Morning Juice 9/1/08  Paola Boivin  Arizona Republic

Carpenter sharp, smart, more refined in Devils' opener

Ionic flashes dominated the skies around Sun Devil Stadium Saturday night, but no such flickering occurred inside the head of quarterback Rudy Carpenter. The light went on and stayed that way in Arizona State's 30-13 victory over Northern Arizona. The senior's off-season tweaking paid dividends, and fans left with the distinct impression that the game has clearly slowed down for Carpenter.

It's too early to measure the progress of the Sun Devils, but a quarterback at the top of his game will only help a team just three weeks away from a season-defining meeting against Georgia. "The thing Rudy's doing is moving around, getting rid of the ball quicker," ASU coach Dennis Erickson said afterward.

One NFL scout noted during the game that Carpenter's throwing motion has improved. His arm was positioned higher for many of his passes, and he was sacked just once - a credit not only to the young offensive line but also to Carpenter's decision making. He threw the ball away when he had to and got it off faster.

He handed over the reins to backup Danny Sullivan in the third quarter, but not before completing 22 of 28 passes for 388 yards and a touchdown. During one stretch, he completed 13 consecutive passes to tie a 56-year-old school record. His improvement says something about the relationship Carpenter has forged with this coaching staff. It takes trust to make that kind of a switch. Some guys never abandon their side-arm delivery. (See: Colt Brennan, Tony Romo, Vince Young.)

More important, though, is that Carpenter is finally understanding he doesn't need to be a hero on every play, even if it means throwing the ball away and being tagged with an incompletion.

Not that this game offered a ton of those moments Saturday. Credit Carpenter's teammates with big assists. The athleticism of ASU's inexperienced offensive line was evident. NAU's defense is known to come at a team from some surprising angles. The Sun Devils wide receivers served up big plays, too. Mike Jones may have played baseball in the off-season, but he looked like someone who didn't forget his football roots with six catches for 162 yards. At 6 feet 4, he is a nasty matchup for a cornerback.

Carpenter, meanwhile, didn't undergo a complete off-season overhaul. He's still feisty, still prone to jaw with an opponent on occasion, and one NFL scout winced when Carpenter opted against sliding at the end of a scramble, going headfirst into a defender instead.

Plenty is at stake for Carpenter this season. The 2009 NFL draft class is perceived to be weak in the quarterback department, and early mock drafts have Carpenter landing anywhere from the second round to the seventh.

It's important to remember that NAU is a decent Division I-AA, er, Football Championship Subdivision team, but it is still a Football Championship Subdivision team. Enthusiasm about this victory must be tempered. Before the Sun Devils dominated the Lumberjacks, USC was beating up on Virginia.

It would be wrong, though, to ignore the message. ASU took the field with a purpose, and that wasn't always the case last season, when the Sun Devils led only three games after the first quarter. Saturday, they jumped out to a 10-0 lead in the first quarter and allowed NAU only 49 yards of offense.

By the end of the game, they had 481 yards of total offense to the Lumberjacks' 308. It shouldn't be overlooked that Erickson's teams often thrive in his second year. If Carpenter continues to play as he did Saturday, that trend will continue.