American college football season
1996 Arizona State Sun Devils football Conference Pacific-10 Conference Coaches No. 4 AP No. 4 1996 record 11–1 (8–0 Pac-10) Head coach Bruce Snyder (5th season)Offensive coordinator Dan Cozzetto (5th season) Defensive coordinator Phil Snow (2nd as DC, 5th overall season)Home stadium Sun Devil Stadium (Capacity: 73,379)Seasons
The 1996 Arizona State Sun Devils football team represented the Arizona State University in the 1996 NCAA Division I-A college football season . The team's head coach was Bruce Snyder , who was coaching his fifth season with the Sun Devils and 17th season overall. Home games were played at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Arizona . They participated as members of the Pacific-10 Conference .
Regular season [ ]
In 1996, the Sun Devils went a surprising 11–1, highlighted by a 19–0 shutout of the number-one-ranked, two-time defending national champion, Nebraska Cornhuskers in Tempe, ending Nebraska's 26-game win streak. The upset win also gained a measure of revenge from the previous season, when they went into Lincoln and were not only defeated by a 77–28 margin, but were enraged after the eventual national champions threw a long touchdown pass in the game's final minutes. ASU quarterback Jake Plummer led the Sun Devils, propelling Arizona State into the Rose Bowl against the Ohio State Buckeyes . Had the Sun Devils won, they would have had a very good chance of winning at least a share of the national championship, as they would have been the only undefeated major-college team in the nation. The Sun Devils led 17–14 with 1:47 left in the fourth quarter, but surrendered a late touchdown to Ohio State, falling by a final score of 20–17. As it turned out, Florida State lost in the Sugar Bowl to the Florida Gators; had the Sun Devils won, they would have had a perfect 12–0 record while the Gators would have finished with one regular season loss (to the Seminoles).
Schedule [ ]
The Sun Devils finished the season with an 11–1 record.
Date Time Opponent Rank Site TV Result Attendance September 7 7:00 pm Washington No. 20 Sun Devil Stadium Tempe, Arizona FSN W 45–4273,379
September 14 7:00 pm North Texas * No. 18 Sun Devil Stadium Tempe, Arizona W 52–746,173
September 21 7:15 pm No. 1 Nebraska * No. 17 Sun Devil Stadium Tempe, Arizona FSN W 19–074,089
September 28 3:30 pm Oregon No. 6 Sun Devil Stadium Tempe, Arizona FSN W 48–2754,618
October 5 7:00 pm Boise State * No. 5 Sun Devil Stadium Tempe, Arizona W 56–749,018
October 12 12:30 pm at UCLA No. 4 Rose Bowl Pasadena, California ABC W 42–3466,107
October 19 12:30 pm USC No. 4 Sun Devil Stadium Tempe, Arizona ABC W 48–35 2OT 74,947
October 26 12:30 pm at Stanford No. 4 Stanford Stadium Stanford, California ABC W 41–932,550
November 2 2:00 pm at Oregon State No. 4 Parker Stadium Corvallis, Oregon W 29–1421,946
November 9 4:30 pm California No. 4 Sun Devil Stadium Tempe, Arizona FSN W 35–774,963
November 23 4:30 pm at Arizona No. 4 FSN W 56–1459,920
January 1 1:30 pm vs. No. 4 Ohio State * No. 2 Rose Bowl Pasadena, California (Rose Bowl )ABC L 17–20100,635
*Non-conference game HomecomingRankings from Coaches' Poll released prior to the game All times are in Mountain time
Roster [ ]
1996 Arizona State Sun Devils football team roster
Players
Coaches
Offense
Pos.
#
Name
Class
TE
Kendrick Bates
RB
8
Terry Battle
Sr
WR
24
Ricky Boyer
So
TE
82
Steve Bush
Sr
QB
11
Steve Campbell
So
RB
Marlon Farlow
QB
Gus Farwell
OT
70
Glen Gable
Jr
RB
39
Scott Hansen
Jr
WR
83
Lenzie Jackson
So
TE
87
Brian Jennings
Fr
TE
88
Devin Kendall
Sr
RB
29
Michael Martin
Jr
WR
81
Kenny Mitchell
So
RB
Mike Morales
OG
56
Kyle Murphy
Jr
WR
7
Isaiah Mustafa
FB
44
Jeff Paulk
So
QB
16
Jake Plummer
Sr
WR
3
Keith Poole
Sr
RB
21
J. R. Redmond
Fr
C
65
Kirk Robertson
Sr
OL
Zack Romero
OT
74
Juan Roque
Sr
OG
51
Grey Ruegamer
So
OT
71
Marvel Smith
Fr
WR
Craig Spenn
OL
67
Pat Thompson
Sr
RB
Kevin Tommasini
Defense
Pos.
