Nov. 5, 2012

2012 ASU Game Notes - USC 

USC Game Notes 

Game Links
Gametracker	Live Audio	Gameday Central
Depth Chart	Media Guide	2012 Statistics
TV:     Pac-12 Network	Radio:    Sports 620 KTAR AM

TEMPE -- The Arizona State Sun Devils hit the road for the second consecutive week as the team hopes to rebound from three consecutive losses as it takes on No. 21 USC, on Saturday, Nov. 10 at 1 p.m. MT in Los Angeles. ASU is looking to get back on track after a rout in Tempe to No. 2 Oregon three weeks ago followed by a heartbreaking loss on a last second field goal to UCLA and a tough road contest against No. 13/12 Oregon State this past weekend. The Sun Devils are 10-18 all-time against the Trojans, and have lost six consecutive contests in Los Angeles. This week's game will be broadcast live on the Pac-12 Networks. ASU is 566-361-24 (.608) all-time on the gridiron.

ON THE AIR: The MidFirst Bank Sun Devil-IMG Sports Network will carry all 12 of ASU's football games live on their 10-station radio network, including flagship station Sports 620 KTAR AM. Tim Healey (play-by-play) and former Sun Devil quarterback Jeff Van Raaphorst (color analyst) will call the action with Doug Franz reporting from the sidelines. This week's game will be broadcast on KTAR 620 AM. The game will be broadcast on Sirius Channel 94 and XM channel 204. The game will also be available through Sirius' internet radio.

LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION: This week's matchup will be broadcast on the Pac-12 Networks, marking the third time this season the Sun Devils have played on the conference's flagship network. Ted Robinson and Glenn Parker will provide the call from the booth while Ryan Nece will report from the sidelines. This is the third time this season, and the first on the road, that the Sun Devils will appear on the Pac-12 Networks. The first time came in a 63-6 season-opening win over NAU on Aug. 30 and again in a 37-7 win over Utah on Sept. 22.

SUN DEVILS vs. TROJANS: The Trojans lead the all-time series with Arizona State 18-10 (USC's 2005 road victory was later vacated due to NCAA penalty) and has won 11 of the last 12 contests. ASU has not defeated USC in Los Angeles since a 26-15 win in the Coliseum in 1999. ASU snapped a streak of 11 straight losses to USC last year in Tempe with a 43-22 rout over the Trojans in the team's Pac-12 opener. ASU's last home win prior to that over the Trojans was in 1997, a 35-7 Sun Devil victory. ASU has lost the last six matchups in Los Angeles.

NOTABLE NUMBERS: A couple season statistics to keep an eye on for Saturday's matchup: --This will be the third game of the past four that ASU has faced an opponent ranked in the top 25, and it should be noted that UCLA, who wasn't ranked when ASU played them two weeks ago, is now ranked No. 17/No. 19 in the AP and Coaches Polls. --Marion Grice has a knack for finding the end zone, leading the team with 13 touchdowns this year. Grice needs just five more touchdowns to move into fourth on ASU's all-time single-season touchdown list --USC statisically poses the top passing game the Sun Devils have faced this season, averaging 312.7 yards per game and sitting third in the conference. ASU leads the conference in pass defense, though, giving up just 161.6 yards per game. --USC holds the top QB efficiency rating in the conference at 164.1 while ASU has allowed quarterbacks just an average efficiency rating of 105.9, also leading the conference --A week after facing the top receiving duo it had faced all season in OSU's Markus Wheaton and Brandin Cooks, ASU will face what might be an even better pair in USC's Marqis Lee and Robert Woods, who average a combined 16.4 receptions and 215.8 yards per game --ASU tight end Chris Coyle needs just five receptions to move into a tie with Todd Heap for fifth on ASU's all-time single-season tight end receptions list --The ASU school record for pass completion percentage (over 301 attempts) is 61.8 percent. Through nine games, Taylor Kelly has a completion percentage of 65.5 percent (255 passes)

