Check out photos from Saturday's game against the CU Buffaloes in this slideshow.
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Didn't catch the Homecoming parade? See photos from the parade and the game in this slideshow.
By any measure, the ASU offensive line is one of the team’s strongest units.The Sun Devils play four seniors regularly and the underclassmen all have experience.
In most weeks, however, the team has had to deal with injuries to the line. Senior Aderious Simmons and sophomore Evan Finkenberg both have missed multiple games.
But if Finkenberg, who’s still recovering from knee surgery but is practicing, is able to play this weekend, the entire unit will be available for the first time since Sept. 1.
“It’s been tough but it’s helped our depth,” redshirt senior offensive lineman Dan Knapp said. “Now we have guys back and it helps us even more.”
Sun Devils like sophomore center Kody Koebensky and redshirt freshman tackle Tyler Sulka were the main beneficiaries, racking up more playing time in replacement.
“A lot of guys are more mature now,” redshirt senior center Garth Gerhart said. “We’re gelling because we have everybody out there.”
Even though the injuries healed enough to play, they likely won’t go completely away until the end of the season.
“We have a great training crew here but it stays around,” said Gerhart, who sprained his ankle against Oregon State but played the next week. “The only way to fix it is rest and there’s no rest out here.”
Catching up with Berco and Tucker
Freshman quarterback Mike Bercovici hadn’t seen the field since the Sun Devils’ season opener against UC Davis. Sophomore linebacker Matthew Tucker had played sparingly in every game in 2011.
Both saw significant action last weekend in a blowout win against Colorado.
“It felt great being back on the field,” Bercovici said. “It’s nice to know I’ve played against a Pac-12 team we’re going to keep playing the next four years while I’m here. That experience is vital.”
Tucker, who’s from Colorado but wasn’t offered a scholarship by the Buffaloes, relished the opportunity to play against his home state team.
“That was real big for me,” he said. “I got to go home the week before and then those guys came here. I played against some boys from back home.”
The game was two days before Halloween and Tucker celebrated the holiday by wearing a vampire-fanged mouth guard.
“I was just waiting for the beast to be unleashed,” he laughed. “But I’ve been rocking them since spring ball actually.”
Bercovici, barring injury or another blowout, likely won’t see any more playing time the rest of the season. But his parents were on hand Saturday to see their son in a Pac-12 matchup.
“They saw me in a real game,” he said. “It was funny to see the looks on their faces.”
The Southern California native will have even more family nearby this weekend when the Sun Devils travel to UCLA.
“It’s going to feel like a home game,” he said. “I’ve been going to the Rose Bowl ever since I was born. It’s going to be fun to be wearing a different jersey there.”
Reach the reporter at tyler.emerick@asu.edu
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