#
Name
Class
DE
98
Vincent Amey
Jr
DL
Albrey Battle
DE
55
Dave Baumgartner
Sr
DT
94
Brent Burnstein
Sr
DE
93
Malchi Crawford
Jr
LB
47
Chris Finn
Sr
DB
Mitchell Freedman
DB
Courtney Jackson
DB
39
Damien Richardson
Jr
LB
59
Derrick Rodgers
Sr
DT
92
Jeremy Staat
Jr
CB
10
Jason Simmons
Sr
S
9
Thomas Simmons
Jr
LB
36
Derek Smith
Sr
DB
Marcus Soward
DT
99
Shawn Swayda
Sr
DB
42
Pat Tillman
Jr
DB , RB
22
Raenaurd Turpin
Sr
LB
50
Scott Von der Ahe
Sr
Special teams
Pos.
#
Name
Class
P
17
Lance Anderson
Jr
K
41
Robert Nycz
Jr
Head coach
Coordinators/assistant coaches
Dan Cozzetto – Offensive coordinator
Phil Snow – Defensive coordinator
Kevin Wolthausen – Defensive line
Legend
(C) Team captain
(S) Suspended
(I) Ineligible
Injured
Redshirt
Roster
Rankings [ ]
Ranking movementsLegend: ██ Increase in ranking. ██ Decrease in ranking. NR = Not ranked. RV = Received votes. т = Tied with team above or below. ( ) = First place votes.
Week
Poll
Pre
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
Final
AP
20
20
20
18
17
6 (1)
5 (1)
4 (1)
4 (1)
4 (1)
4 (1)
4 (1)
4 (2)
4 (2)
3 (3)
2 (5)
2 (5)
4
Coaches Poll
NR
–
NR
23
22
12
7
5
5
4
4
4
4
4
3 (3)
2 (6)
2 (5)
4
Game summaries [ ]
Washington [ ]
See also: 1996 Washington Huskies football team
Washington Huskies (0–0) at #20 Arizona State Sun Devils (0–0)
1
2
3 4 Total
Washington
7
7
7 21 42
Arizona St
7
7
14 17 45
at Sun Devil Stadium , Tempe, Arizona
Date : September 21, 1996Game weather : 95 °F (35 °C)Game attendance : 73,379
Game information
First quarter
ASU – Michael Martin 35-yard pass from Jake Plummer (Robert Nycz kick), 11:45. Arizona St 7–0. Drive:
WASH – Dave Janoski 67-yard punt return (kick good). Tie 7–7
Second quarter
WASH – Rashaan Shehee 6-yard run (kick good), 6:19. Washington 14–7. Drive:
ASU – Ricky Boyer 13-yard pass from Jake Plummer (Robert Nycz kick), 0:48. Tie 14–14. Drive:
Third quarter
WASH – Cameron Cleeland 36-yard pass from Shane Fortney (kick good). 'Washington 21–14. Drive:
ASU – Michael Martin 1-yard run (Robert Nycz kick). Tie 21–21. Drive:
ASU – Isaiah Mustafa recovered fumble in end zone (Robert Nycz kick), 3:07. Arizona St 28–21.
