ASU football coach Todd Graham is not one to publicly express concerns or outwardly reveal any negative emotions he elicits toward his team.
However, on Saturday Graham's frustration was physically evident and overpowering. Every question from a media member was immediately followed by a solemn sigh and cautiously optimistic answer.
"I don't have anything to say but whew, that was difficult," Graham said to open his press conference.
The Sun Devils (1-1) picked up a 35-21 win over the Cal Poly Mustangs (1-1) in their home opener but yet again made things difficult for themselves.
Too difficult, especially against an FCS opponent.
"All that matters is that you're 1-0 (for the day)," Graham said. "Games like that obviously are catastrophic if they go the other way, but when you go and win them obviously they make you better."
The Sun Devils did little to address the to the holes that were exposed in their season-opening loss against Texas A&M, instead pairing each glimmer of optimism with another frustrating blow.
It could have been easier. There was a time in the second quarter when the Sun Devils seemed poised to take control of the football game with a 21-7 lead and the ball driving down the field.
Redshirt senior quarterback Mike Bercovici made a tough play on third down to dump the ball off to redshirt junior tight end Kody Kohl and get the first down. That was, until Kohl fumbled away the football and with it the grasp on the game.
"Our identity is to own the football, and that's something that we failed to do at that time," Bercovici said. "Just a minor slip-up and something that happens. We learn from that situation. We can see how important it is to keep the first down and stay on the field there."
Graham said it was just a part of a rough second quarter that saw Cal Poly's offense have the ball for 13:36 of the 15 possible minutes.
"The second quarter was chaotic," Graham said.
The offense performed markedly better than in its dreadful outing in Houston, but still made critical errors.
Bercovici threw the ball downfield with success ( he picked up 283 yards and three touchdowns through the air) but also threw a costly interception on fourth down and goal to go on the Mustangs' 2-yard line in a tie game.
Sophomore running back Demario Richard benefited from an enhanced role in the offense, carrying the ball 25 times for 121 yards and two touchdowns. While the offense was more balanced as a whole, the Sun Devils stumbled in the red zone, at times forcing the ball to marked receivers (including a sequence of consecutive passes in which a well-covered Devin Lucien was the intended target) and forcing Richard to run into gaps that didn't exist.
ASU's defense started the game off on the same strong note it did against Texas A&M, but one by one bodies began to pile up against a sea of cut blocks in Cal Poly's triple-option scheme.
Junior defensive lineman Vilami Latu went down with an injury in the second quarter. Sophomore safety Armand Perry walked back through the Tillman Tunnel in a walking boot and crutches. Others soon followed, each dealing with small injuries and wearing ASU's depth slightly thinner.
"Obviously we have a lot of people not used to the cut blocking, and we had a lot of injuries," Graham said. "That hurt us quite a bit. ... That triple-option is obviously difficult."
Assignments that were occupied earlier in the game began faltering as the Mustangs combined for 284 total rushing yards, already exceeding ASU's 2014 high of 247 yards allowed in a game.
"We started off pretty good, but we just had guys not taking their assignments," Graham said. "You've got to be disciplined and take the dive, the quarterback and the pitch. We could not get our ends to close to the dive."
On a more upbeat note, the spark provided by redshirt junior De'Chavon "Gump" Hayes was a pleasant surprise – he reeled off a 57-yard kickoff return in the first half. Hayes then went down with a hamstring injury, and the strides made by the unit were negated by costly penalties and shaky ball security.
The Sun Devils were frustrated after Saturday's game. They should be.
The pieces that made ASU a popular dark-horse playoff contender before the season are still in place: An experienced quarterback, solid playmakers and (at its best) a strong and deep defense.
They also revealed that the holes that looked so glaring a week ago have not gotten much smaller, flirting dangerously close to suffering one of the worst potential losses in program history.
Bercovici is angry, and ready to get to work.
"We're pissed off to get back on the football field," he said.
ASU has a short week to prepare for their next tilt, against New Mexico at home.
It's time for them to shrink some holes.
Reach the reporter at fardaya@asu.edu or follow @fardaya15 on Twitter.
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