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American college football season
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 [ edit ]
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 [ edit ]
The Sun Devils finished the regular season with an 11–0 record.
Date Time Opponent Rank Site TV Result Attendance September 7 7:00 pm Washington No. 20 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 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 ABC W 41–932,550
November 2 2:00 pm at Oregon State No. 4 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
, 1997 1:30 pm vs. No. 4 Ohio State * No. 2 ABC L 17–20100,635
Conference opponent not played this season: Washington State
1996 Arizona State Sun Devils football team roster
Players
Coaches
Offense
Defense
Special teams
Pos.
#
Name
Class
P
17
Lance Anderson
Jr
K
41
Robert Nycz
Jr
Head coach
Coordinators/assistant coaches
Legend
(C) Team captain
(S) Suspended
(I) Ineligible
Injured
Redshirt
Roster
Rankings [ edit ]
Ranking movementsLegend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking — = Not ranked ( ) = 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 — — — 23 22 12 7 5 5 4 4 4 4 4 3 (3) 2 (6) 2 (5) 4
Game summaries [ edit ]
Washington [ edit ]
Washington Huskies (0–0) at #20 Arizona State Sun Devils (0–0)
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
Top rushers
Top receivers
[1]
North Texas [ edit ]
Nebraska [ edit ]
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
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
[2] [3] [4]
[5]
Boise State [ edit ]
[6]
At UCLA [ edit ]
Arizona State at UCLA
1
2 3 4 Total
• No. 4 Sun Devils
7
7 7 21
42
Bruins
21
7 6 0
34
[7]
[8]
At Stanford [ edit ]
[9]
At Oregon State [ edit ]
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
[10]
California [ edit ]
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
[11]
At Arizona [ edit ]
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) [ edit ]
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
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
[13]
Awards and honors [ edit ]
1996 team players in the NFL [ edit ]
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 [ edit ]
^ "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 December 27, 2007.
^ "1984 NFL Draft Listing - Pro-Football-Reference.com" . Pro-Football-Reference.com . Archived from the original on May 27, 2009. Retrieved November 11, 2015 .
Venues Bowls & rivalries Culture & lore People Seasons
Pacific Coast AAWU Pacific-8 Pacific-10 Pac-12 National championships in bold