LAST TIME OUT: Oregon State quarterback Cody Vaz threw for 267 yards and three touchdowns in a 36-26 win on Saturday night. Terron Ward rushed for 146 yards and a touchdown for the No. 13 Beavers (7-1, 5-1), taking on extra work when starting running back Storm Woods couldn't play because of a sore left knee. Arizona State (5-4, 3-3) scored on the return after Vaz fumbled on Oregon State's opening drive, but the Beavers pulled away after a 19-all tie at the half to keep the Sun Devils from bowl eligibility. Arizona State answered with Cameron Marshall's 1-yard scoring run for a 14-3 lead. Vaz bounced back with a 50-yard scoring pass to Markus Wheaton, but then Arizona State got a safety on a blocked punt for a 16-10 lead. The Sun Devils added a 31-yard field goal from Jon Mora. Arizona State quarterback Taylor Kelly found Marion Grice with a 2-yard scoring pass with 22 seconds remaining. Kelly finished with 153 yards passing, a touchdown and an interception. He was also the Sun Devils' top rusher with 80 yards.

OTHER NOTES FROM OREGON STATE:
-Running back Cameron Marshall surpassed 2,500 career rushing yards against the Beavers to move into 10th on the school's all-time rushing list with 2,508 yards. He passed Ben Malone (2,474).
-Marshall moved into sole possession of second place on school's all-time rushing touchdown list. He had two rushing touchdowns in 2009, nine in 2010, 18 in 2011 and now has six in 2012.
-This is the second consecutive game that a running back has been the team's leading receiver as Marion Grice finished with six catches for 43 yards (DJ Foster - 6 receptions for 71 yards vs UCLA)
-Oregon State receivers Brandin Cooks and Markus Wheaton both went over the 100-yard receiving mark and are the first players this season to record more than 100 receiving yards against the Sun Devils.
-Safety Kevin Ayers blocked the Beavers' punt out of the endzone for a safety in the first quarter. That was the second blocked punt this season and the first safety of the season. It was the first safety for ASU since Sept. 4, 2010, against Portland State.

GOLD RUSH: This year's Arizona State team is getting back into the rushing mindset that made the team so successful in the 1990's. On the season, ASU is averaging 187.7 yards per game on the ground, which is the third best mark in the past 25 season (since 1988). Only the 234.1 yards per game put up by the 1996 Sun Devils and the 200.0 yards per game in 1997 surpass it.

STRIKE FIRST...STRIKE FAST: ASU has made a habit of scoring first this season, doing so eight times in nine games. ASU is now 5-3 in such contests following a loss to Oregon State. The Sun Devils scored on five consecutive possessions against the Utes (getting on the board first for the third time this season) to start the game and put it away early. Arizona State scored on six of its first seven possessions against NAU and four of its first five against Illinois. ASU has done itself favors early in games this year, outscoring opponents 99-56 in the frame and shutting out NAU, Illinois, Utah, Cal and Colorado on the season in the first quarter. In addition, ASU has made a habit of taking little time to score in the year. The Sun Devils didn't have a scoring drive longer than three minutes in a rout of the Fighting Illini, its longest lasting 2:59. The quick-hitting offense has been the staple of this year's team, with 34 of ASU's 50 scoring drives this season coming in three minutes or less.

FINISH STRONGER: While ASU has gotten out to several fast starts this season, the team has closed even more impressively, allowing just 24 points on the season to anyone in the quarter and giving up its most by allowing 10 to UCLA. ASU has shut out six teams in the fourth quarter this year and has outscored opponents 102-24 in the period.

PUSH `EM BACK: ASU has prided itself on its aggressive defense through four games this year, having forced 82 tackles for a loss of 368 total yards - a 9.11 TFL per game mark that currently ranks second in the nation. To put that in perspective, the entire ASU team only had 76 total tackles for loss during the 2011 season and no student-athlete logged double digits in the category where this year's team already has three that have accomplished the feat (Will Sutton, Carl Bradford and Chris Young). Not only is ASU getting into the backfield, but it has been a team effort as 19 different players have logged a TFL through the year. As a whole, ASU has a combined 111 defensive plays that have gone for a loss or no gain out of 646 offensive plays the opposition has run. That means an impressive 17.2 percent of the plays run by opponents this year have not advanced beyond the line of scrimmage. If you tack on incomplete passes to the mix, then ASU has forced 240 plays that did not result in positive yardage (37.2 percent of opponent's plays from scrimmage).

FOREVER YOUNG: One of the driving forces behind ASU's tackle for loss numbers has been SPUR linebacker Chris Young, who has 13.5 tackles for loss this season. His 1.50 TFL per game ranks 20th in the nation and is currently fifth in the conference. To put that number into perspective, Arizona State had no player with more than eight tackles for loss on the entire season in 2011 (Oliver Aaron finished with 8.0). With 60 total tackles, Young is third on the team and his 6.67 tackles per game is tied for 12th in the conference.

