers from Wednesday:

In the battle for the kicking duties, Thomas Weber made 4-of-5 field-goal attempts, hitting from 37, 37, 42 and 52 yards while missing from 47. Zach Richards hit 3-of-5, making from 37, 52 and (on the last play of Camp Tontozona 2007) 47 yards. He missed from 42 and 47.

The quarterbacks spent some of their position-drill time in such competitions as lobbing balls into a trash can in the corner of the end zone and hitting the goalpost crossbar.

“We had longer individual time than normal, so we had to find something to do,” starting QB Rudy Carpenter said. “I won four times, Danny (Sullivan) won two, and the freshmen (Chasen Stangel and Samson Szakacsy) didn’t get any — as it should be.”

The Sun Devils were kissed by the weather angel during their stay, as none of the 10 practices was affected by the elements, save for a 14-minute lightning delay on Monday afternoon.

Memories vary on the last time ASU did not have a Camp Tontozona practice canceled or moved to Rumsey Park in Payson due to wet conditions. The most reliable authority is Tom Dunny, the camp’s groundskeeper for 25 years. And he cannot remember a Sun Devil stay without precipitation.

With it the last practice and a weekday, it was easy to count the attendance on Wednesday. Eleven people (not counting media and ASU staff) watched the workout.

Portland State is listed as an 2010 ASU opponent on the school’s future football schedules Web page, so it can be assumed that the game in Tempe is a go. The contest against the Division I-AA Vikings replaces a game against Idaho, which the schools mutually opted to cancel for reasons not difficult to surmise.

Brett Nenaber

The penultimate practice at Camp Tontozona for 2007 had turbulence for the pair of true freshman quarterbacks battling for the third-string duties.

On consecutive plays on Tuesday, a safety intercepted Chasen Stangel, then Samson Szakacsy, and returned the ball to the end zone. Stangel was victimized by Jeremy Payton, Szakacsy by Brett Nenaber.

As mentioned in my notebook in Wednesday’s Tribune, coach Dennis Erickson said that neither of the two QBs has an edge at this point. He wants to have a No. 3 guy selected soon, perhaps by the end of the week.

Speaking of Nenaber, the Tempe Corona del Sol High graduate is on the verge of regular playing time after four years of paying such dues as toiling on the scout team. The senior had two picks on Tuesday.

“It’s good to come out in my last camp and make some plays,” Nenaber said. “That’s why we play football, to get into the games. I’ve put in a lot of work for this season — we all have — and it would be nice to see it pay off.”

One day after telling me that he would like to be flashy as well as consistent, receiver Chris McGaha delivered, making two over-the-shoulder catches of long passes down the right sideline. He beat Grant Crunkleton on the first reception, Justin Tryon the second.

Many observers think that freshman Kerry Taylor will win a starting role before the season-opening game on Sept. 1, but it appears that McGaha will not give up his first-string status without a fight.

Also in the Tribune on Wednesday is my feature on the battle for playing time among running backs not named Ryan Torain. There is also baseball news, as shortstop Cale Iorg signed with the Detroit Tigers and will not attend ASU.

One practice on Wednesday. Then, it’s down the hill.

I can confidently say that everyone — from players to coaches to staff to reporters — is ready to head home.

Troy Nolan

A busy day at Camp Tontozona on Monday included the return of safety Troy Nolan, who was back on the field well ahead of schedule in his rehabilitation of a shoulder injury.

Six days after suffering the ailment, which was expected to sideline him for two to three weeks, Nolan participated in individual drills and team work, wearing an orange (non-contact) jersey.

“I told you I’d be back soon,” Nolan said proudly.

It will likely take Nolan a couple additional practices to shake of the rust — he was beaten for a touchdown by reserve tight end Dane Guthrie during the second practice on Monday — but his eagerness and ability to come back so quickly commands respect.

Before a 14-minute lightning delay stopped the afternoon practice, ASU worked on kickoff returns for the first time this fall. The deep-return pairs: Keegan Herring-Ryan Torain, Kyle Williams-Nate Kimbrough and Brandon Smith-Justin Tryon.

