The fans were "owed" something special.

Those were the words of Arizona State coach Dennis Erickson before his team played host to Washington State.

Will a shutout do?

The Sun Devils will certainly take a 31-0 victory to break a three-game home losing streak.

"It was an unbelievable defensive effort," Erickson said. "Anytime you shut anybody out, it's special."

Arizona State wasn't providing a lot of special plays during the first half, going ahead just 10-0 against a struggling Cougars defense.

Quarterback Rudy Carpenter picked up the pace to finish with three touchdown passes. The defense was the story, however.

The Cougars managed just 7 rushing yards and 130 total yards. It was the first Sun Devils shutout since a 19-0 victory over Nebraska on Sept. 21, 1996.

True freshman Lawrence Guy even helped the team out on the scoreboard with a 22-yard fumble return for a touchdown. The defense has scored a touchdown in three consecutive games.

"My whole thing this week was that the last time we played here at home, it was not a good deal," Erickson said about a 54-20 loss to Oregon. "We needed to go out and try to give out fans something to cheer about."

The defense is providing plenty of reasons to celebrate.

SEASON RECAP

Arizona State 30, NAU 13 -- QB Rudy Carpenter completed 22 of 28 passes for 388 yards as the Sun Devils took a 30-0 lead before coasting with reserves. Eight different receivers caught passes.

Arizona State 41, Stanford 17 -- QB Rudy Carpenter threw for 345 yards and three touchdowns, while the defense picked off three passes to neutralize the Stanford offense. The Cardinal managed just 113 rushing yards, and sacked Carpenter only twice after blitzing him for six sacks a year ago.

UNLV 23, Arizona State 20 -- Lou Groza Award-winning K Thomas Weber had a 35-yard field goal attempt blocked in overtime, only his second miss during his career. The Sun Devils' explosive offense did not score after taking a 20-10 lead with 10:37 remaining in the third quarter. QB Rudy Carpenter completed 13 of 23 passes for 242 yards.

Georgia 27, Arizona State 10 -- The Sun Devils couldn't stop the run, or run the ball. Georgia's Knowshown Moreno gained 149 yards and scored twice while ASU managed just four yards on the ground. Sun Devil QB Rudy Carpenter was 23 for 36 for 208 yards and one touchdown.

California 24, Arizona State 14 -- The Bears jumped out to a quick 17-point lead and never looked back with Sun Devil QB Rudy Carpenter having his least productive game of the season, throwing for just 165 yards and a pair of interceptions. The defense allowed just 67 yards in the second half, but that was too late with ASU's running game managing just 71 yards.

USC 28, Arizona State 0 -- The Sun Devils were shut out for the first time since Oct. 30, 2004. QB Rudy Carpenter, playing with a badly sprained foot, completed just 11 of 20 passes and had a pick returned for a 46-yard touchdown. ASU's rushing woes continued with just 75 yards.

Oregon 54, Arizona State 20 -- The Ducks kept the Sun Devils defense off-balance and uncertain with a hurry-up, no-huddle attack. Oregon rushed for 304 yards. ASU managed 107 yards on the ground. Quarterback Rudy Carpenter had one of the worst games of his career with 146 passing yards and interceptions on his first two drives.

Oregon State 27, Arizona 25 -- ASU quarterback Rudy Carpenter led the Devils down the field on a late drive, hitting Andrew Pettes for a 3-yard touchdown to narrow the gap to two. A potential game-tying two-point conversion failed when Carpenter was rushed to the outside and threw a ball up for grabs in the end zone. PK Thomas Weber had four field goals.

Arizona State 39, Washington 19 -- The Sun Devils got their running attack, which had ranked 115th nationally, on track with Keegan Herring gaining a season-high 144 yards on 22 carries. Quarterback Rudy Carpenter threw a pair of touchdown passes to Mike Jones late in the game to seal the victory.

Arizona State 31, Washington State 0 -- The Sun Devils recorded their first shutout in 12 years. Quarterback Rudy Carpenter sparked the offense by completing 17 of 24 passes for 213 yards and three scores. Kyle Williams caught two scoring tosses.

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