These Devils are doing it

Sporting News, The, Oct 21, 1996 by Scott Bordow

The foghorn pierced the air, ending the late-afternoon practice. The players slowly walked off the field, lifting sweaty jerseys over their heads and carrying helmets by their sides. They made their way toward the exit, stopping to gulp some greenish sports drink that's supposed to replenish liquids.

This was a good day for the Arizona State Sun Devils. They were 4-0--their best start since a 9-0 beginning in 1982--and ranked No. 5 by The Sporting News. A game against Boise State was 48 hours away, and although the coaching staff was saying all the politically correct things about not overlooking an opponent in its first season of I-A football, the prayers clearly were thinking of the weeks ahead, of a possible Rose Bowl berth, of a possible national championship.

They laughed with each other, told inside jokes, made small talk. You watch and remember what coach Bruce Snyder had said a few weeks earlier. About how this was a special group, forged by its failures, willing to do whatever it takes to turn ruin into redemption.

"I think if I told them we were walking to the Bay Area, they wouldn't ask why," Snyder says. "They'd just do it "

When Snyder told them they could beat Nebraska on September 21, they didn't dismiss his brash words as folly. They believed him. And when they shocked the two-time defending national champions and the college football world with their 19-0 victory, the Sun Devils didn't act as if it were a big surprise.

So they hadn't been to a bowl game since the 1987 season. So Snyder's record his first four years at ASU was an uninspiring 21-23. So there were thousands of empty seats every Saturday at 73,656-seat Sun Devil Stadium. This was a different team, with a attitude. This was a team that believed in itself. And this was a team that took its cue from five talented players who were determined to vent years of frustration.

Juan Roque, the massive offensive tackle who strives to be a role model for the Hispanic community. Jake "The Snake" Plummer, the quarterback who's affectionately called Jimmy Stewart for his down-home, innocuous quotes yet cracks up teammates by prancing naked in the locker room impersonating a chicken. Keith Poole, the receiver Who draws inspiration from his paralyzed older brother. Mitchell Freedman, the cocky free safety who swears he's a better basketball player than Charles Barkley. Derrick Rodgers, the undersized defensive end who never played football in high school but was a first-team trumpeter. They are as different as five players can be, but together they have helped rebuild what was once a dominant program.

"Maybe 10 years down the road, when we're fat and doing nothing, we can make a Miller Genuine moment," Plummer says. "It's definitely something that's going to go down in history. We're very proud of it. It'll be something special to look back on."

It already has been something special for Snyder, who could sweeten it even more with a win Saturday against Southern California.

"When your stars are good guys, your life is a lot easier than when your star is a jackass," he says. "I like who is getting the credit on this team. They are solid people."

Plummer is the catalyst, the leader who seems born and bred for the job. Despite a Heisman Trophy push from his coach and statistics that make him the most prolific passer in school history, Plummer remains the same ego-free smart aleck that teased Roque so much his freshman year that the man mountain grabbed the skinny quarterback by the throat one day and said, "I'm going to kill you." Plummer just laughed.

"I knew he was crazy right then," Roque says.

Says Plummer: "I'm not the kind of person to stand up and say, 'Look at me, I'm Jake Plummer.' If I would have done that when I was younger, my older brothers (Brett, 27, and Eric, 25) would have socked me in the arm, knocked me over and put me right down to the level I should be."

Plummer's innocuous nature--school publicists tease him for his safety first quotes--endears him to his teammates. So does his play. This season Plummer is 101-of-176 for 1,451 yards, 16 touchdowns and only three interceptions while moving up the Pac-10 career charts.

Plummer, who got the nickname "Snake" as a 12-year-old when older brother Eric saw him reading an autobiography of Kenny "Snake" Stabler, became the starter midway through his freshman year and has since made 34 consecutive starts.

Offensive coordinator Dan Cozzetto says Plummer, from Boise, Idaho, should take credit for the 6-0 Sun Devils, averaging 468 yards and 43.7 points this season. ASU expanded its playbook this year because of Plummer's ability and versatility.

"He's a great quarterback," Washington State coach Mike Price says.

NFL scouts aren't in love with Plummer's size (6-2, 190), but Snyder says he wouldn't trade him for any college quarterback--including Tennessee's Peyton Manning and Florida's Danny Wuerffel. "I just know he does for our team more than I can believe anyone else in America does for their team," Snyder says.