ASU football is no stranger to making adjustments.
Given the losses of a significant portion of the previous team's core – wide receiver Jaelen Strong, quarterback Taylor Kelly, offensive lineman Jamil Douglas, safety Damarious Randall and defensive tackle Marcus Hardison – and an important part of the future in junior wide receiver Cameron Smith, who was lost to an injury – adjustment will be necessary for sustained success in 2015.
But the Sun Devils believe experience, along with versatility, will make up for those key losses.
Redshirt senior quarterback Mike Bercovici praised the ability of his team to accept adversity and continually improve, pointing to versatility as one of their strengths.
"We've got guys who are versatile," Bercovici said after practice on Wednesday. "What's so great about this offense is we have smart players first. You can't play in this offense if you're not smart."
Bercovici also said that he prefers to call pressure an opportunity, and that the combination of sophomores Kalen Ballage and Demario Richard in the backfield will provide plenty of opportunities.
"We have such amazing interior linemen and the new guys on the outside are doing a great job," Bercovici said. "Everything's fun when you can run the football."
On the defensive side, the Sun Devils return nine of eleven starters from last season and will face serious challenges in 2015 against offensive juggernauts like Oregon and Texas A&M.
Steady improvement was evident in 2014 from a defensive unit that, after getting lit up for 62 points last season against UCLA, allowed 20.2 points per game in its next five games.
Versatility and experience are just as prevalent for ASU football on the defensive end. Both terms apply to sophomore linebacker Christian Sam, who said learning multiple positions and having a year under his belt were crucial in his development.
Sam said he believes passion is another integral part of his game.
"When anyone plays with passion, you get zoned in," Sam said. "When you have that passion, it's a different feel to the game being out there."
Sam has seen up close how the 2015 backfield has evolved.
"We've got great backs," Sam said. "That one-two punch back there. That's no joke."
Reach the reporter at rclarke6@asu.edu or follow @RClarkeASU on Twitter.
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