RUDY'S HAVING A DEVIL OF A TIME FORMER NEWBURY PARK/WESTLAKE QB SHINES AS REDSHIRT FRESHMAN AT ASU.Byline: Matthew Kredell Staff Writer Rudy Carpenter spent his senior season as the most hated player in area prep football. Just walking onto the field, he was spit on, pelted with batteries and bombarded with shouts and signs accusing him of anything from accepting bribes to having a disease. All this because Carpenter dared to transfer from lowly low·ly adj. low·li·er, low·li·est 1. Having or suited for a low rank or position. 2. Humble or meek in manner. 3. Plain or prosaic in nature. adv. 1. Newbury Park to powerhouse Westlake, where he led the team to a perfect record and Southern Section title. The episode left Carpenter with a thick skin, a much-needed trait for a college quarterback. So when he heard and read that he was a disappointment - then watched Arizona State sign a top recruit at his position - after finishing his first year at the school with a horrible performance in the final spring scrimmage, he didn't worry. At least no one was throwing anything at him. Coming off three consecutive 300-yard performances and victories in his first two college starts, Carpenter is one of the hottest quarterbacks in the country heading into Saturday's game against 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 , the school he nearly attended. ``A lot that I went through back then was a lot worse than anything now,'' Carpenter said. ``It helped me out just with the fact that I know I can fight through it and be successful like I did before.'' Carpenter made the transformation from unsure freshman to confident redshirt freshman by committing himself to work tirelessly over the summer to improve on the spring's dismal results. He declined to come home on vacation, instead spending hours each day learning the Arizona State offense by playing a video game. A former ASU ASU Arizona State University (Tempe, AZ) ASU Appalachian State University ASU Arkansas State University ASU Angelo State University ASU Alabama State University ASU Australian Services Union engineer, Jason Sada, created a video game called QB Pro Simulator in which a team's entire offense is installed into the game. The user or coach can pick what defense to go against, then the quarterback answers test-style questions on how the offense matches up to the defense before he has the opportunity to run the play similar to how it would be in Madden mad·den v. mad·dened, mad·den·ing, mad·dens v.tr. 1. To make angry; irritate. 2. To drive insane. v.intr. To become infuriated. football on Playstation. Arizona State first got the technology at the start of the summer, because of Sada's relationship to the school, and it is now spreading to other colleges and NFL NFL abbr. National Football League NFL (US) n abbr (= National Football League) → Fußball-Nationalliga teams. Carpenter had the game programmed into his laptop, using it to learn the right reads and where receivers would be on each play. The knowledge gained from the game paid immediate dividends, as Carpenter rebounded from the awful spring to earn the team's most improved player In some sports, a Most Improved Player award is given to players who have improved the most over the year.
``I just imagined everything like in the video game,'' Carpenter said. ``I envisioned where the receivers would be, and there they were. It really did help me.'' It didn't look like Carpenter would see the field this season outside mop-up duty. Arizona State was ranked No. 14 in the country and quarterback Sam Keller was getting mention as a Heisman Trophy Heisman Trophy Annual award given to the outstanding college gridiron football player in the U.S. The trophy was instituted in 1935 by New York City's Downtown Athletic Club and was officially named the following year for the club's first athletic director, the player-coach candidate heading into the fifth game against USC An abbreviation for U.S. Code. . A disappointing loss against the top-ranked Trojans, after Arizona State had led 21-3 at halftime, dropped the Sun Devils
n. 1. The rapid descent of an aircraft in a steep, spiral spin. 2. Informal A loss of emotional control sometimes resulting in emotional collapse. . Arizona State lost the next game against Oregon then trailed 38-7 against Stanford team when Carpenter was brought in to replace an injured in·jure tr.v. in·jured, in·jur·ing, in·jures 1. To cause physical harm to; hurt. 2. To cause damage to; impair. 3. Keller. Carpenter's first pass, just like his first attempt in the spring scrimmage, was intercepted and returned for a touchdown. However, it was going to take more than that to rattle Rudy. He responded by leading Arizona State on four consecutive touchdown drives, throwing for more than 300 yards in just a quarter and a half. ``He has really progressed,'' said 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. , a Palmdale High product. ``It comes down to hard work. He has put in the work and the time, and it shows by what he can do on the field.'' Carpenter earned Pac-10 Offensive Player of the Week honors in his first start, a 401-yard performance against Washington. Last week, he led the Sun Devils over Washington State. He has completed 74 percent of his passes for 1,226 yards, 10 touchdowns and two interceptions. ``At times, Rudy shows plays that are way above his experience level,'' Arizona State coach Dick Koetter said. Growing up in Southern California Southern California, also colloquially known as SoCal, is the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Centered on the cities of Los Angeles and San Diego, Southern California is home to nearly 24 million people and is the nation's second most populated region, , Carpenter dreamed of being a Bruin. Some of his first athletic memories are of going to the Rose Bowl with his father. When it came time to choose a college, UCLA came into the mix late and offered a scholarship. He orally accepted, but asked to have the offer in writing. UCLA coach Karl Dorrell Karl Dorrell (born December 18, 1963 in Alameda, California) is the first black head coach in the history of the UCLA Bruins college football team, a position he took on December 18, 2002. asked Carpenter to wait while he worked with the admissions office because there were academic questions regarding his transfer between high schools. After two weeks of waiting, Carpenter began having second thoughts. When he had asked Koetter for a written offer, it arrived on his doorstep 36 hours later. Arizona State had long been recruiting him harder, and he felt the Sun Devils wanted him more. ``I have no animosity about him, and he shouldn't have any about us,'' Dorrell said. ``It's just a product of what happens. The decision worked out for both parties. Carpenter will have family and dozens of friends at Saturday's game. He said he'd like to show the UCLA staff they missed out on a good prospect, but more importantly is looking forward to playing at the Rose Bowl. ``I can't wait to come out of that tunnel,'' Carpenter said. ``It will kind of be like a dream being fulfilled, but in a different way - a better way.'' Matthew Kredell, (818)713-3607 matthew.kredell(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): photo, 2 boxes Photo: (color) no caption (Rudy Carpenter) Photo by Getty Images Box: (1) A SMOOTH TRANSITION (2) UCLA VS. ARIZ ARIZ Arizona (old style) . ST. |
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