Dec. 28, 2007
Recap | Box Score | AP Photo Gallery
Pay Dirt: Early in the second quarter, WR Chris McGaha hauled in his fourth catch of the game, a seven-yard touchdown strike from QB Rudy Carpenter, to bring his season total, at the time, to 56 gabs, tying him for 10th on the single season list with TE Zach Miller (2004). The scoring catch was McGaha's first on the year and his first since the 2006 Arizona game in Tucson. McGaha closed the day with nine receptions for 79 yards and one touchdown, bringing his season total to 61, the eighth-most in single-season history at ASU. His reception total equals his career high set earlier in the season at UCLA.
Slinging Sullivan: QB Danny Sullivan replaced QB Rudy Carpenter early in the fourth quarter of play and immediately led a scoring drive of six plays for 78 yards that ended with a 10-yard touchdown strike to WR Michael Jones. On the drive, Sullivan, who picked up his second scoring toss of the season, went 5-of-5 passing for 79 yards. For the game, Sullivan finished with 118 yards on 7-of-14 passing with one touchdown and one interception.
The Toe: PK Thomas Weber, the 2007 Lou Groza Award winner, connected on a pair of field goals in the game to complete a stellar freshman season. His first conversion came in the second quarter on a 32-yard attempt, giving him 23 for the season and tying the previous NCAA freshman record set in 1987 by South Carolina's Collin Mackie. Weber added a 47-yarder in the third quarter to move to 7-of-7 on tries over 40 yards for the year as well as into a tie for second on the single season list with Luis Zendejas (1982) with 24 FGs. UCLA's Kai Forbath, also a redshirt freshman, connected on 25 this year to set the mark.
Picking Up Points: With his two field goals and four extra points, PK Thomas Weber brought his season scoring total to 118 points, tying him for the most in program history with Mike Barth, who also scored 118 in 2002 (49 PAT and 23 FG). In overall scoring, Weber's 118 points ranks tied for third-best in a single season.
Turnovers Forced: For the 11th game this season and the 12th time in the last 13 contests, the Sun Devil defense forced a turnover, this time with DE Michael Marquardt scooping up a Colt McCoy fumble that was forced by LB Mike Nixon. It was the second game in a row that Marquardt recovered a fumble, giving ASU nine fumble recoveries on the season.
Slow Start: ASU opened the game being shut out for the seventh time this season while the 21 points allowed is the most by the Sun Devils all season, surpassing the 19 points allowed to Oregon State (ASU won, 44-32). ASU is now 6-1 in those games following the loss. The Sun Devils entered halftime trailing Texas by 18 points, their largest deficit of the year, surpassing the 10-point deficit (27-17) to USC. Arizona State is 5-3 on the year when trailing at the half.
Carpenter Marks: QB Rudy Carpenter completed the game with 187 yards on 18-for-36 passing with two touchdowns and two interceptions. In his career, Carpenter now ranks second all-time in completions with 246. His second touchdown pass gave him 65 for his career and tied him with Jake Plummer (1993-96) for the second-most in school history while his 25th scoring strike of the season is the second-most in a single campaign. Carpenter now has 3,202 season yards passing, the second-most in a single season behind Andrew Walter's 3,877 yards in 2002.
Degrees of Success: The Sun Devils entered the game with 19 student-athletes on the roster that earned their degrees from Arizona State, including 11 that attained their degrees earlier this month.
Been Here Before: Head Coach Dennis Erickson, like the Sun Devil program, was not making his first appearance inside Qualcomm Stadium (formerly Jack Murphy Stadium and San Diego Stadium). As a coach, Erickson holds a 3-4 overall record. Erickson's Wyoming Cowboys lost in his first visit (1986) against San Diego State before his Miami Hurricane team of 1992 defeated the Aztecs. In the NFL, Erickson guided the Seattle Seahawks to a 2-2 record over the San Diego Chargers, including wins in his final two games (1997 and 1998). The San Francisco 49ers did not play at San Diego in Erickson's two years with the professional franchise. Erickson also was 0-1 as a player as his Montana State team fell, 14-3, in 1967 in SDSU's first season playing at the then San Diego Stadium.
Hash Marks: Earlier in the week, WR Chris McGaha became engaged to his girlfriend, popping the question on Christmas Day... with the loss, the Sun Devils slip to 12-10-1 all-time in bowl games and Dennis Erickson slipped to 5-6 all-time as a head coach in bowl games...with the loss, the Sun Devils slipped to 3-3 at Qualcomm Stadium (formerly Jack Murphy Stadium) and 0-3 in the Pacific Life Holiday Bowl. The Sun Devils are 3-0 all-time against San Diego State (inside Qualcomm), 0-1 vs. Texas, 0-1 vs. Kansas State and 0-1 vs. Arkansas.