Dec. 12, 1997
Sun Devils Set for Sun Bowl Battle with Iowa
- The 64th Norwest Sun Bowl
- Iowa Hawkeyes (7-4) vs. #16 Arizona State Sun Devils (8-3)
- Dec. 31, 1997
- Sun Bowl Stadium * El Paso, Texas
- 12:15 MST * CBS-TV
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| Junior quarterback Steve Campbell will make his first career start in the Norwest Sun Bowl. (File Photo) |
Arizona State makes its second consecutive and 17th all-time bowl appearance in the 64th Norwest Sun Bowl. The 16th-ranked Sun Devils face Big Ten foe Iowa December 31, 1997 at Sun Bowl Stadium in El Paso, Texas. CBS-TV will broadcast the Sun Bowl for the 30th year to a national television audience. ASU completed the regular season with an 8-3 overall record, finishing third in the Pac-10 with a 6-2 conference mark. It is ASU's third trip to the Sun Bowl. ASU made its first-ever post-season appearances in the Sun Bowl in 1940 and 1941. ASU is 9-6-1 in its previous 16 bowl games.
The Hawkeyes: Iowa will be making its third straight bowl appearance and the 14th postseason appearance under head coach Hayden Fry in the last 17 years. The Hawkeyes ended their regular season with a 7-4 record and in a tie for sixth-place in the Big Ten with a 4-4 conference mark. It is Iowa's 16th all-time bowl appearance and its second in the Sun Bowl. Iowa defeated Washington, 38-18 in the 1995 Sun Bowl.The Hawkeyes are 8-6-1 all-time in bowl games, 6-6-1 under Fry.
The Sun Bowl: The Norwest Sun Bowl is the fourth-oldest postseason bowl game in college football with only the Rose, Orange and Sugar Bowls having a longer history. It has been played each year since 1936 when Hardin-Simmons and New Mexico State battled to a 14-14 tie on January 1, 1936, in the innaugural Sun Bowl. The Pac-10 is 4-4-1 in nine Sun Bowl appearances since 1975. In last year's Sun Bowl, Stanford knocked off Michigan State 38-0.
ASU Bowl History: Arizona State's bowl history began at the Sun Bowl as the then Bulldogs appeared in back-to-back Sun Bowls in 1940 and '41. ASU and Catholic University tied, 0-0, in 1940, while ASU lost to Case Western Reserve 26-13, in 1941. With this year's appearance, the Sun Bowl becomes only the second bowl game ASU has gone to more than twice. ASU has visited the Fiesta Bowl six times while appearing in the Rose and Salad Bowls twice each.
Pretty Good Of Late: ASU has been on a roll of late. The Sun Devils won four of their final five games in 1995, put together an 11-1 record in '96 and posted an 8-3 regular season record in 1997. ASU's back-to-back 8+ win seasons are the first for the Sun Devils since 1985-86.
- ASU has won 23 of its last 28 games, including 19 of 22 regular-season contests.
- ASU has won 11 of its last 13 home games.
- ASU has won 10 of 11 road games.
- ASU has won 14 of of its last 16 Pac-10 games.
- ASU has won 6 of of its last 8 non-conference games.
Among the Best: ASU's 23-5 record in its last 28 games is among the top 10 marks in the country over that span. Here's a look at the top teams in the country over their last 28 games:
Record Over Last 28 Games
Team Record Pct.
Nebraska 26-2 .929
Tennessee 25-3 .893
Florida 24-4 .857
Florida State 24-4 .857
Arizona State 23-5 .821
Kansas State 23-5 .821
North Carolina 23-5 .821
Ohio State 23-5 .821
Penn State 23-5 .821
LSU 22-6 .786
Virginia Tech 22-6 .786
Head Coach Bruce Snyder: In his sixth season at the helm of ASU's football program ... has led the Sun Devils to 23 wins in their last 28 games and two straight bowl appearance ... is 2-1 in bowl games ... in 1996, guided the Sun Devils to their second Pac-10 championship, fourth undefeated regular season and second Rose Bowl ... the consensus National Coach of the Year in 1996 as well as Pac-10 Coach of the Year ... compiled 6-5 records in his first, second and fourth seasons in Tempe (1992, 1993, 1995) and a 3-8 mark in 1994 ... prior to posting a 40-27 record in six years at ASU, he was 39-37-1 at Utah State (1976-81) and 29-24-4 at California (1987-91) ... guided Cal to a 10-2 mark and No. 8 ranking in 1991 as the Bears defeated ACC champ Clemson in the Citrus Bowl ... Cal had been to just one bowl since 1958 prior to Snyder guiding the Bears to two consecutive bowl wins in '90 & '91 ... led Utah State to a pair of conference titles in his seven years ... was L.A. Rams running back coach for four years (1983-86), during which he tutored Eric Dickerson as he set the NFL single-season rushing record ... served as an assistant at Oregon, New Mexico State, Utah State and USC ... Snyder earned his 100th career win in ASU's 56-14 win at Arizona last year ... prior to the Rose Bowl, signed a new contract with ASU through January 6, 2002.
Series Summary: This will be the first meeting between Iowa and Arizona State. The Hawkeyes and Sun Devils have signed a contract for a home-and-home series in the years 2003 (at Iowa) and 2004 (at ASU).
Over the Air: CBS will broadcast the Sun Bowl for the 30th consecutive season. Tim Ryan and Dave Logan will call the game. KMVP (860 AM) is the flagship station for the Sun Devil radio network. Tom Dillon, the Arizona Sportscaster-of-the-Year 16 years running (1981-96), and the voice of the Sun Devils since 1979, once again will handle the play-by-play duties. Former Sun Devil QB and 1987 Rose Bowl MVP Jeff Van Raaphorst (1983-86) returns for his second season as the color analyst. KMVP has teamed with AudioNet to provide all Sun Devil radio broadcasts on the internet. Each broadcast can be accessed at www.audionet.com/schools/asu.
The Polls: Arizona State is tabbed at No. 16 in the AP poll and 18th in the ESPN/USA Today coaches poll. Iowa is not ranked.
Injury Update: ASU quarterback Ryan Kealy will miss the Sun Bowl after undergoing successful surgery on December 1 to repair a torn ACL in his right knee. Kealy suffered the injury in Arizona State's season finale against Arizona. No other Sun Devil that has played this season is expected to miss the Sun Bowl.
