Salute to Three Sun Devil Seniors on Defense
As they prepare to run out of the Tillman Tunnel at Sun Devil Stadium for the final time on Friday, we take a look back at three seniors who turned Arizona State’s defense into a force despite only brief appearances in the program.
Three Seniors on Offense
Be sure to check out our look at three seniors who made an impact on the offense. And remember to vote for your favorite senior on the right side of the page!
We all remember how the word “defense” was used in the Dirk Koetter era—as a punch line by opposing fans.
That changed last year with the arrival of Dennis Erickson and a trio of junior college transfers – safety Troy Nolan, end Luis Vasquez and linebacker Morris Wooten – who immediately transformed the Sun Devil defense from a laughingstock into a force.
Quoth Erickson: “They’ve had a tremendous impact on what has happened in last two years on defense; there’s no question about it. You get junior college players and they help the program get better, and obviously we were very fortunate in getting those guys.”
- Troy Nolan. A Koetter recruit who missed his first season due to injury, Nolan has started the last 23 games for the Sun Devils and emerged as a team captain this year. He’s forced 10 turnovers in his career and returned four of them for touchdowns—not bad for a defender.
- Morris Wooten. A physical presence out of Phoenix Maryvale, Wooten has collected over five tackles per game over the last two seasons. As a senior, he returned from a suspension dating to last season just in time to fill in for the departed Gerald Munns and the defense didn’t miss a beat.
- Luis Vasquez. Combining with Dexter Davis to man the Sun Devil end positions over the last consecutive 23 games, Vasquez has created his share of havoc in opposing backfields. He’s recorded 19 tackles for loss and 7.5 sacks.
In six seasons under Koetter, the ASU defense allowed about 387 yards and 28 points per game. In two seasons under Erickson, the defense has allowed roughly 339 yards and 23 points per contest.
The improvement has kept the Sun Devils competitive in games this year despite serious offensive shortcomings and helped turn ASU into a 10-win Holiday Bowl team in 2008.
For these reasons, we salute you Troy Nolan, Luis Vasquez, Morris Wooten and the rest of the seniors on the Sun Devil defense.
***
Sun Devils Seniors on Defense
- S Rodney Cox
- S Angelo Fobbs-Valentino
- S Troy Nolan
- LB Anthony Reyes
- DL David Smith
- DL Paul Unga
- DE Luis Vasquez
- LB Morris Wooten
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Can’t wait to see how many votes Rudy C gets. He’s put up big numbers but he’s pissed off a lot of fans.
If people boo Rudy on Friday, I am going to be pissed. Yes, he has had some questionable plays, but overall, he has done good things for this program. His freshman year, where would we have been without him, a losing record team and instead he lead the nation in passing efficency and lead to a bowl victory. Junior year, where would we have been if he didnt lead those comebacks, a team that wouldnt of been in contention for a bcs championship game. I will cheer for all of the seniors especially Rudy, Keegan, and Nolan on Friday from the student section, front row section 33 like always
[...] Seniors on Defense Be sure to check out this morning’s look at three seniors who made an impact on the defense. And remember to vote for your favorite senior on the right side of the [...]
I don’t normally write in to these posts.
But, seriously Keegan Herring over Rudy Carpenter. I know ASU fans have a lot/hate thing going with Rudy. But this alone should sum it up for you. 3-0 versus the Wildcats, and could be the 1st QB to go 4-0. That includes Danny White.
@Shawn, I’m going to have to agree with you. I didn’t personally vote for Rudy, but I’m surprised by the results of the poll so far. I’m looking forward to some good Rudy discussions next week if we beat UCLA!
[...] saluted three seniors on defense and three on [...]
[...] saluted three seniors on defense and three on [...]