A SUTTON IMPACT: Perhaps no player on ASU's roster has earned as much praise from Todd Graham as junior defensive tackle Will Sutton. Sutton has been a beast on the interior line for ASU, especially against Cal, where he finished the game with four tackles-for-loss, including two sacks, for a total loss of 21 yards. Sutton was honored as the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week and MAACO Bowl Las Vegas Pac-12 Player of the week for the performance and has since been named as a Bednarik Award semifinalist. Sutton added three more TFLs and two extra sacks against Colorado to keep the momentum going. Sutton has posted 15.0 tackles for loss on the season (leads team), 9.5 sacks (leads team) and 42 total tackles (sixth on team). Sutton is currently ranked fourth in the nation at 1.88 TFL per game and sixth in the nation with 1.19 sacks per game.

14 PERCENT OF THE TIME, HE SCORES ALL THE TIME: Marion Grice is proving to be one of the top junior college additions to the conference as he currently leads the team with 13 touchdowns (seven receiving, six rushing) on the season. Grice had a coming out party against Colorado as he posted five receptions for 101 yards and three touchdowns - all career highs. Grice also had three touchdowns (two receptions, one rushing) against UCLA. Grice has also found a knack for getting into the end zone, having posting touchdowns on 13 of his 90 offensive touches this year (14.4 percent). Grice is ranked third in the conference at 8.7 points per game and 18th in the nation (kickers excluded).

THREE-HEADED MONSTER: Aside from the impressive defense and great quarterback play from Taylor Kelly, it has been ASU's stable of running backs that have helped propel the team this year, mainly on the backs of Cameron Marshall, Marion Grice and D.J. Foster. ASU running backs have have accounted for 35.6 percent of all the team's receiving yards this season. Of the 2,431 total receiving yards, running backs have collected 866. Grice, Marshall and Foster have accounted for 26 of the team's 39 total offensive touchdowns. Grice has 13 (six rushing, seven receiving), Marshall with seven (six rushing, one receiving) and Foster with six (two rushing, four receiving). That trio is averaging 4.8 yards per carry on the season. (1,100 yards, 230 attempts). Grice, Marshall and Foster are averaging 218.4 yards of total offense per game as a unit. The team is averaging 457.8 total yards per game.

FOSTER THE PEOPLE: D.J. Foster came to ASU this season as what many considered the "gem" of the Sun Devil recruiting class and he has lived up to the hype thus far. Foster currently leads the team in all-purpose yardage with 856 yards (393 rushing, 463 receiving). Foster also leads the team in yards per carry (5.5) for those with over 30 carries and is second in yards per catch (14.9). His ability to make what the ASU coaching staff calls "explosive plays" (rushes of 12 or more yards, receptions of 16 or more yards) has helped him stand out amongst an offense full of talented players as he leads the team in such plays with 29 total (17 receiving and 12 rushing).

WINNING BY WAY OF TKO (Taylor Kelly OFFENSE): While the running backs have been explosive for ASU this season, quarterback Taylor Kelly has been one of the many bright spots for the ASU offense. The sophomore is third in Pac-12 in passing efficiency at 156.79 and is 19th in the nation in that category. His ability to extend plays has also been exceptional, as demonstrated by his 383 net rushing yards on 97 attempts this year - a mark skewed by the fact that sacks count against his rushing total. If you take out sacks, Kelly would lead the team in yardage with 520 rushing yards this season. Through nine games, he has completed 65.5 percent of his passes out of 258 attempts. The school record for pass completion percentage (over 301 attempts) is 61.8 percent.

NOT PLAYING COY: Chris Coyle's performance against Illinois (10 receptions, 131 yards, two touchdowns) garnered him honors as the College Football Performance Awards Football Bowl Subdivision Tight End Performer of the Week. As of this release, Coyle is second in the nation in tight end receptions per game with 4.78. His 43 receptions lead the Sun Devils, as do his 501 receiving yards on the year. He current ranks sixth in ASU history in single-season tight end receptions and needs 14 more to set the school record (Zach Miller holds the record with 42).