Senior Salute: The Sun Bowl will be the last game for 21 ASU seniors who have compiled a 28-17 record in the past four years, won a Pac-10 championship, recorded an undefeated regular season in 1996 and earned ASU back-to-back bowl bids. The Class of 1997 includes:
Vince Amey, DL Damien Richardson, SS
Jeff Boyer, LB Zack Romero, TE
Malchi Crawford, RE Shane Shafer, LB
Glen Gable, RT Jason Simmons, CB
Jeff Hoffman, WR Thomas Simmons, FS
Anthony Jones, OL Creig Spann, WR
Michael Martin, TB Jeremy Staat, DL
Hamilton Mee, DL Pat Tillman, LB
Kyle Murphy, OG Kevin Tommasini, FB
Robert Nycz, PK Marcus Williams, P
Paul Reynolds, OLB
Looking Ahead: Thirteen of ASU's 22 starters heading into the Sun Bowl will return for next season including eight on offense. Of the 44 players listed on ASU's two-deep for the Sun Bowl, 33 will return next season including 18 of 22 on offense.
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| Senior Pat Tillman closes out a remarkable ASU career at the Sun Bowl. (File Photo) |
Tillman Defensive Player of the Year: Linebacker Pat Tillman was named the 1997 Pac-10 Defensive Player of the Year this week. Tillman joins Jake Plummer as the only Sun Devils to receive conference player-of-the-year honors in ASU history. Tillman is the one of three players in the league to have been named to both the first-team all-academic and all-conference teams.
All-Academic Team: LB Pat Tillman (3.82, Marketing) and SS Damien Richardson (3.26, Bio-Engineering) and Zack Romero (3.67, Graduate) were named to the 1997 Pac-10 All-Academic team. Tillman and Richardson were also named to the GTE Academic All-District VIII Football Team. Richardson, whose 71 tackles is second only to Tillman's team-leading 93, is a three-time Pac-10 All-Academic selection. Tillman, one of just three Pac-10 players to be a first-team all-conference and first-team all-academic selection, is a two-time All-Academic Pac-10 pick and was an Academic All-District member and second-team All-American last year.
All-Conference: Sixteen Sun Devils earned all-conference honors in 1997. Tillman heads a list of six first-team players from ASU, second-most in the league to Washington and tying the most first-team selections for ASU in its Pac-10 history. The complete list:
First Team Second Team
OL Kyle Murphy, Sr. DT Jeremy Staat, Sr.
OL Grey Ruegamer, Jr. DB Jason Simmons, Sr.
OLB Pat Tillman, Sr. DB Damien Richardson, Sr.
DB Mitchell Freedman, Jr. PK Robert Nycz, Sr.
AP J.R. Redmond, So.
P Marcus Williams, Sr.
Honorable Mention: DE Vince Amey, Sr., OT Glen Gable, Sr., DB Courtney Jackson, So., WR Lenzie Jackson, Jr., TB Michael Martin, Sr., DE Hamilton Mee, Sr., TE Zack Romero, Sr.
On A Roll: Replacing the likes of Jake Plummer, Keith Poole, Terry Battle and Juan Roque--all 1997 NFL draft picks--was not an easy task, but ASU's offense has grown into its own in 1997. The difference can be seen in comparing the numbers between ASU's first five games (when ASU was 3-2) and its last six games (5-1).
Category Last 6 First 5 Difference
Points P/G 34.3 20.2 + 14.1
First Downs P/G 20.6 18 + 2.6
Yards Rushing P/G 223.0 158.8 + 64.2
Yards Passing P/G 235.3 185.4 + 49.9
Total Yards P/G 458.3 344.2 + 114.1
Avg. Gain Per Play 6.1 4.8 + 1.3
3rd Down Conv. 40% 34% + 6%
Touchdowns P/G 4.0 2.2 + 1.8
Turnovers P/G 1.67 2.40 - 0.73
Time of Possesion 28:48 30:58 - 1:10
Defensive Stand: ASU's defense has handed in some mighty impressive performances in 1997. Arizona State is first in the Pac-10 in scoring defense, fourth in rushing defense and third in pass efficiency defense. The ASU defense gave up 14 or fewer points to the opposing offense in seven of ASU's 11 games this season. In a 23-12 win at Miami, ASU's defense held the Miami offense to two field goals, the first time the Hurricanes had been held without an offensive touchdown in the Orange Bowl since 1984. BYU's 13 points was the fewest it has scored in 25 games. The Sun Devils held Oregon State to 20 yards rushing, the fewest a Beaver squad had run for since 1989. ASU limited USC to seven points, 15 first downs and 214 total yards - zero, four and 50 in the second half. Stanford's 14 points was the fewest it had scored since losing to ASU 41-9 in 1996. Against Washington State, the Sun Devils held what was the second-best offense in the nation coming into the game to its second lowest point total of the season.
ASU's Defense Game-by-Game
Opp. Rush Yds. Pass Yds. Total Pts.
New Mexico St. 107 91 198 10
at Miami 68 220 288 *6
BYU 99 328 427 13
at Oregon St. 20 193 213 *3
at Washington 240 150 390 26
USC 114 100 214 7
at Stanford 114 285 399 14
WSU 51 447 498 31
at Cal 126 173 299 *14
Oregon 179 229 408 31
Arizona 123 247 370 28
Totals PG 112.8 223.9 336.7 *16.6
*does not include points scored by opponents defenses
(20 total: 6 vs. Miami, 7 vs. Oregon State, 7 vs. California)
Tillman A Terror: Senior outside linebacker Pat Tillman, the Pac-10 Defensive Player of the Year and ASU's Defensive MVP, led Arizona State's defense on and off the field in 1997. Tillman, a second-team All-Pac-10 selection in 1996, was second on the team in tackles last year with 91. A first-team All-American selection this year, he leads the team and is fourth in the conference with 93 stops including four sacks and 15 tackles for loss. Tillman was ASU's leading tackler in seven of their 11 games this season, registering a season-high 13 tackles against both USC and Arizona. He earned Pac-10 Defensive Player of the Week honors after his game at Stanford, when he registered 11 tackles, 10 unassisted, and three tackles for loss. Tillman is also a standard for his teammates in the classroom, where he has a 3.82 GPA in marketing and was named a first-team All-Academic Pac-10 and GTE Academic All-District performer. Burger King also recognized his accomplishments by awarding a $10,000 scholarship to ASU in his name.
Tillman Game-by-Game Tackles
Opp. UA AT Total TFL-Yds.