The delay was the first time the weather affected the Sun Devils’ plans since they arrived at camp last week. However, ASU got the practice in.

Two more workouts are scheduled before the team returns to the Valley on Wednesday. If they go off without a hitch, ASU will have — for the first time since at least the late 1990s, a school spokesman said — completed a Tontozona stay without a practice being canceled or moved to Rumsey Park in Payson because of precipitation.

I still believe that Chasen Stangel is ahead of Samson Szakacsy in the battle of true freshmen for the third-string quarterback spot, but Szakacsy had perhaps his best practice of camp. On one play during 7-on-7 drills, he checked off at least two receivers before hitting Williams with a crisp pass over the middle.

The coaches were in rare form with their chatter. Some samplings:

Defensive coordinator Craig Bray to 335-pound defensive tackle Jonathan English: “If you don’t get some energy in your body, you’ll never play here.”

Receivers coach Eric Yarber to Smith, after he dropped a ball during a drill: “Go play defensive back. Those guys are receivers that can’t catch.”

The most levity was reserved for late in the afternoon practice, when during 11-on-11 drills, Herring took a carry outside and headed straight toward a group of fans sitting on the grass along the sideline. As one man prepared to scurry from danger, Herring stopped his momentum right in front of him and said, “I’ve got brakes! I’ve got brakes!”

Erickson then stopped practice to tell the sideline observers, with a wide smile: “I have to be honest. I don’t care if you get hurt, but I do care if these guys (the players) get hurt. Stay on your feet and move your (butt) fast. I may have to come up with drills for you guys!”

There are three ASU football pieces in the Tribune on Tuesday. I wrote a story about the ankle injury suffered by defensive end Luis Vasquez and notebook that details the consistency of receiver Chris McGaha. Also, Scott Bordow penned a column on why the Sun Devils should continue to train at Camp Tontozona, despite its flaws.

Take a good look at this photograph, and no, I’m not talking about who is in it. Rest easy, Arizona State football fans; this blog entry is not about the drama and controversy of the 2006 preseason.

Rather, focus on the where, because the Sun Devils have not sniffed this locale — the FieldTurf, the fence beyond the sidelines — in the five days it has been in the Rim Country.

The setting is Rumsey Park in Payson, where ASU practices when wet conditions force the team to flee Camp Tontozona. However, the Sun Devils have encountered no rain, not even a threatening cloud, during their stay.

Camp Tontozona is scheduled to end on Wednesday. I am awaiting an answer from a school official on the last time ASU completed a Tontozona trek without having to practice at Rumsey Park. The answer goes back farther than the two previous seasons that I have covered the team for the Tribune.

Of course, now that I’ve written all of this …

Nah, I don’t believe in jinxes. The weathermen have already forecasted a 30-percent chance of rain in Payson on Monday and Tuesday, but those were the same percentages given for this past weekend, and there was no precipitation.

Our paper’s ASU coverage on Monday consists of my feature on middle linebacker Morris Wooten and notebook, which leads with safety Troy Nolan’s thoughts on his shoulder injury.

The Sun Devils are banged up after Saturday’s scrimmage, but there was some good injury news: Wide receiver Brandon Smith (ankle), defensive end Kellen Mills (ankle), and defensive tackle Alex Asi (knee) dressed and took part in practice on Sunday.

One impressive scrimmage does not a promotion make, as defensive linemen James Brooks and Jonathan English remained with the third team during practice. However, coach Dennis Erickson said that he was pleased with the progress of both players, adding that things could change on the depth chart before the season-opening game on Sept. 1.

When asked for his thoughts on watching the scrimmage film, Erickson said: “There were some pluses and minuses on both sides of the ball. Defensively, we played with a lot of energy and emotion. It was a teaching point on how to come out and play.

“The offensive group that had done well all camp did not come out ready to play and got their butts kicked. I was disappointed in the mental assignment breakdowns, especially on offense.”