MORE ON COYLE: Chris Coyle had a coming out party against Illinois, snagging 10 catches for 131 yards and two touchdowns. Those numbers put the junior in pretty select company at a school with a pretty decent history at the tight end position. His 10 grabs tie for the 15th most ever by a Sun Devil in history and also put him in a tie with Zach Miller as the most single-game snags by a tight end in school history. In addition, his 131 receiving yards are the second most for a tight end in school history behind only Todd Heap's 170 yards against Arizona in 1999. Here's a look at how Coyle's game stacks up against the greats:

Chris Coyle Career Highs
Receptions: 10 vs. Illinois (9/8/12)
Receiving Yards: 131 vs. Illinois (9/8/12)
Longest Reception: 49 vs. NAU (8/30/12)
Touchdowns: 2 vs. Illinois (9/8/12)
Todd Heap Career Highs
Receptions: 8 at Notre Dame (10/9/99).
Receiving Yards: 170 vs. Arizona (11/27/99).
Longest Reception: 50 vs. California (10/7/00).
Touchdowns: 2 vs. Arizona (11/27/98).
Zach Miller Career Highs
Receptions: 10, twice, last at Washington State (11/5/05)
Receiving Yards: 102, at USC (10/16/04)
Receiving Touchdowns: 2, vs. Iowa (9/18/04)

BETTER SUITED FOR HANDKERCHIEFS: The Sun Devils haven't given the referees much reason to reach for their pockets this season. ASU was penalized just once for five yards against Illinois (on what appeared to be a purposeful delay of game to create some space for a punt). That marked the lowest single-game total since 2006, when ASU was penalized once for five yards against Washington State. On the year, ASU has had just 35 penalties for 264 yards. ASU had just its first penalty on defense called in the Missouri game. ASU leads the Pac-12 and is fifth in the nation with 29.3 penalty yards per game. Here's a look at ASU's lowest single game penalties since 2006, five of which having come this year:

FEWEST SINGLE-GAME PENALTIES SINCE 2006
Pen/Yards -- Opponent (Date)
1-5 -- Vs. Illinois (2012)
1-5 --vs. Washington State (2006)
2-10 -- Vs. Oregon (2012)
1-15 -- Vs. Cal (2012)
3-20 --Vs. UCLA (2006)
3-20 -- Vs. USC (2007)
3-30 -- Vs. OSU (2012)
4-30 -- Vs. NAU (2012)
4-35 -- Vs. UNLV (2008)
4-31 -- Vs. Washington (2010)
4-35 -- Vs. USC (2010)

MARSHALL OF THE TOUCHDOWN: With his rushing touchdown against Oregon State, Cameron Marshall has rushed for 35 touchdowns in his career with Arizona State. He is one of only four Sun Devils all-time to score at least 30 touchdowns on the ground. Marshall holds sole possession of second on ASU's all-time rushing TD list, just behind just Woody Green (43). There was some confusion as to whether Green had 39 or 43 touchdowns in his career. ASU research has shown that Green's four touchdown performance at the 1972 Fiesta Bowl against Missouri had been omitted from his stats. That correction has been made and Green officially is credited with 43 touchdowns.

Most Career Rushing TDs in ASU History
TDs -- Player, Years
43 -- Woody Green, 1971-73
35 -- Cameron Marshall, 2009-Present
34 -- Leon Burton, 1955-58
32 -- J.R. Redmond, 1996-99
28 -- Art Malone, 1967-69
25 -- Ben Malone, 1971-73
23 -- Nolan Jones, 1958-61

RETURN RECORD: Jamal Miles now has 1,728 kickoff return yards in his career. With a 31-yard return to start the game against Illinois and one other kick return, Miles passed Rudy Burgess (2004-07) for the top spot in Sun Devil history. In his prior three seasons in Tempe, Miles had returned 69 kickoffs for 1631 yards and three touchdowns. Miles totaled 788 of those yards last season, the second highest single-season total in ASU history. Miles' total was second only to the 879 yards that Burgess gained in 2007. Miles has 73 career kick returns, giving him an average of 23.4 yards per return. Burgess had 68 returns, with an average of 22.3 yards per return. Miles has three kick return TDs, while Burgess had one.

