Washington prepares for 6-0 Sun Devils

SEATTLE – So just how good are these Arizona State Sun Devils?

They’re 6-0, they’re the 14th-ranked team in the country, but are they really one of the nation’s elite? That’s something the Huskies, and to some extent the Sun Devils, both hope to answer in the desert on Saturday night.

Just as an argument can be made that Washington is better than its 2-3 record given that those three losses came to teams with a combined 14-3 record, it can also be argued that Arizona State might not be as good as its perfect record would indicate. ASU’s opponents sport a modest 16-18 record and four of its six games have been at home.

“We’ve been fortunate with our schedule and how it’s been set up having a lot of games at home,” Arizona State coach Dennis Erickson said when asked about his team’s perfect record.

The Huskies, however, are taking Arizona State seriously.

“Maybe they haven’t played the same caliber of teams, but right now they’re at the top of the conference, which is where we want to be,” said tight end Michael Gottlieb. “I mean, 6-0 is 6-0, no matter who you play. You can’t do better than that. We definitely respect them as an opponent.”

That respect seems to be mutual. While the Huskies are on a three-game losing streak, Arizona State knows that all three losses were to good teams, and that the Huskies were in all three games.

“Their record doesn’t do them any justice,” said Sun Devils linebacker Robert James. “They’re a good team and they should have won a couple of those games. They’re a great team and we’re not underestimating them at all.”

James is a big part of the reason the Sun Devils rank first in the conference in scoring defense, second in pass defense, and third in total defense and rushing defense. His 59 tackles and 39 solo tackles both lead the Pac-10. The 5-foot-11, 229-pound James, who Erickson called his team’s midseason MVP, also has 7.5 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks and three interceptions.

James is the closest thing to a star on the Arizona State defense, which prides itself more in solid team play than it does in the spectacular.

The Sun Devils are good, but not spectacular, in almost all offensive categories. They are fifth in the conference in total offense, third in passing offense, sixth in rushing offense, and fourth in scoring offense.

“In terms of what they do with personnel groups and formations and all that, it’s maybe the simplest team we’ve seen, but the most efficient,” said Huskies defensive coordinator Kent Baer. “You don’t have to do a whole lot to be good, because what they do, they do great. They’re very efficient, they’re very well coached. They only line up in a handful of formations, they’re not trying to fool you, they don’t run any trick plays. They’re just very good at what they do.”