SUN DEVILS SEEK THIRD STRAIGHT BOWL WIN AS SHERATON HAWAI’I BOWL THEY TAKE ON HAWAI’I IN HAWAI’I BOWL Arizona State will make their 23rd all-time Bowl appearance Arizona State Sun Devils and third consecutive when they face the Hawai’i Warriors in the 2006 Sheraton Hawai’i Bowl in Honolulu on Dec. 24th (3 p.m. (7-5, 4-5 Pac-10) HT). vs. ASU (7-5, 4-5 Pac-10) is coming off a 28-14 victory over the Arizona Wildcats on Nov. 25, while Hawai’i (10-3, 7-1 WAC) Hawai’i Warriors dropped their regular season fi nale 35-32 to Oregon State on (10-3, 7-1 WAC) Dec. 2. 2006 Schedule (7-5, 4-5 Pac-10) GAME INFORMATION Date: Sunday, December 24, 2006 Date Opponent Time (TV)/Score Kickoff: 6 p.m. MT Aug. 31 Northern Arizona W, 35-14 Site: Aloha Stadium (50,000), Honolulu, Hawai’i Sept. 9 Nevada W, 52-21 Television: ESPN Sept. 16 at Colorado W, 21-3 Sept. 23 at #21 California* L, 21-49 Play-by-Play/Color: Mark Jones/David Norrie Sept. 30 #14 Oregon* L, 13-48 Sideline Reporter: Heather Cox Oct. 14 at #3 USC* L, 21-28 Sun Devil Radio: KTAR 620 AM & KMVP/ESPN Radio 860 Oct 21 Stanford* W, 38-3 Play-by-Play: Tim Healey Oct. 28 at Washington* W, 26-23 (OT) Color: Former ASU QB and 1987 Rose Bowl MVP Jeff Van Raaphorst Nov. 4 at Oregon State* L, 10-44 Nov. 11 Washington State* W, 47-14 Nov 18 UCLA* L, 12-24 THE SHERATON HAWAI’I BOWL Nov. 25 at Arizona* W, 28-14 (FSN) • 2006 marks the fi fth edition of the Sheraton Hawai’i Bowl. ASU Dec. 24 vs. Hawai’i^ 3 p.m. HT (ESPN) will make its fi rst appearance in the Sheraton Hawai’i Bowl and third all-time postseason appearance in Hawai’i. The Sun Devils Home Games in Bold played in the Aloha Bowl in both 1999 and 2000. Hawai’i will be * - Pac-10 Game making their fourth overall appearance in the Sheraton Hawai’i ^ - Sheraton Hawai’i Bowl Bowl. The Warriors played in the fi rst three, going 2-1. Nevada All times listed are local to site (The state of Arizona is on defeated UCF 49-48 in overtime in last season’s game. Pacific Time through October 28 and Mountain Time after October 28). Ranking listed is AP WHAT TO LOOK FOR • ASU is one of only seven teams with two bowl wins in the past two years. • ASU’s defense is allowing an average of only 7.9 points in the second half of games this season, including an aggregate total of only 26 points in the third quarter. • The Sun Devil defense has returned three interceptions for touch- downs this season. • Currently with 31 sacks, the Sun Devil defense has already sur- passed its sack total from last season (22). • Junior TB Ryan Torain currently ranks No. 3 in the Pac-10 in rushing, averaging 89.1 yards per game. Torain has scored nine touchdowns for the Sun Devils in 2006 (six rushing and three receiving). • Sophomore TB Keegan Herring has had ASU’s two longest runs of the season (both touchdowns): 65 yards at Washington (Oct. 28) and 40 yards at Oregon State (Nov. 4). • Senior PK Jesse Ainsworth (307 career points) is only the third Sun Devil to ever score 300 or more points in a career. He joined fellow kicker Luis Zendejas and Wilford “Whizzer” White in the 300-point club. 2006 Sun Devil Football (Page 2) Sheraton Hawai’i Bowl • December 24, 2006 Arizona State Head Coach Dirk Koetter • Currently in his sixth season at Arizona State (40-33 at ASU, 66-43 career). • Became Arizona State’s 21st head coach on Dec. 2, 2000. • Led ASU to bowl games four times in his six seasons, including bowl wins the last two seasons (Sun in 2004 and Insight in 2005). • Acting as his own offensive coordinator since he took over the Sun Devil program, ASU has averaged 31.5 points per game over the last five years, while it has been ranked in the Top 20 in the nation in passing of- fense in each of the last four seasons (third in 2005, fifth in 2004, 20th in 2003 and ninth in 2002). • In 2004, ASU turned in a 9-3 record and was ranked 19th and 20th in the final national polls. ASU capped the 2004 season with a last-minute, come-from-behind victory over Purdue in the Sun Bowl. • In his five-plus seasons at ASU, Koetter has directed ASU’s all-time leading passer in Andrew Walter (Oak- land Raiders); its top career receiver in Derek Hagan (Miami Dolphins); and a unanimous All-American in Terrell Suggs (Baltimore Ravens), who in 2002 established the NCAA single-season record with 24 sacks. Additionally, Suggs (2002) and Dale Robinson (2005) earned Pac-10 Conference Pat Tillman Defensive Player of the Year honors under Koetter’s guidance. • Five Sun Devil teams during Koetter’s Sun Devil career have showcased a 1,000-yard receiver. Prior to Koetter’s arrival, only KOETTER YEAR-BY-YEAR Year School Record Conf. Bowl four times in ASU history had a receiver had surpassed the 1998 Boise State 6-5 2-3 (4th) – 1,000-yard mark in a single season. 