New Mexico State 1 3 4 1-2
at Miami 3 4 7 0-0
BYU 5 7 12 2-12
at Oregon St. 5 1 6 2-15
at Washington 0 1 1 1-3
USC 4 9 13 2-3
at Stanford 10 1 11 3-12
WSU 2 2 4 0-0
at Cal 10 0 10 1-7
Oregon 5 7 12 1-2
Arizona 2 11 13 2-4
Totals 47 46 93 15-60
Triple Threat: Head coach Bruce Snyder "loves" tailbacks and his 1997 crop of Michael Martin, J.R. Redmond and Marlon Farlow must appear to be a three-headed monster for ASU opponents. Add fullback Jeff Paulk to the mix, and you have a lethal combination. Combine Martin, Redmond and Farlow's numbers for an ASU tailback total and you get 2,177 yards and a 6.0 per carry average.
The Goods on J.R.: J.R. Redmond is ASU's most dangerous offensive weapon, as evidenced by his selection as ASU's Offensive MVP and to the All-Pac-10 first team as an all-purpose player. The sophomore tailback is 12th in the nation and third in the Pac-10 with 159.0 all-purpose yards per game. Also a conference honorable mention selection as a running back, Redmond leads the Pac-10's top rushing squad with 86.5 rushing yards per contest. He also leads the team in punt return and kickoff return yardage and is fifth on the team with 15 catches. Redmond's big-play ability has been evident as he has reeled off runs of 50, 54 and 93 yards in 1997. His 93-yard touchdown against New Mexico State, ASU's longest run this season, tied the fifth-longest run from scrimmage in ASU history and earned Redmond the AT&T Long Distance Run of the Week award. Redmond also turned in the Sun Devils biggest rushing day this season against New Mexico State with career-high 176-yard total.
Redmond Game-by-Game Rushing
Game No. Yds. Avg TD
New Mexico State 10 176* 17.6 1
at Miami 12 105 8.8 1
BYU 17 66 5.1 0
at Oregon St. 18 77 4.3 0
at Washington 21 76 3.6 1
USC 12 48 4.0 1
at Stanford DNP - Injured (Hip Strain)
WSU 8 35 4.4 0
at Cal 27* 114 4.2 1
Oregon 11 127 11.5 1
Arizona 10 41 4.1 1
Totals 142 865 6.1 7
*career high
Redmond Game-by-Game All Purpose Per Per
Game Rush Rec. Punts KO Total Touch Game
NMSU 10-176 1-13 3-18 2-57 16-264 16.5
at Miami 12-105 5-46 2-53 3-49 22-253 12.1
BYU 13-66 0-0 2-26 4-90 19-182 9.6
at Oregon St. 18-77 1-18 2-1 1-21 22-117 5.3
at Washington 21-76 0-0 5-52 0-0 26-128 4.9
USC 12-48 3-17 1-8 1-14 17-87 5.1
at Stanford DNP - Injured (Hip Strain)
WSU 8-35 3-36 0-0 0-0 11-71 6.5
at Cal 27-114 2-56 6-47 1-47 36-264 7.3
Oregon 11-127 0-0 1-6 1-13 13-146 11.2
Arizona 10-41 0-0 2-25 1-12 13-78 6.0
Totals 142-865 15-186 24-236 14-303 195-1590 8.2 159.0
Top Five Runs in ASU history
1. 99 yds., Max Anderson, vs. Wyoming, 1967 (TD)
2. 98 yds., Mark Malone, vs. Utah State, 1979 (TD)
3. 97 yds., Art Malone, vs. Utah, 1968 (TD)
4. 94 yds., Hascall Henshaw, vs. Case Western Reserve, 1940 (TD)
5. 93 yds., J.R. Redmond, vs. New Mexico St. , 1997 (TD)
Tom Dekellis, vs. Whittier, 1938 (TD)
Follow His Lead: Senior tailback Michael Martin may well be the emotional leader of this year's Sun Devil team. Martin returned from a season-ending neck injury he suffered last season, to rush for a career-high 862 yards this season. Martin finished the season strong, notching four 100-yard games in ASU's last five games. In ASU's last five games, Martin rushed for 509 yards, averaging 6.9 yards per carry, even though he missed most of the Cal game with an injury. Martin's best game of the season came against Oregon when he ran for 158 yards on 16 carries including a career-high 83-yard touchdown that earned him the AT&T Long Distance Run of the Week. Martin returned to the starting lineup this season in ASU's season opener against New Mexico State after being sidelined after the sixth game of 1996. Martin in the starting lineup is a good sign for ASU as the Sun Devils are 17-2 with Martin in the starting lineup. Martin has continued to battle back from injuries this season as a concussion and pinched nerve prevented Martin from practicing and starting against Washington, but he returned to the starting lineup against USC. He suffered a neck strain against Cal which held him out of the game after 3 carries, but he returned against Oregon. Martin has rushed for over 1,918 yards in his Sun Devil career and he has averaged 82.2 yards in 19 games as a starter.
Martin 1997 Game-By-Game & Career Totals
Team Att. Yds. Avg. TD
New Mexico St. 15 64 4.3 1
Miami 26 103 4.0 0
BYU 16 43 2.7 1
at Oregon St. 14 66 4.7 0 (injured, pinched nerve)
USC 12 56 4.7 0
at Stanford 23 124 5.4 1
WSU 20 111 5.6 0
at Cal 3 14 4.7 0 (injured, neck strain)
Oregon 16 158 9.9 2
Arizona 12 102 8.5 0
1997 Total 161 862 5.4 5
1996 95 475 5.0 1
1995 138 579 5
1993 1 2 2.0 0
Career 395 1918 4.9 11
Campbell Takes Over: Junior quarterback Steve Campbell takes over the starting quarterback duties for the Sun Bowl with Ryan Kealy out with a knee injury. Campbell, a native of Corona, Calif., played most of the Arizona game after Kealy was hurt and completed 7-of-23 passes for 122 yards, one touchdown and one interception while being sacked four times. Campbell saw action in six games this season and totaled 13 completions in 37 attempts for 202 yards, 2 TDs and 3 interceptions. Campbell saw action in ASU's season-opener prior to Kealy taking over full-time. He then spelled a struggling Kealy at the end of the first-half of ASU's game at Oregon State, saw mop-up duty in ASU's 35-7 win over USC and filled in for an injured Kealy against Cal and Arizona. Campbell did see limited action as Jake Plummer's back-up in both 1995 and 1996.
Campbell in 1997
Game Att. Comp. Yds. TD Int.
