Week One Preview: Volume One

Northern Arizona vs. Arizona State

Last week was a doozy (doosie? doozie? is there a weirder word in the english language?) for quarterbacks in the Pac-10. Pete Carroll finally announced that Booty has beaten out Sanchez for the starting job, and Dirk Koetter lets Sam Keller, the guy he named the starter, transfer. Ok, so maybe Koetter has no idea how to understand and control a program and its players, but if they really were rallying behind Rudy Carpenter instead of Keller, you can’t totally blame Koetter for the disaster that was naming Carpenter the starter. Besides, Carpenter led the NCAA in QB rating last year after Keller got hurt, so it’s not like ASU is searching for answers at quarterback. They are still going to air it out, though with no more Derek Hagan, look for TE Zach Miller to have a monster year and Rudy Burgess to really bring something to the table. Keegan Herring has another year of experience under his belt and should be near the Pac-10 rushing leaders thanks to a veteran offensive line. They should have plenty of firepower for Northern Arizona on Thursday.

The Lumberjacks come into Tempe with 17 returning starters. These questions come straight from NAU’s own 2006 football outlook:

“Can NAU benefit from two I-A games to start the season? Will the offensive line be able to sustain a running attack and protect the quarterback? Who will handle the snaps throughout season? Will an impact player emerge from the running back group? Can the defense develop into a national-caliber unit? Will the Lumberjacks become a solid road team?”

Sounds like a recipe for disaster versus a top 25 team. NAU does have a veteran offensive line, but they weren't a very good rushing team last year. With an inexperienced group of running backs behind quarterback Jason Murrietta, things won't be much different against the Sun Devils. The defense returns most of their starters, but they gave up 30 points a game last year and finished last in the Big Sky. Considering that they lost to a very underwhelming Arizona team by 19 points last year, things don’t look so good for the Lumberjacks in their season opener. ASU has to be licking their chops over this one. Oh, and thay have not lost to Northern Arizona since 1938, which I doubt is going to change this year. Look for Carpenter to air it out early and often and ASU should win this one in a landslide.

Brian's Pick: ASU
Mike's Pick: ASU

Oregon State vs. Eastern Washington

Meanwhile, Oregon State starts its season with a visit from traditional powerhouse Eastern Washington. The Beavers begin this year without former walk-on and Biletnikoff Award winner Mike Hass, the most underrated receiver in the NFL Draft last April. (Sidenote: I was shocked, shocked I tell you, that he won the award last year. Not that he didn’t deserve it, but did everyone who voted forget that Samardzija played for Notre Dame? Yes, the win one for the Gipper, Rudy, Four Horsemen, Touchdown Jesus, Joe Montana Notre Dame. I’m still surprised that more people didn't vote for him, but hopefully we’ll see more attention showered on non-USC Pac-10 players this year, with the most likely target being Cal’s Marshawn Lynch.) Anyways, Yvenson Bernard exploded on the Pac-10 last year and should be free to run all over EWU’s defense on Thursday thanks to a very experienced offensive line, but the ground game won’t be OSU’s problem this year. Without Hass as a safety valve on every play, Matt Moore better hit his other options like Joe Newton if the Beavers think they can stand with USC and Cal at the top of the conference. There is no better appetizer than facing a 1-AA team that graduated its starting corners and doesn’t have much in the way of a pass rush, since its leading returning sack artist, Keith Grennan, only brought down three quarterbacks last year.

EWU’s 12 returning starters have head coach Paul Wulf “excited about the possibilities.” Save it for conference play, Coach. EWU doesn’t have the Big Sky Offensive MVP and Walter Payton Award winner Erik Meyer at QB anymore, nor do they have Big Sky Defensive MVP Joey Cwik at ILB. On top of that, they lost their four top wide receivers from last year. So to you Eastern Washington, I say, ummm, good luck? Chalk this one up to the Beavers, especially since they get to play at Reser Stadium. And if it gets close for some unforeseen reason, OSU placekicker Alexis Serna is way better than EWU’s Sheldon Weddle. In a related story, my dad could beat up your dad.

Brian's Pick: OSU
Mike's Pick: OSU