by Doug Kroll
12/15/06
9:oo pm est
They may have a new head coach, but the
Sun Devils will still have their old one on the sidelines on
Christmas Eve against Hawai’I in the Hawai’I Bowl.
Dirk Koetter will still be roaming the sidelines after being
fired earlier this year after six seasons in Tempe, and Dennis
Erickson’s debut will wait nine months.
The Sun Devils don’t have the same offense that they had
a year ago, and if they did, we could expect scores of this game
to be in the 60’s. ASU has a very young receiving corps,
and the top target is tight end Zach Miller. Miller leads the
team in receptions (49), receiving yards (481) and touchdowns
(four).
It could be tough for the players to go out and defeat a potent
Hawai’I offense on its home turf, especially because of
a lame duck coaching staff on the sidelines. Or, because the
coaching staff is on its way out, it may open up a lot of plays
for the offense. After all, what do they have to lose?
Defensively, the Sun Devils are going to have a tough time against
Hawai’I QB Colt Brennan. But in the last regular season
game of the year, Brennan and his team lost to Oregon State in
a thriller, leaving ASU with a nice scouting tape to figure out
what they can do to slow one of the best quarterbacks in the
nation this season. The Sun Devils had the second-best defense
in the Pac-10 this season, after having one of the worst in the
nation the year before. Arizona State will be looking to win
its third straight bowl game after a win last year against Rutgers.
The Warriors will be looking to win their 11th game of the season,
a feat that they have accomplished only one time in their history
back in 1992. It would also be a special night if Brennan can
toss two touchdowns, which would break the single-season record
of 53 set back in 1991 by David Klingler at Houston. Ironically,
Klingler set the mark against Arizona State.
Hawai’i led all Division I-A programs this season in total
offense (549.9 yards per game), passing yards (432.2 per) and
points per game (47.3). Many believe Hawaii's Colt Brennan is
the best pure passer in the country, and he's also a threat to
run.
It will be fun to see if Hawaii’s secondary can stop the
Arizona State aerial attack. If they can, it could be a very
long day for the Sun Devils. If the Warriors are able to jump
out on top of ASU, expect Hawai’I to cruise. With a lame-duck
coach onboard, things could get ugly if they are caught in an
early hole.
Doug Kroll is an independent contributor to College Football
Poll.com.
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