New Mexico St. 7 3 43 1 0
Oregon State 3 1 11 0 1
USC 2 1 11 0 0
California 2 1 15 0 0
Arizona 23 7 122 1 2
Totals 37 13 202 2 3
Career 61 24 315 0 0
With Kealy at the Helm: Redshirt freshman Ryan Kealy, a Sporting News first-team Freshman All-American, distinguished himself as the top freshman quarterback in ASU history and among the best in Pac-10 history this season. Kealy won a battle with junior Steve Campbell for the starting QB job in fall camp by showing the poise and promise he displayed since starting the season-opener against New Mexico State. After ASU opened up its offense for the USC game, Kealy responded. In ASU's last six games, Kealy was 94 of 169 (.556) for 1,264 yards (210.7 per game) with 11 TDs, 3 INTs and a 136.4 pass efficiency rating. Overall, Kealy posted a 126.94 efficiency rating, completed 54.5 percent of his passes for 2,137 yards with 15 touchdowns and seven interceptions.
Freshman QBs: Ryan Kealy turned in the best year a freshman QB has had at ASU and among the best in Pac-10 history. Kealy broke ASU freshman records for completions, touchdowns and yards. Kealy's performance against USC, the sixth game of his career, included 21 completions, 3 TDs and 281 yards. Jake Plummer did not have a 21-completion day until the 14th game of his career, a three-TD day until the 16th game of his career or 280+ passing-yard game until the 17th game of his career. Here's a look at the top four freshman QBs at ASU followed by the best in Pac-10 history.
Freshman QBs at ASU
Name, Year Att. Comp. TD Int. Yds.
Ryan Kealy, 1997 297 162 15 7 2137
Jake Plummer, 1993 199 102 9 7 1650
Grady Benton, 1992 225 149 8 9 1707
Dennis Sproul, 1974 199 96 10 13 1438
Leading Freshman QBs in Pac-10 History
Yards
Name, School Year Yds.
Tommy Maddox, UCLA 1990 2682
Todd Marinovich, USC 1989 2400
Ryan Kealy, ASU 1997 2137
John Paye, Stanford 1983 1971
Bill Musgrave, Oregon 1987 1936
Touchdowns
Name, School Year TDs
Ortege Jenkins, Arizona 1997 19
Tommy Maddux, UCLA 1990 17
Todd Marinovich, USC 1989 16
Ryan Kealy, ASU 1997 15
Steve Stenstrom, Stanford 1991 15
Completions
Name, School Year Comp.
Todd Marinovich, USC 1989 219
Tommy Maddux, UCLA 1990 182
Ryan Kealy, ASU 1997 162
John Paye, Stanford 1983 150
Grady Benton, ASU 1992 149
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| Senior Jeremy Staat was voted the top defensive lineman in the Pac-10 by the league's offensive lineman. (File Photo) |
Stellar Staat: Jeremy Staat took many by suprise in 1997, including Pac-10 coaches who voted the conferences' third-leading sack-man a second-team all-conference selection while the Football Writers Association tabbed him a first-team All-American. Staat, the only former JC transfer on the writers' All-American team, recorded 9.5 sacks in 1997 and 20 tackles for loss. He was third on the team with a total of 67 tackles.
Superb Secondary: While other defensive backfields in the conference and nation have been more heralded, very few can claim to be as effective as ASU's secondary. The starting cast of Courtney Jackson, Jason Simmons, Damien Richardson and Mitchell Freedman each earned All-Pac-10 accolades as Freedman was named to the first team, Simmons and Richardson to the second team, while Jackson received honorable mention acclaim. ASU's secondary suffocated opposing teams' passing games this season. Only three teams managed to complete more than 50 percent of its passes against ASU and five were held under 200 yards passing. Opposing QBs have combined for a 107.4 efficiency mark. Against the Pac-10, ASU has limited the best passing conference in the nation to 127-of-274 (.464) in the air while picking 14 passes. Here's a look at how the opposition's starting quarterbacks and a few of the Pac-10's top receivers have fared against the Sun Devils:
Starting QB Comp. Att. Yds. TD INT
Ty Houghtaling, NMSU 10 26 91 1 2
Ryan Clement, Miami 14 28 175 0 1
Kevin Feterik, BYU 17 30 328 0 0
Tim Alexander, OSU 17 41 193 0 2
Brock Huard, UW 8 19 150 2 1
John Fox, USC 8 23 70 1 1
Chad Hutchinson, Stan. 20 35 214 0 2
Ryan Leaf, WSU 24 49 447 3 1
Justin Vedder, Cal 17 31 173 1 2
Akili Smith, Ore 14 34 147 1 2
Ortege Jenkins, Ariz. 7 19 194 3 2
Pac-10 Receivers Rec. Yds. TD
Roddy Tompkins, OSU 5 66 0
Jerome Pathon, UW 2 58 1
R. Jay Soward, USC 2 19 0
Billy Miller, USC 3 21 0
Troy Walters, Stan. 8 113 0
Chris Jackson, WSU 4 73 1
Kevin McKenzie, WSU 6 75 1
Bobby Shaw, Cal 6 76 1
Pat Johnson, Ore 2 28 0
Dennis Northcutt, Ariz. 2 52 1
Safety Valves: ASU coaches know they can take some chances because of the two safeties they have in the secondary. Senior Damien Richardson was a member of the Jim Thorpe Award "watch list" as one of the best defensive backs in college football. The strong safety started 33 straight games for ASU and is second on the team with 71 tackles. Richardson, an All-Academic Pac-10 selection the past two years and a 1997 GTE Academic All-District VIII member, was a second-team All-Pac-10 pick . Junior free safety Mitchell Freedman was a first-team All-Pac-10 selection as he led ASU with four interceptions and was fifth on the team with 58 tackles including a career-high 15 tackles at Washington. A fierce hitter, his sack of WSU's Ryan Leaf and subsequent fumble that was returned for a touchdown was one of the biggest plays of ASU's season.
Looking for Lenzie: Lenzie Jackson has become ASU's most consistent and dangerous pass catcher as the junior wide receiver led the team with 53 catches for 733 yards and five touchdowns. Jackson set career and ASU season-highs with nine catches and two touchdowns against Washington State and 132 receiving yards against USC. His 53 catches ties him for the sixth-most receptions in ASU history as he is the ninth receiver in ASU history to pull in 50 or more catches in a season. Including the Rose Bowl, Jackson has a catch in 24 straight games and has 100 in his career.
