4-year ASU QB Carpenter seeks respect

Rudy Carpenter still wears his baseball cap backward.

That hasn't changed from when he arrived at Arizona State in summer 2004 and might be his style when his football days are over.

Almost everything else is different for Carpenter, though, as he begins his stretch run at ASU.

His final home game is Friday against UCLA, the school in his backyard that Carpenter turned down when he chose ASU. Then on Dec. 6, Carpenter will try to become the first ASU quarterback to go 4-0 in the Territorial Cup against rival Arizona. Wins in those games would elevate Carpenter to second in career victories by an ASU quarterback with 27 and send the Sun Devils to a school-record fifth consecutive bowl game.

"I hear all the same things (criticism) that everybody else hears from the fans during games," Carpenter said Monday. "I know that the way I judge a quarterback is based on his wins-and-loss record because that directly correlates with leadership.

"I'm going to leave here as probably as the second all-time wins leader (behind Danny White's 30-3). I know I had a successful career here, and I'm proud of what I did."

Carpenter is 25-16 in 41 consecutive starts. Dennis Sproul was 26-11 from 1974-77.

By any measure, Carpenter has outplayed what was expected of him when he joined a crowded quarterback field vying to replace Andrew Walter.

Sam Keller was the favorite to start in 2005-06, before Max Hall, in the same recruiting class as Carpenter, would get his chance. But Carpenter replaced injured Keller for the final five games in 2005; Hall went on a Mormon mission then transferred to Brigham Young; and former coach Dirk Koetter reverted to Carpenter as starter in '06 after first giving the job to Keller, who transferred to Nebraska.

Carpenter played through injuries to both hands in 2006, a thumb injury in '07 that required off-season surgery and an ankle injury this season. He was pummeled last season when ASU gave up 55 sacks and has taken his share of hits again as a senior behind a young offensive line.

Only Walter leads Carpenter in school career passing yards (10,617 to 10,266) and touchdowns (85 to 80). Even Carpenter didn't imagine those numbers until his career began to take off after his five starts in 2005 produced a national passing-efficiency title and the Insight Bowl Most Valuable Player award.

"No one knew who I was; no one cared what I was going to do," he said. "I just dropped back, saw a coverage and threw it up to someone like Derek Hagan or Matt Miller or Zach (Miller). Those guys made a lot of good plays to help me look good.

"It's a lot different when you lose a lot of guys, and things happen. I never would have thought it would have been this difficult (since 2005). After that season, I was like, 'I don't understand why everybody's not good. This is easy.' "

Dennis Erickson is thankful to have inherited Carpenter for the coach's first two seasons at ASU.

"When you're a senior and has had the success he's had, to only have won four games is disappointing," Erickson said. "He's handled it very well. Obviously, we had a new front, and there are a lot of different things he's dealt with. I've complimented him because he's never sat there and complained. He just played. Like anybody in life, you mature, and he has. How he handled things are awfully good as far as I'm concerned."

Carpenter's public image is a different matter. He's been a target of fan criticism for reasons that seem to center on a perceived arrogance or rough edges in his personality. He doesn't know what kind of reception to expect during Senior Day ceremonies Friday for him and 14 others.

"I can't really worry about that or control that," he said. "I hope it's good. I feel like I've tried to be a good Sun Devil, the best I can be. I hope people will at least respect that."