WELCOME BACK, BRANDON: After sitting out Arizona State's victory against Illinois, senior Brandon Magee made up for lost time against Mizzou, collecting 12 tackles (eight solo) to lead the team while also nabbing his second interception of the season. Magee returned one 45 yards for his first career pick-six against NAU in the opener. Magee also matched his season high with 12 tackles against Oregon State. He currently is third on the team with 5.5 sacks on the season. Against Utah, Magee forced one fumble and recovered another while adding 10 tackles as he is proving to be a force to be reckoned with from his linebacker position. Despite his absence in that one game, Magee currently leads the team with 70 tackles and is third in the conference at 8.75 tackles per game. Magee missed the entire 2011 season with an Achilles injury.

TAYLOR GANG: For the fourth time in as many years, the Sun Devil season opener featured a new quarterback under center. Redshirt sophomore Taylor Kelly made his first career start against NAU and followed Danny Sullivan (2009), Steven Threet (2010) and Brock Osweiler (2011) as the fourth different quarterback to start on opening day since Rudy Carpenter started three straight from 2006-08. Sullivan and Threet were making their first career starts period, while Osweiler had made a start later in the season in 2009 and 2010. Since 1997, ASU quarterbacks making their first career start are 9-5.
According to research done by Jack Duggan at the University of Southern Mississippi, Arizona State is one of just 13 FBS schools that returned no quarterback with a start for the 2012 season. That list included: Akron, Arizona State, Boise State, East Carolina, Hawai'i, LSU, Memphis, Michigan State, Northern Illinois, Oklahoma State, Southern Miss, Stanford and Texas A&M.

ASU QB FIRST CAREER STARTS SINCE 1997

Taylor Kelly 2012/N. Arizona/W, 63-6 15/19, 247 yards, 1TD, 0 INT
Steven Threet 2010/Portland State, W, 54-9 14/21, 339 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT
Brock Osweiler* 2009/Oregon, L, 44-21 5/10, 14 yards, 0 TD, 0 INT
Samson Szakacsy 2009/UCLA, L, 23-13 15/22, 197 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT
Danny Sullivan 2009/Idaho State, W, 50-3 13/25, 165 yards, 0 TD, 0 INT
Rudy Carpenter 2005/Washington, W, 44-20 27/34, 401 yards, 3 TD, 0 INT
Sam Keller 2004/Purdue, W, 27-23 25/45, 370 yards, 3 TD, 0 INT
Chad Christensen 2002/Nebraska, L, 48-10 6/16, 77 yards, 0 TD, 0 INT
Andrew Walter 2001/Arizona, L, 34-21 10/22, 132 yards, 1 TD, 0 INT
Jeff Krohn 2000/San Diego St., W, 10-7 18/42, 160 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
Griffin Goodman 1999/Wake Forest, L, 23-3 10/16, 142 yards, 0 TD, 0 INT
Chad Elliott** 1998/Stanford, W, 44-38 OT 8/17, 92 yards, 0 TD, 1 INT
Steve Campbell 1997/Iowa, W, 17-7 5/11, 109 yards, 1 TD, 0 INT
Ryan Kealy 1997/New Mexico St., W, 41-10 11/19, 107 yards, 1 TD, 0 INT

* -- Osweiler left the game early due to injury
** -- Elliott left the game early and Ryan Kealy led the team to the overtime victory

SENIOR LEADERSHIP: The 2012 Sun Devil roster features 17 seniors, many of which who will play pivotal roles as the season goes on. Senior RB Cameron Marshall, OL Andrew Sampson, LB Brandon Magee and S Keelan Johnson have been named captains for the 2012 season.

SECONDARY A PRIMARY: ASU's secondary has been among its driving forces this season. The unit ranks seventh nationally in passing defense (161.56) and is 13th in passing efficiency defense (105.9) and leads the Pac-12 in both. Not a bad start for a group that finished 11th and ninth, respectively, in those categories in the conference last season. In addition, the squad's 12 interceptions this year (giving some love to the linebackers, who have five of those and have returned two for touchdowns) is tied for 17th in the nation.

JUST KICKING IT: Alex Garoutte bumped his extra point streak to 84 against Oregon State, going 3-for-3 on extra points. He is now 91-for-92 in his career.