ASU Single-Season Reception Records
Name, Year Rec. Yds. TD
Ron Fair, 1989 64 1,082 4
J.D. Hill, 1970 58 908 10
Keith Poole, 1995 55 1,036 7
Eric Guliford, 1991 55 801 2
Greg Hudson, 1973 54 788 7
Lenzie Jackson, 1997 53 733 5
John Mistler, 1980 53 573 1
John Jefferson, 1977 53 912 8
Morris Owens, 1973 50 1,076 9
Not Just a Blocking Bates: Sophomore tight end Kendrick Bates has proven his 6-4, 243-pound frame can do more than block. Bates is third on the team with 23 catches for 320 yards, averaging 13.9 yards per catch. Among Pac-10 tight ends, Bates is second only to Oregon's Blake Spence in catches and yardage.
Pac-10 Tight Ends
Player Rec. Yds. TDs
Blake Spence, Oregon 36 573 5
Kendrick Bates, ASU 23 320 1
Cam Cleeland, UW 19 276 2
Mike Grieb, UCLA 18 218 2
Love Jefferson, WSU 14 177 3
Snyder Climbs ASU Coaching Charts: Head coach Bruce Snyder completes his sixth season at ASU after becoming the second-winningest coach in ASU history/. Snyder surpassed Darryl Rogers, who won 37 games in five seasons during the early '80's. Snyder's sixth year of service makes him only the fourth coach at ASU to have a tenure of more than five seasons. Frank Kush's 22 seasons and 176 wins are the most in Sun Devil history while McCreary (7 seasons, 1923-29) and ASU's first football coach, Fred Irish (8 seasons), each stayed longer than a half-decade.
Coach Years Record
Frank Kush 1958-79 176-54-1
Bruce Snyder 1992-Present 40-27-0
Darryl Rogers 1980-84 37-18-1
The Stretch Run: Finishing strong has been a Sun Devil trait during the Snyder era at ASU. The Sun Devils are 12-7 in November under Snyder, but three of those losses came in one year -- 1994. Other than that year, ASU has finished strong under Snyder.
Record in Final Five Regular Season Games Under Snyder
Year Record Note
1992 3-2 Won Final Two
1993 4-1 Includes wins over UW & UCLA
1994 1-4 Finished season 3-8
1995 4-1 Began Stretch of 23 wins in 27 games
1996 5-0 11-0 regular season
1997 4-1 Outscored opponents 171-125
Total 21-9
The Year After: ASU's failure to repeat as conference
champions marks the fifth straight year the defending Pac-10
champion did not repeat. In fact, eight of the 10 schools have
won or shared in at least one of the past six titles. The last
champion to repeat was Washington as the Huskies captured
titles from 1990-92. A look back at how the champion(s) have
fared the following year:
Year Champion Next Year
1986 ASU 7-4-1, 4th
1987 USC 10-2, 1st
UCLA 10-2, 2nd
1988 USC 9-2-1, 1st
1989 USC 8-4-1, 2nd
1990 Washington 12-0, 1st
1991 Washington 9-3, 1st
1992 Washington 7-4, ineligible
Stanford 4-7, 7th
1993 UCLA 5-6, 5th
Arizona 8-4, 2nd
USC 8-3-1, 2nd
1994 Oregon 9-3, 3rd
1995 USC 6-6, 5th
Washington 9-3, 2nd
1996 Arizona State 8-3, 3rd
On the Road Again: Arizona State's loss at Washington snapped the Sun Devils second-longest road winning streak in school history. ASU had won eight straight road games prior to its trip to Seattle. Under Bruce Snyder, the Sun Devils are 15-14 away from home, having won 10 of their last 11 and four of five this year. Four of ASU's first seven games were on the road this season where as last year the Sun Devils didn't venture away from Tempe until the sixth game of the season.
Home Field Advantage: Sun Devil Stadium has provided ASU with a significant home field edge since its inception in 1958. Arizona State is 197-64-3 (.752) all-time in Sun Devil Stadium and 9-2 since the playing surface was dedicated as Frank Kush Field. ASU has drawn six of the eight largest crowds in ASU history in the past two years, including a record 74,963 to the Rose Bowl-clinching win over California in 1996. ASU drew an average of 63,884 to seven home games in 1996, a jump of 15,003 from the previous season - the largest increase in the nation. This year, ASU drew the fifth-largest crowd in ASU history to the Arizona game (73,682) and the sixth-largest to the WSU game (73,644). ASU bettered its 1996 average attendance by averaging 66,014 fans at home in 1997 -- 2,130 more than 1996.
Pac-10 Player of the Week: Five Sun Devils were named Pac-10 Player of the Week following outstanding performances this season:
Player Game Note
Robert Nycz Miami tied career high with 3 FGs
Ryan Kealy USC 21/34, 281 yds., 3 TDs
Pat Tillman Stanford 11 tackles (10 unassisted), INT
Ryan Kealy* WSU 23/36, 245 yds, 4 TDs
Marcus Williams WSU ASU record 53.6 yd. avg on 7 punts
*first time a freshman QB has been named Pac-10 Player of the Week
twice in one season since Todd Marinovich in 1989
Pac-10 All-Academic History: Arizona State ranks among the top four football programs in the conference in terms of receiving All-Academic recognition each season. Over the last eight years, only Stanford, Oregon and Washington have had more football players honored for their performance on and off the field. Below is a chart of the number of Pac-10 All-Academic players for each school from 1989-97.
School *Pac-10 All-Academic Players
Stanford 82
Oregon 59
Washington 49
Arizona State 44
Oregon State 41
UCLA 37
Washington State 34
California 33
USC 33
Arizona 28
*since 1989
Academic All-America: The College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) has been selecting Academic All-Americans for more than 30 years in all sports. In the Pac-10, Arizona State has been among the all-time leaders in student-athletes honored academically on a national scale, maintaining a 3.2 GPA or higher. Here's how ASU ranks in the Pac-10:
School CoSIDA All-Americans
UCLA 70
Stanford 59
Arizona 46
Arizona State 36
USC 33
Oregon 31
Oregon State 26
California 21
Washington 21
Washington State 21
Big Wins: In the past two seasons, ASU has defeated some of the most storied football programs in college football. In the last two seasons, the Sun Devils have defeated Washington, Nebraska, USC (twice) and Miami. Those four programs have combined for 2,385 wins, 118 bowl appearances and 17 national championships prior to this season, having won or shared 11 national titles since 1970. Heading into this season, the ASU football program ranked 17th on the all-time winning percentage list, winning 62.9 percent of their games in 85 seasons.