Running back Ryan Torain is gang-tackled on Saturday. (Darryl Webb/Tribune)

The Arizona State football team had its first intrasquad scrimmage of the fall on Saturday. My story in the Tribune details how the defense got the better of the offense, and the notebook leads with an update on the kicking battle between Thomas Weber and Zach Richards.

The player that stood out the most to me, on either side of the ball, was James Brooks. The true freshman defensive end that easily passes the eye test — he is 6-foot-4, 271 pounds — disrupted the offense a handful of times.

However, Brooks spent most of the day on the second-team defense, lining up against the second- or third-team offense. How accurately can his performance be evaluated?

“James Brooks probably got 200 snaps, and he was unblocked on 80 of them,” said coach Dennis Erickson, whose numbers were slightly off-base, but his point is not.

However, Brooks did show athleticism on one play against the first-team offense, chasing quarterback Rudy Carpenter to the sideline. That was bona fide. It will be interesting to watch Brooks during upcoming practices to see how he builds on Saturday’s performance.

Brooks and another true freshman, 335-pound tackle Jonathan English, could play this season if the Sun Devils’ defensive line remains beat up.

At end, Wes Evans (leg), Kellen Mills (ankle), Eric Tanner (knee) and Tranell Morant (knee) have been limping. Tackles Saia Falahola (triceps) and Alex Asi (knee) are gimpy, and redshirt freshman Zach Niusulu has been invisible.

During the scrimmage, English batted down a Carpenter pass, and the ball descended into the lap of fellow DT Jon Hargis, who had fallen to the ground, for an interception.

Keegan Herring’s 36-yard, cut-across-the-field run was the play of the day, but first-string running back Ryan Torain continues to be an ultimate workhorse. He had a 16-yard run in which he took linebacker Mike Nixon and safeties Josh Barrett and Angelo Fobbs-Valentino for a ride.

Carpenter has said, half-seriously, that the Sun Devils will lead the Pac-10 in celebration penalties this season. On Saturday, tight end Brent Miller was flagged 15 yards for whooping it up too fervently following his 14-yard touchdown catch.

“I don’t think Coach Erickson was too happy about that,” Carpenter said.

After the scrimmage at Tontozona, it is customary for fans to mingle, take pictures with and get autographs with players and coaches on the field. Not on Saturday, as ASU staff and blue-shirted security personnel shooed people away so the tarp could be pulled out, annoying fans and, yes, reporters who were trying to conduct interviews.

Memo to ASU: On a warm, sunny afternoon, there was no urgency to get the tarp out. What happened on Saturday was not people-friendly. Next year, please be more considerate of those who have made the trip to watch the Sun Devils.

The unofficial statistics from the scrimmage:

SCORING PLAYS: FG Weber 32; FG Richards 47; Woods 30 run; FG Richards 47; FG Weber 47; Miller 14 pass from Carpenter; FG Richards 47

RUSHING: Torain 8 for 60; Herring 8 for 50; Woods 7 for 38, TD; DeWitty 5 for 22; Nance 7 for 18; P. Jones 1 for 12; Carpenter 1 for 5

PASSING: Carpenter 8-of-17 for 116, TD, INT; Sullivan 7-of-16 for 60; Stangel 3-of-10 for 34; Szakacsy 2-of-6 for 19

RECEIVING: Taylor 5 for 85; K. Williams 3 for 31; Brown 2 for 24; DeWitty 1 for 20; Simpson 1 for 16; Miller 1 for 14, TD; Driscoll 1 for 5; Gray 1 for 5; Ballard 1 for 4; Thompson 1 for 3; Pettes 1 for 2

MISSED FIELD GOALS: Weber 47, 42; Richards 42

DEFENSIVE SUPERLATIVES: Cox (forced fumble); Hargis (interception); Moos (sack); Reyes (fumble recovery); Vasquez (sack)

ASU is negotiating with Division I-AA Portland State for a 2010 contest in Tempe, but nothing has been finalized. Portland State’s new coach is former NFL coach Jerry Glanville, who was most recently Hawaii’s defensive coordinator.