PUT ME IN, COACH: Jaxon Hood and D.J. Foster joined John Jefferson (1974), Terrell Suggs (2000), Zach Miller (2004) and Will Sutton (2009) as true freshmen to start season opener at ASU on offense or defense. The NCAA began allowing freshman to compete in 1972, with the 2012 season marking the 40 year anniversary. In total, 25 Sun Devils saw their first Division I action and seven true freshmen played (Evan Goodman, Laiu Moekiola, Carlos Mendoza, Easton Wahlstrom and Richard Smith in addition to Foster and Hood).

EARN YOUR KEEP: ASU has had 10 players score their first career touchdowns this season: Taylor Kelly (pass), D.J. Foster (rush), Brandon Magee (INT return), Marion Grice (rush), Michael Eubank (rush), Richard Smith (reception), Chris Coyle (reception), Darwin Rogers (reception), Anthony Jones (INT return) and Junior Onyeali (fumble return). Brandon Magee put his name on the top of that list with a 45-yard pick-six against NAU - his first defensive touchdown ever. Chris Coyle added his first career TD grab against Illinois, which also served as Eubank's first career touchdown toss. For Kelly, his first passing touchdown was the first of many as he now has 20 on the season and Marion Grice's three-touchdown performance in his career debut against NAU set the pace for the 13 touchdowns he has currently.

PIN `EM DEEP: Redshirt senior punter Josh Hubner was among the best punters in the nation when it came to pinning opponents down the field, finishing the year tied for 17th in the nation with 24 punts inside the 20. He's back at it again in 2012 as he now has 16 punts on the year inside the 20 (out of 38 total punts) and is averaging 47.4 yards per punt, a mark that leads the conference and is third in the nation. Hubner has had monster games against Oregon and UCLA, averaging 52.8 yards per punt on nine attempts with three downed inside the 20. For those performances, he was honored by the College Football Performance Awards Punter of the Week for consecutive weeks. Quarterback Taylor Kelly also showed off his talents in the category, having six pooch kicks this year with a long of 49 that have downed the opponents inside the 20 on five of those.

IF YOU GOT IT, FLAUNT IT: The Sun Devils played seven true freshmen in their season opener against NAU (Evan Goodman, Laiu Moekiola, Carlos Mendoza, Richard Smith, D.J. Foster Jaxon Hood and long snapper Easton Wahlstrom). The school record for true freshmen playing in season is 10, set back in 2008. According to research done by Colorado Dave Plati, the three true freshmen that started at their positions (Foster, Hood and Wahlstrom) ties with Washington for the most in the conference in the first week of action.

EMERSON HARVEY: Arizona State University football will commemorate a milestone this season by honoring Emerson Harvey, the school's first African-American football student-athlete 75 years ago and played a major role in breaking the color barrier throughout the Southwest. The Sun Devils will recognize Harvey, who joined the roster in 1937, with black-and-white circular helmet stickers with Harvey's jersey number (57).

LIGHT `EM UP: With 108 points in its first two games, Arizona State set its highest tally through the first two games of the season in ASU history (now in its 100th season). The prior record was 94 points, under Dirk Koetter in 2005 as his team put up 63 points in a season opening victory against Temple before adding 31 in a tough loss against LSU. At 37.0 points per game, ASU currently ranks 22nd nationally in scoring offense and is second in the conference.

INFO-GRAHAM: So you want to know more about what Todd Graham brings to the program? Here's a couple more stats and tidbits about the ASU head coach to give you an idea. Special thanks Doug Haller (@DougHaller) of the Arizona Republic for all this information :

--Over his past four seasons -- one at Pittsburgh and three at Tulsa -- Graham's teams have rushed the ball on at least 53.4 percent of their total plays. In 2008, Tulsa rushed on 61.4 percent of its total plays. Last year, ASU rushed 44.5 percent of the time.
--Over the past six seasons at Pitt, Tulsa and Rice, only one Graham-coached team has ranked outside the top 50 nationally in sacks. Last year, Pittsburgh averaged 3.31 sacks, which ranked third nationally.
--In six seasons, Graham is 19-17 in true road games. Over the past four, ASU is 5-16.
--In five of the past six years, Graham's teams have ranked 39th or better nationally in fewest penalty yards per game. In 2008, Tulsa averaged just 37 penalty yards, which ranked 11th in the nation. Last season, Pitt averaged 39.5, which ranked 18th.

