TEMPE, Ariz. - Dennis Erickson offered no false optimism as he wrapped up his first spring at Arizona State.

"We've got a long ways to go," he said. "We really do. We're not even close to where we need to be to have a chance to be competitive in our league.

"I'm realistic. I've been there, I've done it, I know it. But we can get there. That's a good thing."

This spring had a different feel than last year, when the only real story was the competition between quarterbacks Sam Keller and Rudy Carpenter, which nearly tore the team apart.

Then-coach Dirk Koetter did not name a starter after spring drills. Koetter gave the job to Keller shortly before the season opener, then abruptly changed his mind and named Carpenter the starter amid speculation that Carpenter was planning to transfer.

Keller transferred to Nebraska within days. Carpenter started all 13 games as Arizona State went 7-6, lost to Hawaii 41-24 in the Hawaii Bowl and Koetter was fired.

This year, there is virtually no drama, and that should be a good thing for the Sun Devils, who believe they are ready to move up in the Pac-10 after finishing in a four-way tie for fifth place a year ago.

"I haven't worried about so much," said Carpenter, a junior who has started 18 games. "Last year, I was worried about what Sam was doing, who was going to start, who was playing well, who wasn't playing well."

Quarterback is the least of Erickson's worries. Defense looks like a problem area, no surprise for a team that conceded 41 points to Hawaii, 44 to Oregon State, 48 to Oregon and 49 to California.

The defense is so unsettled that Erickson may start at least two junior college transfers - defensive end Luis Vasquez and linebacker Morris Wooten. And he said freshman signees will be given a chance to compete for playing time, which is rare at many elite programs.

"If there's any freshman that can come in physically and play, then they're going to play," Erickson said. "We're going to give them opportunities."

Erickson wants the Sun Devils to adopt the attacking mentality that characterized his defenses at Miami and Oregon State.

"I've been known as an offensive coach, but really the best teams I've ever had have been great on defense," Erickson said. "I still believe that you can consistently be good on defense. We know what we want to do offensively. We've been doing it for a long time. Now we've just got to get a mentality where we're good on defense, and I think it's a mentality more than anything.

"We've just got to continue to get faster on defense."

Erickson said the offense he has inherited is strongest on the front line and at running back, and he plans to play to those strengths.

"We've got to become a real physical, offensive running team this year," Erickson said.

That's good news for starting tailback Ryan Torain, a hard-charging senior who ran for 1,229 yards on 223 carries last year, averaging 5.5 yards per carry. Only three players in Pac-10 history - Corey Dillon of Washington and O.J. Simpson and Clarence Davis of USC - have rushed for more yards in their first season.

Torain rushed for a team-high 68 yards on nine carries and scored two touchdowns in the spring game Saturday night.

Erickson has been impressed with Torain and Dimitri Nance, who apparently has moved ahead of Keegan Herring on the depth chart.

Torain said he's looking forward to playing an even bigger role in the offense.

"I like it a lot," Torain said. "I love helping the team out and making plays."

With spring drills over, the Sun Devils won't formally reconvene until fall camp in August. They will train at Camp Tontozona from Aug. 7-15 and move workouts back to campus as the Sept. 1 opener against San Jose State approaches.

By then, Erickson will have a better feel for how his team needs to improve. And he'll have time to make adjustments.

A forgiving schedule opens with four straight home games against San Jose State, Colorado, San Diego State and Oregon State, then a trip to Stanford, which went 1-11 last year.

"We're not there yet, but we've got the talent to get there," Erickson said. "We've got to just keep working hard."