Arizona State Sun Devils

Champs, emphatically

Season Report Posted: January 31, 2012 02:02  

National championship
Glendale, Ariz.
Arizona State 40, Texas 20

The blend of ball-control offense and stingy defense that kept ASU in the No. 1 spot much of the regular season proved to be too much for Texas to handle on a January night in Glendale. QB Eric Miles threw a pair of touchdown passes and the Sun Devils defense had two returns for scores to pull away in the second half and clinch the team's second straight national title.

CB William Thomas returned an INT 34 yards for a touchdown and DT Thomas Corbett took a fumble 40 yards for a score in the first half as the Sun Devils broke to an early 20-3 lead. The Longhorns closed to 20-13 on an 84-yard Julian Thomas to Mark Duncan TD pass late in the half, but the second half was all ASU.

Jeremy Cook and Steven Cooper, ASU's bookend 1,000-yard rushers, got the running game going in the final two quarters with 75 and 60 yards, respectively, and kept the ball away from Texas.

Coach Nibble considered closing his run in Tempe after the game and moving on, but decided to stay for a go at three straight titles. Several of his juniors decided otherwise and declared for the draft, including All-American Corbett, Cook, CB Melvin Bennett and MLB Andrew Haynes.

Miles threw for 2,511 yards and 23 TDs with 11 INTs, as well as running for 225 yards and three scores.

Cook had 1,296 yards and 16 touchdowns, and Cooper added 1,024 and 12 scores.

Senior WR Thomas Alston led the receivers with 53 catches, and Rob Thomas had 12 scores among his 46 receptions.

OLB Cory Vincent was the leading tackler (83) and earned All-America status, as did DE Jess Rogers (7 sacks).

Back to the title game

Season Report Posted: January 30, 2012 03:22  

The final two games of the regular season produce closer contests than usual but the result is a 13-0 finish and an trip to the national championship game next door in Glendale, Ariz., against Texas.

ASU's three turnovers against rival Arizona keep it close until the fourth quarter, when the power running game produces TD runs by Jeremy Cook and Steven Cooper in a 24-7 win. Both backs go over 100 rushing yards.

Rob Thomas has two TDs among his seven catches in the Pac-12 title game against Stanford. Eric Miles throws one, then leaves with a foot injury and Brett Smith comes in and throws the other.

The Sun Devils have won 23 straight games. Bring it on, Texas.

Reigning champs

Season Report Posted: January 23, 2012 03:03  

Last year: 12-2, beat Central Florida for the national championship. Seriously.

Key returnees: QB Eric Miles, TB Jeremy Cook, G Greg Baker, WR Thomas Alston, TE Andre Lewis, DE Jeremy Rogers

Key losses: TB Michael Davis, LT Adam Baldwin, OLB Philip Luke, CB Joe Flanagan

Outlook: The planets aligned and the path was laid wide open for two-loss Arizona State to waltz into the national championship game last season and beat Central Florida. Can it happen again? Despite heavy losses such as 1,000-yard rusher Michael Davis, the Sun Devils should be better at most positions, especially across the offensive line. So while ASU can't count on luck again, it should be good enough to keep the title. Eric Miles is back to run the offense with help from backup Brett Smith. Davis' speed won't be replaced, but power back Jeremy Cook will get the ball a lot after an 800-yard freshman season. A key to the attack's growth will be getting the ball to deep threats Robbie Thomas and Malcolm James.

The defense led the nation in yards allowed, but that was in part because ASU's offense kept the ball for so long. This year, the Sun Devils will be faster across the board with players like DE James Jefferson and OLB Mark Rhodes.