Fast Start: Arizona State has developed a habit of starting fast after it comes out of the lockeroom in 1997. ASU has outscored its opponents 54-20 in the first quarter, shutting out nine of 11 opponents and allowing only two touchdowns (both to Arizona). ASU also has a 74-41 edge in the third quarter, blanking six of 11. ASU has made its halftime adjustments well in each of the last two years as the Sun Devils outscored opponents 113-23 in the third quarter in 1996. The 113 points was the most by any Pac-10 team in the third quarter while the 23 points given up was the fewest by any Pac-10 team in any quarter.
Maroon Zone: Here's the numbers on how ASU's offense and defense have done inside the 20-yard line.
ASU Pct. Opponents Pct.
Inside 20 41 --- 25 ---
Scored 34 .829 22 .880
TD 24 .585 15 .600
TDs - Pass/Run 13/11 9/6
FG 10 .244 7 .280
Turnover 3 1
TOD 1 0
Missed FG 2 0
Blocked FG 0 1
End of half/game 1 1
Third Downs: Converting third downs is often dependent on how far you have to go. A look inside the numbers on ASU's and its opponents third-down efficiency:
3rd & ... 1-5 yds. 6-10 yds. Above 10 Total
ASU 38/75 (.507) 20/59 (.339) 7/42 (.167) 65/176 (.377)
Opp. 18/46 (.390) 19/70 (.234) 8/47 (.175) 45/163 (.276)
Automatic: Robert Nycz earned second-team All-Pac-10 acclaim and was a Lou Groza Award semifinalist for the second straight year in 1997. The senior placekicker has connected on 98 straight extra points and 124 of 125 in his career. Only a blocked attempt at California in 1995 has prevented him from being perfect. Nycz is also reliable when kicking for three points as he has split the uprights on 16 of 23 attempts this season with five of his seven misses coming beyond 40 yards. He has connected on 38 of 55 (.691) career field goal attempts. He is 26 of 31 from inside 40 yards and 12 of 24 beyond 40 in his career. He was named Pac-10 Special Teams Player of the Week Sept. 15 for his career-high three field goals at Miami.
Nycz Career Stats Yr. FGA FGM Pct. Long XPA XPM Pct. Pts. 1995 16 11 .688 48 32 31 .969 64 1996 16 11 .688 46 60 60 1.000 93 1997 23 16 .696 46 33 33 1.000 81 Career 55 38 .691 48 125 124 .992 238 *Nycz was also 2/2 on PATs and 1/1 on FGs (37 yds.) in the 1997 Rose Bowl Yr. G 20-29 30-39 40-49 50+ Long 1995 11 4/4 3/4 4/6 0/2 48 1996 11 5/5 3/5 3/6 0/0 46 1997 11 4/4 7/9 5/7 0/3 46 Career 33 13/13 13/18 12/19 0/5 48
Williams A Weapon: Senior punter and kickoff man Marcus Williams was a valuable weapon for ASU this season and was awarded by being named to the first-team All-Pac-10 squad. Williams was third in the Pac-10 and 21st in the nation with a 43.6-yard punting average, but more importantly - he is the main reason ASU is eighth in the nation and tops in the conference with a 40.6 net punting average. Williams 43.6 yard average is the best at ASU since 1984 (John Meyer, 43.8) and he set a Sun Devil record with a 53.6 yard average on seven kicks against Washington State. Williams is also the Sun Devil kickoff man and has booted 30 touchbacks on 64 kickoffs as opponents are starting at an average of the 21.6 yard line after ASU kickoffs.
Special Teams: Here's some numbers pertaining to ASU's special teams:
Kickoffs Ret. Avg. Against TB Avg. Opp. Starting Point
ASU 64 32 19.5 30 21.6
Opp. 44 31 20.7 8 30.4
Punts Ret Avg. Against FC Downed *-20 *-10 TB
ASU 69 32 5.4 16 17 15 8 4
Opp. 82 42 9.5 10 22 14 5 8
*fair caught or downed (includes kicked out of bounds) inside 20/10
Turnover Edge: In its last 28 games (dating back to 1995), ASU has a turnover ratio of +29 (71-42). In that span, ASU has accumulated 32 INTs and 39 fumble recoveries while opponents have registered 23 interceptions and 19 recoveries. ASU is 23-5 during the stretch. This year, ASU is +7 in turnover margin and is +8 in its last five games.
Sure Hands: A big reason for ASU's turnover advantage over the last 28 games has been the sure-handed play of its running backs. Sun Devil running backs have lost only six fumbles on a rushing play since the start of the 1995 season, a span of 34 games. That's six fumbles lost in 1,565 rushing attempts. However, five of those lost fumbles have come in ASU's last 10 games.
Capitalizing: ASU has converted 29 opponent turnovers into 83 points while its opponents have used 22 ASU turnovers to score 57 points.
Turnovers Resulting In ...
ASU Opponents
29 Opp. Turnovers 22
83 Points 57
10 TD 7
4 FG 3
8 Punt 4
3 MFG 1
2 Turnover 3
0 TO on Downs 2
2 End of Half/Game 2
The Century Mark: ASU had at least one person rush for 100 or more yards in seven of its 11 games in 1997, winning six of those seven games. ASU is 222-37-5 (.850) all-time when it has someone top the century mark and is 23-5 (.821) since Bruce Snyder's arrival in Tempe.
Double Whammy: ASU had two backs rush for over 100 yards in the same game three times in 1997, the first time since 1973 that ASU has accomplished that feat more than twice. ASU's Michael Martin and J.R. Redmond each ran for over 100 yards against Miami, the first time that had happened to the Hurricanes since 1979. Against Stanford, Martin joined Marlon Farlow in both topping the 100-yard mark. Martin and Redmond paired again against Oregon to each to the century-mark. With those three 100-yard combos, ASU has had two rushers over 100 yards in the same game 35 times in its history, compiling a record of 33-1-1. This is the first year since 1973 that more than one combination of backs has combined for over 100 yards. Woody Green, Ben Malone and Fred Williams--in some combination--paired to rush for over 100 yards each five times. That was also the last year it has happened more than three times.