Later on Saturday, the players enjoyed their annual post-Tontozona scrimmage visit to a Payson theater, seeing “The Bourne Ultimatum.”

It started out as a typical drive along State Highway 260 to Payson after watching the Arizona State football team practice at Camp Tontozona on Friday. What happened next, as Newman of “Seinfeld” fame would say, changed me in a very deep and profound way.

A squirrel became roadkill before my eyes.

About six miles from Tontozona, I was the last in a group of three cars heading West on a two-lane section of the road. I saw the squirrel try to cross, its bravado dissipated when it realized that the approaching vehicles were coming in a hurry.

The poor creature had no choice but to try and play dodge ‘em. It managed to avoid the first car, which was driven by DevilsDigest.com publisher Hod Rabino, but the specter of death was behind the wheel of the next vehicle, a Toyota Camry with a New Mexico license plate.

Left front tire, splat. All squirrel movement ceased as my car followed over.

Before we get to the Sun Devil doings on Friday, a brief eulogy for the squirrel. I’m not sure where it is now, but wherever it is …

May trees be plentiful …

May its cheeks be always full of nuts …

And may every day be a college football Saturday.

ASU’s kicking duel continues to become just that, as freshman walk-on Zach Richards made five of six kicks on Friday, missing a 38-yarder on the final play of the workout. Thomas Weber also booted the ball well, hitting six of seven attempts.

Richards, a product of Phoenix Thunderbird High, appears to have the stronger leg.

“There’s some competition in our kicking game!” coach Dennis Erickson yelled to no one in particular after a series of field goals.

Another walk-on, diminutive freshman receiver Kevin Ballard, continues to make attention-grabbing catches. The 5-foot-9, 165-pounder had two more on Friday, with a diving catch, then holding on to another pass as he was walloped by safety Jeremy Payton. Ballard is unlikely to play this year, but he is looking like a scout-team standout.

Jonathan English worked with the second-team defense on Friday. Could the 335-pound English play this season as a true freshman?

“I don’t know. We’ll find out,” Erickson said. “This next week is going to be big. We’ll have to see if he can help us. That’s an area where we need some help. We need some backups to emerge, and that’s an area that is open.”

The Tribune’s ASU coverage in Saturday’s edition consists of Scott Bordow’s column featuring very frank talk from defensive coordinator Craig Bray and my notebook detailing defensive tackle Saia Falahola’s successful surgery to repair a torn triceps muscle.

ASU’s camp scrimmage begins at 11 a.m. today. A crowd of about 3,000 is expected.

For those making the drive to Tontozona, please watch out for the squirrels.

Some of Arizona State’s offensive linemen are displaying decals on their helmets, and not one of them is of Sparky Sun Devil. It seems that someone in the group got a hold of a batch of Marvel Comics stickers.

Senior guard Robert Gustavis, for example, has stickers of Captain America, Wolverine and the Incredible Hulk. The linemen have gotten me in the mood to apply a superhero sticker to my place of work — and really, which comic-book legend is more appropriate for a newspaper writer than Superman?

My helmet sticker

Friday’s ASU coverage in the Tribune consists of my feature on right tackle Zach Krula’s road back from a broken left ankle and notebook detailing a practice skirmish on Thursday and the torn triceps muscle suffered by defensive tackle Saia Falahola. Also, you don’t want to miss photographer Darryl Webb’s excellent soundslide presentation of the Sun Devils’ stay thus far at Camp Tontonzona.

There were plenty of leftovers from the day’s two practices:

Receiver Kerry Taylor and cornerback Omar Bolden are the true freshmen most likely to play this season, and coach Dennis Erickson said that it is too soon to suggest anyone else. That includes the two battling for the third-string quarterback spot, Samson Szakacsy and Chasen Stangel.

One will be designated the No. 3 QB, but if ASU can get through the season playing only Rudy Carpenter and Danny Sullivan, that’s fine with Erickson.

“The ideal thing would be to redshirt both of them,” Erickson said. “We’ve got to get (practice) work for a third guy, just in case we need him. But there aren’t enough snaps to go around to guarantee that he’ll get in a game.”

