The Arizona State Sun Devils, clearly bothered by being left out of the BCS, came out flat as Texas looks to be back on the national scene. Texas, who lost to in state rival Texas A&M for the 2nd straight year, looked really motivated. QB Colt McCoy was tremendous on the ground(despite 4 fumbles) and in the air. Texas went out real early 21-0 and Arizona State was never able to catch up. In one of the most bizarre plays ever, a fumble down the Texas sideline was touched by Mack Brown's step-son. The ball was then awarded to the Sun Devils inside the 10, immediately scoring on a 7 yard pass from Rudy Carpenter. However, ASU's momentum was short lived as Texas converted a fake punt and evevtually scored on an 8 yard run by McCoy going into halftime. Texas, led by a spectacular Jamal Charles, rushed for 300 yards, and finished with 474 total yards. Arizona State, added some late scores and finished with 34 points and 327 total yards.

Texas PP's:

Scott Derry, LB, Texas- Finished with only 1 tackle. Pretty uneventful game for him, was slow getting to the play. Lacks the speed and explosiveness to be a really effective playmaker: C-

Marcus Griffin, S, Texas- Had 2 tackles and a fantastic and very athletic interception. He had a HUGE hit on a Sun Devil receiver that made him drop the ball. He is a huge hitter, but needs to work on his coverage. He is slow to react to out routes, and lacks the blazing speed to keep up with streak and post patterns. All in all he is still a very good looking safety prospect: B

Tony Hills, OT, Texas- did not play

Robert Killebrew, LB, Texas- Did not start for some reason but played and finished with 2.5 tackles. Solid linebacker who is very fast sideline to sideline: B

Derek Lokey, DT, Texas- Was impressive at DT, but I think he might be better suited for WR in the NFL. All kidding aside, he had the 2 yard touchdown reception in the 2nd quarter, but also finished with 3.5 tackles including one TFL. Not the best pass rushing DT, but is really big and hard to move off the line. Really good and plugging the gap and opening up tackling lanes for the LB's: B+

Frank Okam, DT, Texas- Finished with only 2 tackles, .5 TFL, but really looked good. Has some nice pass rushing moves and can't easily be moved. Aso, the broadcaster kept boasting about Okam and Lokey's character off the field. Both will be drafted, I think Okam definitely on the first day: B

Limas Sweed, WR, Texas- did not play

Others:

Sophmore QB Colt McCoy looked good, finishing 21-31 with 174 yards and 1 touchdown. Also had 84 yards rushing with 1 touchdown, had 4 fumbles but only 1 lost. Jamal Charles looked the fastest that I have ever seen him. Ran with power and quickness almost impossible to stop. He had 173 yards and 2 touchdowns on 27 carries.

Arizona St. PP's:

Rudy Burgess, WR, Arizona St.- Had one reception for 12 yards. Carpenter really never looked to pass to anyone except McGaha and Jones: C-

Michael Marquardt, DT, Arizona St.- Had 5.5 tackles(2nd on the team) and 1 fumble recovery. Was moved around pretty good by the Texas oline, he did all he could but the Texas run game dominated the Sun Devil defense. Marquardt does look to be drafted, as every team needs dline depth, but I don't think he will be drafted until the 5th or 6th round: B-

Mike Pollak, C, Arizona St.- Very strong, holds his blocks nicely. Really lacks quickness and the footwork to be a top center prospect come april. Could possibly be better suited as a guard: C+

Brandon Rodd, OT, Arizona St.- Actually played pretty solid. Protected Carpenter well enough but Carpenter seemed to hold onto the ball for too long at times. Played very smart, using his body and angles rather than lunging for defenders with his arms: B+

Ryan Torain, RB, Arizona St.- did not play

Justin Tryon, CB, Arizona St.- Finished with 5.5 tackles with 1 TFL and 1 passed defensed. A very sollid tackler, like a Champ Bailey in that regard, one on one tackling. Good in coverage, but leaves his receiver sometimes to try and make a bigger play. A middle round pick: B

Texas finishes 11-3 and looks to be really highly ranked going into to next season with most of their team still in tact. Arizona St. comes back onto the national scene under first year head coach and Pac-10 coach of the year Dennis Erickson. They will probably be ranked next year but could be on the bubble.

Hey Sam... do you think Rodd can play the tackle position in the pros, or is he destined to move inside?

If Burgess is switched back to TB as a 3rd down, change of pace back, I think that's his best shot at the next level, I think he is one of the top 5 sleepers at the position with Cory Boyd, Keon Lattimore, Louis Ranklin, and Chad Simpson. Do you agree he could or should come out of the backfield in the NFL?

Rodd should certainly get his chance at tackle int he NFL. He has NFL quickness, but his footwork is a little messed up sometimes. I'm not saying he will be a dominant left tackle by any means, but he should definitely be given the oppurtunity.

Thats an interesting thought on Burgess. I think he could be utilized as a change of pace back. He definitely is a all purpose type of player and has the athleticism to be so. However, I think he is destined to be a special teams player, with an occasional look on offense.