This weekend, ASU’s (4-5, 2-4 Pac-10) football team will face Stanford (8-1, 5-1 Pac-10) and highly touted quarterback Andrew Luck. ASU will be looking to pull off the big upset that has evaded them this season. The Sun Devils have come up just short against then No. 11 Wisconsin by one point, then No. 5 (now No.1) Oregon by 11 points and just last week USC kept their 10-year winning streak against ASU intact by escaping with a one-point victory.
ASU punter Trevor Hankins was sorely missed as he served a one-game suspension for a DUI arrest in Scottsdale.
Senior kicker Thomas Weber struggled as he attempted to fill in for Hankins as the team’s punter along with continuing his duties as the field goal kicker. In close games, the argument could be made that the kicker plays a role that is just as important as that of the quarterback. USC kicker Joe Houston made a 29-yard field goal with 3:53 remaining in the game to put the Trojans ahead 34-33. ASU responded by marching down the field to give them a shot at converting a 41-yard field goal with 1:34 left in the game. Weber missed.
Sure, it was another disappointing performance from Weber but he did have to make a lot of adjustments very quickly due to Hankins’ suspension. Not only did he have to punt for the first time this season but he had to deal with a new holder as backup quarterback Brock Osweiler took over another one of Hankins’ usual duties.
“We are going to stay with Thomas Weber and hopefully he makes some,” ASU head coach Dennis Erickson said in a press conference Monday. “He’s disappointed and he’s not going to blame anybody. When you change holders it has a little bit of an effect, but he just missed the kick.”
Going forward, the good news is that Hankins will be back in the lineup for Saturday’s game against Stanford. There is no better place for both him and Weber to redeem themselves than at Sun Devil Stadium amongst their teammates and ASU fans.
The last time ASU faced a ranked opponent at home was when they played Oregon. ASU was able to hang tough with the Ducks for most of the game. The Sun Devils have really shown they can step their game up against top teams. They just have to find a way to limit mistakes, especially in the second half, so no more victories slip away from their grasp.