If I had to take a guess, I’d say that Stangel is slightly ahead of Szakacsy at this point.

Defensive lineman Alex Asi (knee) and Kellen Mills (ankle) did not practice and will be likely held out of Saturday’s scrimmage. DL Eric Tanner (knee) was out, and receivers Brandon Smith (ankle) and Michael Jones (back) were limited.

Safety Troy Nolan (shoulder) no longer had his arm in a sling, and he did sprints on the side. He did not look like a guy who is going to be out for at least two weeks, but that remains the prognosis.

And finally, before the afternoon practice, the kickers were warming up on the field when walk-on freshman Zach Richards — who is pushing Thomas Weber at kicker — punted a ball that landed in a trash can far downfield, drawing ooohs and aaahs from players on the sidelines. However, one member of ASU’s staff was evidently unimpressed.

“I saw it,” the staff member grunted. “But kickers still aren’t athletes.”

I have been coming to Camp Tontozona to watch the Arizona State football team practice since 1990, and I cannot remember a more picturesque day than Wednesday.

The most recent edition of camp opened under a bright, blue sky and on turf that was in terrific condition. The latter was the handiwork of Tom Dunny, who has a quarter century of experience as Tontozona’s groundskeeper.

“We had some elk out here, and there must have been about a dozen cows,” said Dunny, who lives in a house on the camp grounds. “They make divots, just like a golfer does, especially when we get a lot of moisture. But that’s not a big problem. The big problem is getting the elk (droppings) off the field.”

Frequent rains deluged the field in recent days, and Dunny combated the precipitation by using a moisture-soaking agent (similar to that used on baseball infields) and fungicide. Mother Nature did the rest, as the rain ended on Tuesday, providing enough time for the grass to dry.

Paving is being done on State Highway 260 between Payson and Star Valley, so drivers to Tontozona could encounter delays. On the way back from camp on Wednesday, I saw two large elk on the side of the road.

As for the football:

Another day, another sick run by Ryan Torain, who during 11-on-11 drills made a sharp cut that safety Josh Barrett — the starting free safety and team defensive MVP last season — nearly screwed himself into the ground trying to adjust to. One watches Torain right now and cannot help but wonder if he is headed for a monster year.

Walk-on receiver Kevin Ballard, he of the 5-foot-9, 165-pound frame, had two nifty catches, including a diving, one-handed grab of a pass thrown by backup quarterback Danny Sullivan. Standing nearby, receivers coach Eric Yarber raised his arms and yelled, “There’s the catch of the day! The catch of the day!”

With his enthusiasm and wit, Yarber is a treat to watch work on the field. Early in Wednesday’s practice, one player was out of breath and said that the high altitude could be the reason. Yarber began taking deep, loud breaths and exclaimed, “The air’s not thin! It’s all psychological!”

There was an interesting observation after practice: The tarp was put on the field for the night by coaches and staff members. In past years, that task was done by players.

That could be considered another sign of coach Dennis Erickson’s player-friendly operation. However, the coaches — particularly Erickson, defensive coordinator Craig Bray and tight ends coach Dan Cozzetto — are showing no patience for those who do not pull their weight.

“We’ve had a taste of Coach Erickson’s anger,” receiver Rudy Burgess said on Saturday. “At practice, he wants to get productive work done. As long as we are doing that, he has no problem giving us a break at times. But if we screw up, he does not accept that.”

In recent days, a handful of players have been tardy to meetings. Those who are late are subjected to post-practice running and up-downs, supervised by Cozzetto.

Rudy Carpenter is one of 35 players on the watch list for the Manning Award, presented to the nation’s top quarterback. Finalists will be named after the regular season, with the winner announced following the bowls.

The Tribune’s ASU coverage on Thursday consists of my feature on the opus that is Burgess’ college career and notebook, in which safety Angelo Fobbs-Valentino discusses his opportunity to make an impression while Troy Nolan is out with a shoulder injury.