Fourth quarter
ASU – Terry Battle 7-yard run (Robert Nycz kick), 14:31. Arizona St 35–21. Drive:
ASU – Steve Bush 1-yard pass from Jake Plummer (Robert Nycz kick), 12:01. Arizona St 42–21. Drive:
WASH – Brock Huard 10-yard run (kick good), 9:00. Arizona St 42–28. Drive:
WASH – Gerald Harris 67-yard pass from Brock Huard (kick good), 7:15. Arizona St 42–35. Drive:
WASH – Corey Dillon 8-yard run (kick good), 5:13. Tie 42–42. Drive:
ASU – Robert Nycz 38-yard field goal, 0:02. Arizona St 45–42. Drive:
Top passers
WASH – Brock Huard – 6/11, 143 yards, TD
ASU – Jake Plummer – 16/30, 186 yards, 3 TD
Top rushers
Top receivers
[1]
North Texas [ ]
See also: North Texas Mean Green football
Nebraska [ ]
Nebraska at Arizona State
1
2 3 4 Total
No. 1 Cornhuskers
0
0 0 0
0
• No. 17 Sun Devils
9
8 0 2
19
Date: September 21Location: Sun Devil Stadium , Tempe, Arizona Game attendance: 74,089
Scoring summary 1 11:38 ASU Keith Poole 22-yard pass from Jake Plummer (Robert Nycz kick) ASU 7–0
1 10:38 ASU Safety, Ahman Green fumbled out of end zone ASU 9–0
2 8:59 ASU Robert Nycz 27-yard field goal ASU 12–0
2 2:19 ASU Safety, ball snapped out of end zone ASU 14–0
2 0:30 ASU Robert Nycz 44-yard field goal ASU 17–0
4 6:43 ASU Safety, Scott Frost tackled in end zone ASU 19–0
See also: 1996 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team
[2] [3] [4]
Oregon [ ]
[5]
Boise State [ ]
[6]
at UCLA [ ]
Arizona State at UCLA
1
2 3 4 Total
• No. 4 Sun Devils
7
7 7 21
42
Bruins
21
7 6 0
34
Date: October 12Location: Rose Bowl , Pasadena, California Game attendance: 66,107
[7]
USC [ ]
See also: 1996 USC Trojans football team
[8]
at Stanford [ ]
See also: 1996 Stanford Cardinal football team
[9]
at Oregon State [ ]
Arizona State at Oregon State
1
2 3 4 Total
• No. 4 Sun Devils
6
3 13 7
29
Beavers
0
14 0 0
14
Date: November 2Location: Parker Stadium , Corvallis, Oregon Game attendance: 21,946
[10]
California [ ]
California at Arizona State
1
2 3 4 Total
Golden Bears
7
0 0 0
7
• No. 20 Sun Devils
0
14 7 14
35
Date: November 9Location: Sun Devil Stadium , Tempe, Arizona Game attendance: 74,963
[11]
at Arizona [ ]
#4 Arizona State Sun Devils (10–0) at Arizona Wildcats (5–5)
1
2
3 4 Total
Arizona St
7
21
14 14 56
Arizona
0
7
0 7 14
at Arizona Stadium , Tucson, Arizona
Date : November 23, 1996Game weather : Cloudy, 62 °F (17 °C)Game attendance : 59,920Recap/Box Score
Game information
First quarter
ASU – Terry Battle 20-yard run (Robert Nycz kick), 0:15. Arizona St 7–0. Drive: 3 plays, 34 yards, 0:59.
Second quarter
ASU – Terry Battle 4-yard run (Robert Nycz kick), 12:17. Arizona St 14–0. Drive: 2 plays, 5 yards, 0:32.
ARIZ – Keith Smith 1-yard run (Matt Peyton kick), 8:20. Arizona St 14–7. Drive: 7 plays, 70 yards, 3:57.
ASU – Keith Poole 27-yard pass from Jake Plummer (Robert Nycz kick), 7:13. Arizona St 21–7. Drive: 3 plays, 75 yards, 1:07.
ASU – Terry Battle 1-yard run (Robert Nycz kick), 1:17. Arizona St 28–7. Drive: 6 plays, 73 yards, 1:45.
Third quarter
ASU – Keith Poole 40-yard pass from Jake Plummer (Robert Nycz kick), 10:22. Arizona St 35–7. Drive: 7 plays, 69 yards, 2:30.
ASU – Steve Bush 10-yard pass from Jake Plummer (Robert Nycz kick), 0:39. Arizona St 42–7. Drive: 8 plays, 53 yards, 3:24.
Fourth quarter
ARIZ – Mikal Smith 98-yard interception return (Matt Peyton kick), 12:18. Arizona St 42–14.
ASU – Marlon Farlow 1-yard run (Robert Nycz kick), 10:47. Arizona St 49–14. Drive: 5 plays, 56 yards, 1:31.
ASU – Marlon Farlow 8-yard run (Robert Nycz kick), 1:06. Arizona St 56–14. Drive: 11 plays, 85 yards, 7:27.
