Football is all about competition.
Junior Brock Osweiler has been the starting quarterback for the Sun Devils ever since Steven Threet retired. However, the backup quarterback position is still up for grabs.
Freshmen Mike Bercovici and Taylor Kelly have been competing for the job all camp, but on Sunday coach Dennis Erickson gave the nod, for the time being, to Bercovici.
“That’s awesome,” Bercovici said. “I feel like I worked my tail off. That’s the reason I came here in the spring, so I’m really excited about that decision.”
While Bercovici will be the backup against UC Davis, Erickson is confident in both the players and will continue to evaluate the position.
“They’re both playing pretty well,” Erickson said. “Neither one has jumped ahead of the other. They’re pretty even.”
The common fans may ignore second-string players, but Bercovici knows his role is an important one for the Sun Devils and their offense.
“My mindset as a backup quarterback is if anything happens to the starter, I don’t want there to be any setbacks to the offense,” Bercovici said. “I want to be just as prepared as the starter.”
Bercovici mentioned that the quarterback competition was tight and that he had to focus 100 percent of the time. He felt one bad rep could be the difference between the second and third string jobs.
Although he may have had to pinch himself a few times to remind himself that this is reality, Bercovici credits his early success to his participation in spring practices.
“You need that extra spring practice to be able to compete in the fall,” Bercovici said. “I knew I wanted to do it ever since I was a freshman in high school. I saw Jimmy Clausen do it when I was an 8th grader and he got the starting spot at Notre Dame his freshman year. Ever since that I was like ‘OK, that’s what I’m going to be doing.’”
Injury Notes
Senior wide receiver Gerell Robinson and junior cornerback Deveron Carr both returned to practice Sunday and participated in every drill for the first time in a couple weeks.
Erickson also mentioned that senior offensive lineman Adam Tello will not play against UC Davis, but may be ready for the Missouri game.
Reach the reporter at william.boor@asu.ed