1999 Boise State 10-3 5-1 (1st) Humanitarian (W) • Koetter came to ASU after three seasons at Boise State where 2000 Boise State 10-2 5-0 (1st) Humanitarian (W) he was twice named Big West Coach of the Year after leading 2001 Arizona State 4-7 1-7 (9th) – the Broncos to a 26-10 record, two appearances in the Humani- 2002 Arizona State 8-6 5-3 (3rd) Holiday (L) tarian Bowl and two Big West Championships. 2003 Arizona State 5-7 2-6 (T8th) – • His 2000 Boise State team led the nation in scoring offense, 2004 Arizona State 9-3 5-3 (T3rd) Sun (W) was second in total offense and ranked fourth in the country in 2005 Arizona State 7-5 4-4 (4th) Insight (W) 2006 Arizona State 7-5 4-5 (6th) Hawai’i passing offense. Totals 8+ Seasons 66-43 33-32 4-1 in Bowls • Guided BSU to its first winning season in Division I football. (.606) (.508) (.800) • Last name is pronounced “Cutter”. • Born Feb. 5, 1959 in Pocatello, Idaho. LAST GAME (Arizona State 28, Arizona 14; Sat., Nov. 25, 2006; Tucson, Ariz.) Arizona State jumped out to a 21-0 fi rst quarter lead on the road against their in-state rival and never looked back on its way to a 28-14 victory over the Arizona Wildcats. The second straight win over Arizona keeps the Territorial Championship Cup in Tempe. Sophomore QB Rudy Carpenter tossed three touchdown passes and junior TB Ryan Torain rushed for 139 yards while the Sun Devil defense held the Wildcats to 168 yards of total offense in the win. Carpenter drove the Devils down the fi eld on their opening drive, capping it off with a 26-yard scoring strike to redshirt fresh- man WR Chris McGaha for a 7-0 lead. Carpenter connected on another big play later in the fi rst, fi nding senior WR Jamaal Lewis from 38-yards away for a 14-0 lead. Arizona State would score once more just before the end of the quarter, jumping ahead 21-0 after Carpenter found junior TE Zach Miller for the seven-yard scoring strike. Arizona would answer in the second quarter, scoring twice to cut the lead to 21-14 at the half. As it has all year, the Sun Devil defense shut down the Wildcat offense in the second half, holding Arizona to only 69 second half yards while not allowing them to score a point. The Arizona State offense would add another touchdown in the third when freshman TB Dimitri Nance found the end zone on a one-yard run to put ASU up 28-14. That would be all Arizona State would need, as they picked up the 28-14 win over Arizona and the Territorial Cup. ASU-ARIZONA POST-GAME NOTES • The Sun Devils improved to 35-44-1 all-time against the Wildcats and 17-28 in contests played in Tucson. Their second straight win against their rivals marked the fi rst time either team has won back-to-back since the Devils did it in 1999 and 2000. • Comparing quarterback Rudy Carpenter’s sophomore numbers against ASU’s four most prolifi c passers who played in their second season (Danny White, Jake Plummer, Jeff Van Raaphorst and Ryan Kealy), Carpenter leads the pack in passing attempts (306), completions (171), yards (2,332) and touchdowns (21). • Carpenter’s touchdown pass with 2:34 remaining in the fi rst quarter made him just the tenth passer in Sun Devil history to throw for 20 touchdowns in a season and marked the fi fth consecutive season that a Sun Devil quarterback has accomplished this feat. • Carpenter’s three touchdown passes in the game marked the second-most for Carpenter this year, as he notched fi ve against Nevada and three against WSU. • Jamaal Lewis’ 38-yard touchdown reception in the fi rst quarter was his longest catch of the season and his second score of the year. • Zach Miller’s touchdown reception in the fi rst quarter was his fourth of the season, giving him sole possession of the team lead in that category.