1996 Arizona State Sun Devils football team


The 1996 Arizona State Sun Devils football team represented Arizona State University as a member of the Pacific-10 Conference during the 1996 NCAA Division I-A football season. In their fifth season under head coach Bruce Snyder, the Sun Devils compiled an overall record of 11–1 with a mark of 8–0 in conference play, winning the Pac-10 title. Arizona State earned a berth in the Rose Bowl, where they Sun Devils lost to Ohio State. The team played home games at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Arizona.
Arizona State's 1996 season highlighted by a 19–0 shutout, on September 21, of the top-ranked, two-time defending national champion, Nebraska Cornhuskers in Tempe, ending Nebraska's 26-game win streak. The upset win also gained a measure of revenge from the previous season, when Sun Devils went into Lincoln, Nebraska and were not only defeated by a 77–28 margin, but were enraged after the eventual national champions threw a long touchdown pass in the game's final minutes.
Led by quarterback Jake Plummer, who finished third in the voting for the Heisman Trophy, Arizona State was undefeated heading into the Rose Bowl against the Ohio State Buckeyes. Had the Sun Devils won the game, they would have had a chance of capturing at least a share of the national championship, as they would have been the only undefeated major-college team in the nation. The Sun Devils led 17–14 with 1:47 left in the fourth quarter, but surrendered a late touchdown to Ohio State, falling by a final score of 20–17.

Game summaries

At Stanford

At Arizona

  • Bruce Snyder's 100th career win
  • Terry Battle passes 1,000 yards rushing for the season

Awards and honors

1996 team players in the NFL

The following players were claimed in the 1997 NFL draft.
Juan RoqueTackle235Detroit Lions
Jake PlummerQuarterback242Arizona Cardinals
Derek M. SmithOutside Linebacker380Washington Redskins
Derrick RodgersOutside Linebacker392Miami Dolphins
Keith PooleWide receiver4116New Orleans Saints
Scott Von der AheLinebacker6182Indianapolis Colts
Shawn SwaydaDefensive tackle6196Chicago Bears
Terry BattleRunning back7206Detroit Lions