CASSEL HAS SUN DEVILS COVERED CORNERBACK FORCES TWO CRUCIAL TURNOVERS IN BRUINS WIN.Byline: Billy Witz Staff Writer In the five years he spent shuttling in and out of the doghouses of two different coaching staffs, the times when his effort and his football acumen were questioned, and when he ran into trouble off the field, Marcus Cassel Marcus Ray Cassel (January 6, 1983 - November 17, 2006) was an American football player. Born in Long Beach, California, Cassel was a graduate of St. John Bosco High School in Bellflower. never gave up. Those experiences served the senior cornerback well Saturday night when Arizona State receiver Derek Hagan Derek Steven Hagan, Jr. (born September 21, 1984 in Northridge, California) is an American football wide receiver for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League. He was originally drafted by the Dolphins in the third round (82nd overall) of the 2006 NFL Draft. beat him off the line of scrimmage line of scrimmage n. pl. lines of scrimmage Football Either of two imaginary lines extending across the field parallel to the goal line at the ends of the ball as it rests prior to being snapped and at which each team lines up for . He didn't give up. As Hagan, one of the nation's best receivers, raced past Cassel and safety Jarrad Page Jarrad Page (born October 19, 1984) was selected by the Kansas City Chiefs in the 7th round of the 2006 NFL Draft. He played for UCLA in his collegiate career. Before attending UCLA, Page grew up in San Leandro, California, attending San Leandro High School, where Page was the top and settled under Rudy Carpenter's bomb at the UCLA UCLA University of California at Los Angeles UCLA University Center for Learning Assistance (Illinois State University) UCLA University of Carrollton, TX and Lower Addison, TX 30-yard line, an unsettling un·set·tle v. un·set·tled, un·set·tling, un·set·tles v.tr. 1. To displace from a settled condition; disrupt. 2. To make uneasy; disturb. v.intr. feeling settled over the Rose Bowl. The Sun Devils
But Cassel didn't give up. ``It's part of being a corner,'' he said. ``You've got to keep your eyes on the ball and watch the receiver's hands and that's what I did. I saw the ball being thrown out of the corner of my eye and I mentally told myself watch for his hands. When he put his hands up there to catch the ball, that's when I shot my hands in there.'' Out popped the ball, which Page fell on. The next time Arizona State got the ball, Cassel stripped Hagan again. The Bruins turned both fumbles into touchdowns, sending them on their way to a 45-35 victory in their final home game of the season. ``That was the turning point in the game,'' said Hagan, the former Palmdale High star who set the Pac-10 career receptions record with 249. Hagan hadn't fumbled all season. ``I take the blame for the loss,'' he said. ``It's something you don't expect from a receiver. I thought I was holding on tight, but he knocked it out. We had the momentum and a chance to take the lead.'' In the fourth quarter, Cassel knocked another long pass out of Hagan's hands, this time an instant before he caught it, and then wrapped himup on a short pass. A thigh bruise bruise or contusion Visible bluish or purplish mark beneath the surface of unbroken skin, indicating burst blood vessels in deeper tissue layers. Bruises are usually caused by a blow or pressure, but they may occur spontaneously in elderly persons. on the tackle sent Cassel to the sidelines Sidelines Hypothetical position referring to noninvolvement in a stock; merely watching. for the final seven minutes. It took four years for Cassel to get on the field consistently - and he was suspended for a game in 2003 after being arrested for driving under the influence - but this season he's developed into a steadying influence at cornerback and in the locker room. On Saturday, the coaches showed enough faith in him to stick him in man coverage against Hagan most of the night. ``We put the onus on the corners tonight,'' defensive coordinator A defensive coordinator typically refers to a coach on a football team in the National Football League or college football who is in charge of the defense. This position aids the head coach a great deal in many ways by delegating play calling to other coaches and allowing the head Larry Kerr said. ``We felt we had to use everyone else to stop the run. ``Marcus has had his struggles in the past, but we kept confidence in the kid. I'm so proud of the way he's battled and matured.'' A sign of that came last month when he stood up before the Bruins played Washington State last month and reminded them to finish their jobs.Another came Saturday night. ``A lot of times you can lose sight of how hard it can be to get here,'' Cassel said. ``Don't lose sight of how hard it is. Right now, a lotof people are coming up and getting our autographs on helmets, getting our autographs on balls. Last year, it wasn't like that. The year before, it wasn't like that.'' And the same might be said for Cassel, too. Billy Witz, (818) 713-3621 billy.witz(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): photo Photo: MARCUS CASSEL Bruins cornerback forced two fumbles on Sun Devils' wideout Derek Hagan. |
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