ASU in the Polls: Here's a look at ASU's path in both major polls in 1997:
Date AP ESPN/USA Today
Preseason -- --
Aug. 31 -- --
Sept. 7 24 --
Sept. 14 14 17
Sept. 21 25 23
Sept. 28 25 22
Oct. 5 -- --
Oct. 12 -- --
Oct. 19 23 22
Oct. 26 20 21
Nov. 2 15 16
Nov. 9 15 15
Nov. 16 12 12
Nov. 23 12 12
Nov. 30 17 19
Dec. 7 16 18
Sizing up the Schedule: ASU's 1997 schedule was ranked the 10th-toughest in the nation in an NCAA preseason survey. In addition to the always tough Pac-10 slate, the Sun Devils played nonconference foes Miami, BYU and New Mexico State. Five of the Sun Devil opponents went to bowls a year ago: Miami (Carquest), BYU (Cotton), Washington (Holiday), Stanford (Sun) and California (Aloha). The Sun Devils face all but BYU on the road. ASU's 11 opponents combined for a 70-60 mark last season while only two won less than five games. Four of ASU's first seven games were on the road this season which is in stark contrast to a year ago when the Sun Devils' first five games were in Tempe. On the flip side, ASU finishes up with three of its final four games at home.
Pac-10 Poll: Arizona State was picked to finish fifth in the Pac-10 in a preseason poll of West Coast media members that regularly cover the league. Washington received 28 of 31 first-place votes to be tabbed as the favorite for 1997. The complete poll:
1. Washington (28) 306 6. Arizona 151
2. Stanford (3) 263 7. Washington St. 142
3. USC 228 8. Oregon 114
4. UCLA 217 9. California 74
5. Arizona St. 175 10. Oregon St. 35
Preseason Pundits: As ASU headed into the 1997 season, the preseason college football annuals rank the Sun Devils anywhere from 12th to 35th in the nation while selecting ASU to finish somewhere between third and sixth in defense of its Pac-10 title. Below is a list of various preseason magazine and internet predictions for ASU:
ASU in Nation ASU in Pac-10
Lindy's 20th 3rd
Preview Sports 18th 6th
Athlon 35th 5th
The Sporting News 33rd 5th
Street & Smith's 17th 3rd
Blitz 26th
College Sports News 12th
Fans Only 25th
Mirror Image: A comparison of Bruce Snyder's five seasons at Cal and his first five seasons at ASU reveals striking similarities. Snyder's record during his five years (1987-91) at California was 29-24-4 (.544) while his record after five years at ASU stood at 32-24 (.571) and is currently 40-27.
At California At Arizona State
Year Record Bowl Year Record Bowl
1987 3-6-2 1992 6-5
1988 5-5-1 1993 6-5
1989 4-7-0 1994 3-8
1990 7-4-1 Copper 1995 6-5
1991 10-2-0 Citrus 1996 11-1 Rose
1997 8-3 Sun
Totals 29-24-4 Totals 40-27
1996 in Review: ASU finished last season ranked fourth in both major polls after going 11-1 and 8-0 in the Pac-10, winning its second Pac-10 title. The Sun Devils completed an undefeated regular season, the fourth in ASU history, before falling to Ohio State in the Rose Bowl. Sun Devil QB Jake Plummer, OT Juan Roque, TB Terry Battle and DE Derrick Rodgers each received All-America recognition as Roque was a consensus pick and Plummer finished third in the Heisman Trophy balloting. Head coach Bruce Snyder was the consensus choice for National Coach of the Year, winning 14 of a possible 16 awards, and earned his second Pac-10 Coach of the Year honor.
#11 Hangs Forever: Danny White's joined his father, Wilford "Whizzer" White, and Bobby Mulgado as the only Sun Devils to have their jersey retired during halftime of the BYU game. Danny played at ASU from 1971-73 and was the Sun Devils starting QB each year, compiling a three-year record of 31-4 leading his team to three straight WAC titles and three Fiesta Bowl wins. A charter member of ASU's Hall of Fame, White played 13 seasons for the Dallas Cowboys and was a member of their Super Bowl XII Championship team. White is currently head coach and general manager of the Arizona Rattlers where he has won two Arena Bowl titles, including the 1997 crown.
Hall of Fame Year: Former Sun Devils Danny White and Mike Haynes each are receiving Hall of Fame recognition in 1997. White, ASU's starting QB from 1971-73, was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame earlier in December, becoming the first Sun Devil player to ever receive that honor. Haynes, a Sun Devil from 1972-75, became the third (John Henry Johnson, Charley Taylor) ASU player inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame during a July ceremony.
ASU Libraries: ASU's Athletic Department forwarded $50,000 to the ASU Library System in a pregame presentation prior to the USC game. Members of the Student Athlete Advisory Board and ASU head coaches made the presentation together to the ASU Library system which has distinguished itself as one of the top 35 academic research libraries in the United States or Canada.
Hall of Fame/Homecoming: ASU inducted five new members into the Sun Devil Hall of Fame prior to its Oregon contest, which was also Homecoming at ASU. Daniell Ammaccapane (golf), Vernon Maxwell (football, Kim Neal (gymnastics), Rick Walker (track and field) and Lisa Zeis (gymnastics) comprise the Class of 1997. With its win against the Ducks, ASU is 52-13-3 all-time in Homecoming games, winning 12 of its last 13.
Draft Success: Arizona State had eight football players selected in the 1997 NFL Draft, tied for the most in the nation with Miami and Nebraska (see chart below). In addition, ASU had six other players sign free agent contracts, giving it 14 players in NFL camps in 1997 from its 1996 squad. To break it down, of ASU's 22 starters on New Year's Day in the Rose Bowl, 11 (6 defensive, 5 offensive) are now in the NFL with the Sun Devils first string punter and two reserves joining them in the professional ranks.
Team Players Drafted
1. ASU 8
Miami
Nebraska
4. Florida State 7
Ohio State
6. Colorado 6
Texas
Virginia
Dodging Draft Blues: Of the eight college programs that lost six or more players to the NFL draft only ASU, Nebraska, Ohio State and Florida State are ranked in the Top 25.
In the NFL: Arizona State has 24 former players currently on NFL rosters including eight players from last year's squad. Terry Battle (Lions), Steve Bush (Bengals), Jake Plummer (Cardinals), Keith Poole (Saints), Derrick Rodgers (Dolphins), Juan Roque (Lions), Derek Smith (Redskins) and Scott Von der Ahe (Colts) all played for Snyder a year ago and are now in the NFL ranks.
Bowl Lineup: The Pac-10 placed six teams in bowl games in 1997, tying the highest mark in conference history. Six Pac-10 teams also made postseason appearances in 1986 and 1992.
