Arizona State hosts Northern Arizona in intrastate opener
editor1 |Aug 25,2008
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Northern Arizona at Arizona State, 10:00 pm EDT
TEMPE, Arizona (Ticker) -- Before embarking on what promises to
be a difficult season, Arizona State will feast on an in-state
cupcake.
The 16th-ranked Sun Devils open their season Saturday when they
host Northern Arizona of the Football Championship Subdivision.
Tabbed as a potential contender to unseat Southern California in
the Pac-10 Conference, Arizona State enjoyed a successful first
year under head coach Dennis Erickson, who guided the Sun Devils
to a 10-2 regular season and a loss to Texas in the Holiday
Bowl.
But Erickson faces a tall task this season, as Arizona State has
one of the toughest schedules in the country.
After three winnable home games to open the schedule, the Sun
Devils have a treacherous six-game stretch from September
20-November 8. The slate starts with a home game against
preseason No. 1 Georgia and also features four road contests,
including a visit to USC on October 11.
But Arizona State should have an easy time with Northern
Arizona, which owns a 0-10-1 record in the last 11 meetings
between the intrastate foes.
In their last matchup, Arizona State rolled to a 35-14 victory
in the 2006 season opener.
The Sun Devils will be led by quarterback Rudy Carpenter, who
passed for 3,202 yards and 25 touchdowns last year, and running
back Keegan Herring, who rushed for 815 yards in 2007.
Northern Arizona posted a 6-5 record last season, including a
3-3 mark in the Big Sky Conference.
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