FIRST IMPRESSION WAS GOOD: ASU's 63 points vs. NAU in the Todd Graham debut is the most by a Sun Devil coach in his opener, topping the 47 scored by Frank Kush's squad in 1958 over Hawaii. Not all openers were great for eventual great coaches though, as ASU's 1996 National Coach of the Year Bruce Snyder scored seven in his first game in a 31-7 loss to second-ranked Washington on Sept. 5, 1992.

Most Points in ASU Coaching Debut
PTS / Coach Year (Result)
63 / Todd Graham vs. NAU 2012 (W)
47 / Frank Kush vs. Hawaii 1958 (W)
45 / Dennis Erickson vs. San Jose St. 2007 (W)

ON THE BRIGHT SIDE: Despite a relatively rough outing otherwise, ASU allowed just 48 passing yards vs. Oregon, its fewest since it allowed 42 vs. Idaho State on Sept. 5, 2009. It marks the fewest allowed in a conference game since Nov. 2, 1996, when ASU's Pac-10 Conference title team allowed just 20 at Oregon State.

FEWEST PASSING YARDS ALLOWED (1996-Present)
20, @ Oregon State (Nov. 2, 1996)
33, @ Nebraska (Aug. 24, 2002)
42, vs. Idaho State (Sept. 5, 2009)
44, vs. Iowa (Sept. 18, 2004)
48, vs. #2 Oregon (Oct. 18, 2012)

TAKE IT BACK: Rashad Ross took the second-half kickoff back 100 yards for a score vs. Colorado on Oct. 11, the second kick return for a touchdown in his short career. He also took one 98 yards vs. Boise State in the 2011 Las Vegas Bowl. ASU has had seven kickoff returns for a touchdown in the past 29 games, a span that started with Omar Bolden's 97-yard jaunt at No. 11 Wisconsin on Sept. 18, 2010. Ross is just the fifth player in school history to record a 100-yard kickoff return.

ASU KICKOFF RETURNS FOR TOUCHDOWNS (Since 2010)
Oct. 11, 2012 - Rashad Ross, 100 yards at Colorado
Dec. 22, 2011 - Rashad Ross, 93 yards vs. Boise State (Vegas Bowl)
Nov. 12, 2011 - Jamal Miles, 95 yards at Washington State
Sept. 1, 2011 - Jamal Miles, 98 yards vs. UC Davis
Nov. 26, 2010 - Jamal Miles, 99 yards vs. UCLA
Nov. 6, 2010 - LeQuan Lewis, 100 yards at USC
Sept. 18, 2010 - Omar Bolden, 97 yards at #11 Wisconsin

ASU 100-YARD KICK RETURNS (HISTORY)
Rashad Ross, 2012, Colorado
LeQuan Lewis, 2010, USC
Terry Richardson, 2006, Oregon
Tom Pace, 2001, UCLA
Wilford White, 1948, Pepperdine

PUTTING ON A SHOW: ASU racked up a season-high 593 total yards of offense against Colorado, including 261 rushing yards and 332 passing yards. ASU's 593 yards is the most in a conference road game since it had 651 yards at Arizona on Nov. 23, 1996 in a 56-14 win that clinched an 11-0 regular season.

MOST TOTAL YARDS IN A PAC-10/12 GAME (1996-Present)
Yards -- Opponent
667 -- #7 Oregon (Oct. 28, 2000)
651 -- @ Arizona (Nov. 23, 1996)
623 -- Oregon (Nov. 15, 1997)
597 -- #5 Oregon (Sept. 25, 2010)
595 -- UCLA (Nov. 26, 2010)
593 -- @ Colorado (Oct. 11, 2012)
591 -- Oregon (Sept. 28, 1996)

MORE ON PENALTIES: Todd Graham has had a knack for having some of the most disciplined teams in the nation when it comes to penalty yards. In each of his seven seasons as a head coach, Graham's teams have ranked as some of the least penalized teams in the country in both yards and penalties per game. In 2012, the Sun Devils currently rank seventh in fewest penalties (3.9) and fifth in fewest penality yards per game (29.3).

PENALTY YARDS UNDER Todd Graham (National Rank)

Year, School / Pen. YPG / Pen. PG
2006, Rice / 34th / 59th
2007, Tulsa / 73rd / 50th
2008, Tulsa / 11th / 11th
2009, Tulsa / 39th / 10th
2010, Tulsa / 22nd / 6th
2011, Pitt / 73rd / 91st
2012, Arizona State / 5th / 8th