Bowl Site Date TV M atchup
Vegas Las Vegas Dec. 20 espn2 Oregon vs. Air Force
Aloha Honolulu Dec. 25 ABC Washington vs. Michigan St.
Insight.com Tucson Dec. 27 ESPN Arizona vs. New Mexico
Sun El Paso Dec. 31 CBS ASU vs. Iowa
Cotton Dallas Jan. 1 CBS UCLA vs. Texas A&M
Rose Pasadena Jan. 1 ABC Washington St. vs. Michigan
Hula Bowl: ASU head coach Bruce Snyder will be one of the two head coaches at this year's Hula Bowl, featuring collegiate football's best seniors. Sun Devils Damien Richardson, Jason Simmons and Robert Nycz are also slated to play in the contest, January 18, 1998.
Missing the Bruins: The Pac-10 schedule includes eight conference games and the conference rotates which team a school misses every two years. ASU will miss UCLA in 1997 and 1998.
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| Linebacker Paul Reynolds is one of 21 ASU seniors playing their last game in El Paso. (File Photo) |
Three Dot Data: RB Michael Martin's 83-yard run against Oregon was the longest of his career and his 158-yard rushing day was the second-biggest of his career ... WR Creig Spann's 67-yard touchdown catch at California was his first career TD grab and the longest reception of his career ... it was also Ryan Kealy's longest toss, TD or otherwise ... J.R. Redmond's 27 rushing attempts at California was a career high ... ASU finished the season 2-1 against teams picked ahead of them in the annual Pac-10 preseason poll (beat Stanford, USC; lost to Washington; don't play UCLA) ... P Marcus Williams' 53.6 yard per punt average against Washington State was a school record for a seven-punt performance ... In going 2 of 12 on third down conversions, Stanford didn't convert on 10 straight third downs ... TB Marlon Farlow set a career high with 129 yards on 13 carries against Stanford ... FB Jeff Paulk's two rushing TDs against Stanford was a career high and all three of his career rushing TDs have come at the Cardinal ... QB Ryan Kealy's career highs came in his last six games: 36 attempts (Stanford & WSU), 23 completions (WSU), 281 yards (USC) and 4 touchdowns (WSU) ... WR Lenzie Jackson set career highs with nine catches against Washington State and 132 yards receiving against USC ... the Sun Devils 28-point win was their largest margin of victory against USC ... nine players have interceptions for ASU this year ... ASU's offensive performance against Washington was one of its worst in recent memory as the 231 total yards was the fewest since the 1992 Arizona game (Nov. 21, 191 yards), the 15 first downs was the fewest since Oct. 28, 1995, at Oregon (14) and the 51 net rushing yards was the fewest since Oct. 22, 1994, vs. Washington State ... FS Mitchell Freedman's 15 tackles at Washington was a career high ... LB Pat Tillman's two interceptions against Oregon State was a career high and the first time since 1991 that ASU has had a player with two picks. Adam Brass and Darren Woodson both had two INTs a piece against Cal in '91 ... TE Kendrick Bates' 38-yard catch vs. Oregon State was a career high ... ASU's 10 points against BYU was its fewest since a 31-0 loss to USC on Sept. 30, 1995 and its fewest at home since a 47-10 loss to Miami on Sept. 10, 1994 ... the 13 points ASU allowed to BYU in the loss was the fewest points allowed by ASU in a loss since a 13-6 defeat against USC in 1990 ... TE Kendrick Bates' team-high five catches against BYU was a career best ... when Michael Martin and J.R. Redmond each ran for over 100 yards against Miami, it was the first time since 1979 that the Hurricanes had allowed two rushers to do that in the same game ... the 23-12 win at Miami was the Hurricanes first loss in a home-opener since 1985 (Florida) ... the Hurricanes offense was held without a touchdown, the first time that has happened in the Orange Bowl since 1984 (Florida State) ... TB Marlon Farlow established a career high with a 63-yard run against Stanford ... TB J.R. Redmond's 176 yards rushing against New Mexico State was a career high ... Michael Martin's 26 carries against Miami is a career high ... Redmond's five catches against Miami was a career high ... WR Kenny Mitchell's 40-yard catch that led to ASU's game-clinching score at Miami was a career high ... PK Robert Nycz's three field goals at Miami tied a career high.
Bits & Bites: LB Pat Tillman enjoys rock climbing and snow/water skiing ... OG Kyle Murphy plans on a career in sports journalism ... Lou Groza Award candidate Robert Nycz's father was a linebacker at Dartmouth .... DL Vince Amey hit a grand slam in high school ... former NBA star Sidney Moncreif is a relative of DT Albrey Battle ... the 6-3, 289-pound Battle can slam dunk a basketball ... WR Ricky Boyer's uncle, Tim Boyer, played football at San Diego State and in the WFL ... TB J.R. Redmond ran a 21.9 200-meter dash without practicing ... SS Damien Richardson was nominated and appointed to the U.S. Air Force Academy before choosing ASU ... with a major in bioengineering, Richardson's summer job required him to determine why accidents with appliances happened ... OT Grey Ruegamer's uncle, Bob Frisbee, played football at the University of Minnesota and for the Minnesota Vikings ... OL Mike Barnes aspires to be an athletic trainer ... Barnes' father played football and ran track at Chico State ... S Phillip Brown's uncle, Donald Smith, played for the Green Bay Packers ... QB Steve Campbell's father was a four-time football letterman at Northern Arizona University ... CB J'Juan Cherry has a family lineage that includes his brother, Jerod, who was a defensive back at California; a cousin, Khalid Shabazz, who currently plays in the backfield at Cal; a cousin, Kwame Ellis, who is a defensive back at Stanford; and an uncle, Deron Cherry, played 11 seasons for the Kansas City Chiefs ... CB Kareem Clark's cousin is former Houston Oiler Earl Campbell ... DL Leroy Hawkins is contemplating a career in the FBI ... ... Center Randy Leaphart's brother, Robert, lettered at Washington and played in the 1982 Rose Bowl ... WR Tariq McDonald's father, a semifinalist at the 1980 and 1984 Olympic trials in the 400m and 200m, was a member of the Phoenix Junior College 4x100 and 4x400 national championship team ... DL Hamilton Mee has a twin brother, Harrison, and twin sisters, Kim and Kelly ... RE Terelle Smith has eight brothers/sisters and has a black belt in karate ... FB Kevin Tommasini is one of seven kids ... Tommasini's father played football at Oregon ... LB Stephen Trejo is one of nine kids.