Top passers
ASU – Jake Plummer – 10/19, 201 yards, 3 TD, 2 INT
ARIZ – Keith Smith – 6/15, 91 yards, INT
Top rushers
ASU – Terry Battle – 23 rushes, 143 yards, 3 TD
ARIZ – Leon Callen – 6 rushes, 19 yards
Top receivers
ASU – Keith Poole – 4 receptions, 123 yards, 2 TD
ARIZ – Jeremy McDaniel – 2 receptions, 54 yards
Bruce Snyder's 100th career win
Terry Battle passes 1,000 yards rushing for the season (ASU – 450 rush yards)
[12]
vs. Ohio State (Rose Bowl) [ ]
Ohio State vs. Arizona State
1
2 3 4 Total
• No. 4 Buckeyes
7
0 7 6
20
No. 2 Sun Devils
0
7 3 7
17
Date: January 1Location: Rose Bowl Game attendance: 100,635Referee: Terry MonkTV announcers (ABC ): Brent Musburger (Play-by-play), Dick Vermeil (Analyst), and Jack Arute (Sideline)
Scoring summary 1 5:04 OSU David Boston 9-yard pass from Stanley Jackson (Josh Jackson kick) OSU 7–0
2 10:04 ASU Ricky Boyer 25-yard pass from Jake Plummer (Robert Nycz kick) Tied 7–7
3 9:12 ASU Robert Nycz 37-yard field goal ASU 10–7
3 8:23 OSU Dimitrious Stanley 72-yard pass from Joe Germaine (J. Jackson kick) OSU 14–10
4 1:40 ASU Plummer 11-yard run (Nycz kick) ASU 17–14
4 0:19 OSU Boston 5-yard pass from Germaine (kick blocked) OSU 20–17
Main article: 1997 Rose Bowl
See also: 1996 Ohio State Buckeyes football team
[13]
Awards and honors [ ]
1996 Team Players in the NFL [ ]
The following players were claimed in the 1997 NFL Draft .
Player
Position
Round
Pick
NFL Club
Juan Roque
Tackle
2
35
Detroit Lions
Jake Plummer
Quarterback
2
42
Arizona Cardinals
Derek M. Smith
Outside Linebacker
3
80
Washington Redskins
Derrick Rodgers
Outside Linebacker
3
92
Miami Dolphins
Keith Poole
Wide receiver
4
116
New Orleans Saints
Scott Von der Ahe
Linebacker
6
182
Indianapolis Colts
Shawn Swayda
Defensive tackle
6
196
Chicago Bears
Terry Battle
Running back
7
206
Detroit Lions
[15]
References [ ]
^ "Arizona St. 45, Washington 42" . The Washington Post . September 8, 1996. Retrieved October 24, 2019 .
^ "Sun Devils Become Cornshockers: Arizona State Ends Nebraska's 26-Game Winning Streak, 19-0" . The Spokesman-Review . September 22, 1996. Retrieved October 22, 2019 .
^ "ARIZONA STATE SHOCKS NO. 1 NEBRASKA, 19-0" . The Buffalo News . September 21, 1996. Retrieved October 22, 2019 .
^ "DEVIL OF AN UPSET" . Sports Illustrated . September 30, 1996. Retrieved October 24, 2019 .
^ "No Letdown for Arizona State" . Los Angeles Times . September 29, 1996. Retrieved October 24, 2019 .
^ "Arizona State Is Still Running in High Gear, 56-7" . Los Angeles Times . October 6, 1996. Retrieved October 24, 2019 .
^ "Sun Devils Survive UCLA Scare: Plummer Spearheads Late Rally To Keep Arizona State Unbeaten" . The Spokesman-Review . October 13, 1996. Retrieved October 24, 2019 .
^ "ARIZONA ST. 48, USC 35" . Chicago Tribune . October 20, 1996. Retrieved October 22, 2019 .
^ "Arizona State Routs Stanford, 41-9" . Los Angeles Times . October 27, 1996. Retrieved October 24, 2019 .
^ "Arizona St. 29, Oregon St. 14" . The Washington Post . November 2, 1996. Retrieved October 24, 2019 .
^ "Sun Devils Clinch Title: Easy Win Puts Asu In Rose Bowl" . The Spokesman-Review . November 10, 1996. Retrieved October 24, 2019 .
^ "Arizona State Flattens Arizona" . The Spokesman-Review . November 24, 1996. Retrieved October 24, 2019 .
^ "Time Runs Out on Sun Devils' National Title Bid" . The New York Times . January 2, 1997. Retrieved October 24, 2019 .
^ "Bear Bryant Award Past Winners -" . Archived from the original on 2007-12-27.
^ "Archived copy" . Archived from the original on 2009-10-05. Retrieved 2015-11-11 .{{cite web }}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link )
Venues Bowls & rivalries Culture & lore People Seasons
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