ASU football was dead in the water. That was, until it wasn't.
The Sun Devils entered Saturday's matchup against No. 7 UCLA at 2-2 and at risk of starting the season 0-2 in conference play.
ASU played its best game of the season with its Pac-12 South hopes on the line and came up 38-23 victors at the Rose Bowl.
"So this game was vital," coach Todd Graham said Monday. "Our backs were against the wall. We had to get it done to stay alive. We're still alive, and ... we've got a lot of work left to be done."
He was right. A look at the current Pac-12 South reveals a mishmash of one and two-loss teams, as ASU now remains alive and well to contend for a shot at the Pac-12 crown.
That said, Graham will not allow his players to look that far ahead just yet.
"It's single-game elimination," Graham said. "You've got to go win the next one and win the next one, so obviously it was a huge, huge win for us, and very proud of our guys, but we've got seven more steps to get to the game we want to be playing in, and the next one and the most important one is Colorado, and I can tell you we've got a lot of respect for Coach MacIntyre, the job he's done."
Norvell, Patterson back on the field
The biggest adjustment for ASU football on Saturday night didn't involve a lineup change.
Instead, it was the move of offensive and defensive coordinators Mike Norvell and Keith Patterson back from the booth to the sidelines.
"Obviously Coach Norvell is the leader of our offense and specifically the leader of the quarterback group," redshirt senior Mike Bercovici said. "So it was exciting to see him down there, just his on-field presence is unmatched, and just being able to communicate with him face-to-face, it was just a great night on Saturday night."
ASU responded with arguably its best offensive performance this season, tying a season-high with 38 points and establishing a rhythm early. Defensively, it held its opponent to less than 100 yards rushing for the second straight week and held when necessary to seal the win.
Graham said the moves made a massive impact during Saturday's game.
"Coach Patterson and Coach Norvell came back down, and I thought that was a huge difference for us obviously in our players," Graham said. "Just everyone was pretty focused on their job at hand. I think Mike is a dynamic leader, and he's an inspirational leader, and so the players respond to him. So I liked having him back on the field."
Graham was particularly pleased with Norvell, who was often criticized for his play calling during the team's first four games.
"I think Coach Norvell called a masterful game," Graham said. "I thought he really did a great job at getting the ball out quick and ... he really did a good job. I watched the game with him, and I'm pretty good at critiquing him, and he really did a good job, really did, especially down there late in the game and the last drive."
Haack-Eye: Using the punter as a 'weapon'
Graham is never one to shy away from superlatives. So, naturally, it was taken with a grain of salt when he said multiple times that junior punter Matt Haack was a "weapon" for the Sun Devil football team.
A career-high five punts inside the 20 (including one downed at the 1-yard line) and the Pac-12 Special Teams Player of the Week honors validated Graham's high praise – and then some.
"He can be a weapon," Graham said. "I mean, he has really, really got unbelievable talent, and it's just getting that technique now, and he had it all come together. I think he got – I like the fire from which he competed this week, and it was big for us."
Related Links:
Keeping up with the Bercovicis? Attention turns to ASU quarterback, Kim Kardashian after upset
Report Card: Grading ASU's 38-23 upset over No. 7 UCLA
Reach the reporter at fardaya@asu.edu or follow @fardaya15 on Twitter.
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