Devils Gave that One Away

ASU's loss to Oregon last night was a tough one to watch.  I knew Oregon was a tad overrated (they are not the best team in the country, DE) and that our D would match up with them well (they practiced against the same offense all through both camps) and that we had enough talent to hang with them.  But in the end the Devils' true colors shone through, too brightly:  7, yes 7 turnovers (including three interceptions in the 4th quarter when we were still in the game), way too many penalties, another missed field goal, and a host of stupid mistakes.  Yesterday wasn't quite as bad as the Wisconsin game, which the Devils really did give away.  Oregon is too good and experienced.  But they benefited greatly from 14 free points from the ASU offense (a pick 6 in the first quarter and a backwards lateral 'fumble' for a TD) and several squandered ASU opportunities, such as a 1st and goal on the 2 (Marshall fumble) and a Threet interception in the endzone.  After improving each game and playing near perfectly last week, Threet self-destructed in this one, especially in the second half.  He made some good throws and racked up a lot of yards, but he also made some woefully bad throws that Oregon converted to points.  I don't know what's wrong with Tom Weber but he clearly hasn't regained his form from two years ago.  The D was pretty solid with some stupid mistakes Oregon capitalized on.  At other times they stood their ground well, including shutting down -- for the most part -- the Oregon running back.  I place a lot of the blame on the coaching staff for not having this team more ready and executing better.  I know they're young and all that, but the penalties are ridiculous.  The false starts continued, with one from a wide receiver!  It's really painful to watch what potentially could be a good team fritter away their many chances.  Especially when the team down south is making the most -- often with luck -- of theirs.