Arizona State football has a history in big games, but this isn't a subject a Tempe student would want to major in.
The Sun Devils, who face No. 17 Georgia this week in Athens, are 3-26 against top-25 teams since 2000. The program is also winless in four tries against the Southeastern Conference.
Saturday's game between the hedges, though, is another important game in the Pac-10/SEC rivalry and a game third-year Arizona State Coach Dennis Erickson needs to win to bolster his program's national credibility.
"We'll find out a little bit about ourselves," Erickson said Tuesday on a conference call. "We need to find out where we're at."
Victories over Idaho State and Louisiana Monroe were nothing like the challenge that awaits the Sun Devils in Georgia.
Two weeks ago, UCLA proved a Pac-10 school other than USC could take down an SEC school on Southern soil when the Bruins pulled off an upset at Tennessee.
Georgia dominated Arizona State last year in Tempe, 27-10, but that Georgia team was ranked No. 1 in the preseason and had Matthew Stafford and Knowshon Moreno in the backfield.
This Georgia team is vulnerable, especially on defense -- the Bulldogs have given up 37 and 41 points in SEC victories against South Carolina and Arkansas.
Georgia ranks No. 97 in total defense and is No. 108 out of 120 teams in scoring defense, allowing 34 points a game.
Erickson maintains it's still a quality defense.
"They've given up some real big plays," he said. "That's probably the biggest thing that's happened."
Arizona State does have one big problem: All-America kicker Thomas Weber has been lost for possibly six weeks because of a groin injury, leaving the kicking chores to either walk-on freshman Bobby Wenzig or 26-year-old linebacker Mike Nixon.
Wenzig's name isn't even listed in the school's media guide. Nixon, a former catcher in the Dodgers organization, enjoyed some kicking success at Phoenix's Sunnyslope High -- he made six field goals . . . in 2001.
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Guaranteed
Oregon Coach Chip Kelly would not confirm or deny an Internet story that he reimbursed $439 for expenses to a disgruntled fan who made the trip to witness the Ducks' abysmal season-opening loss at Boise State.
"I've got no comment on that; we're getting ready to play California," Kelly said. Oregon's media relations department said it does not comment on Kelly's interaction with fans.
