The Sun Devils didn’t have their starting quarterback for the first fall scrimmage at Sun Devil Stadium Monday and the offense didn’t run very smoothly as a result.
Redshirt sophomore quarterback Mike Bercovici started with the first team after regular starter, junior Taylor Kelly, sat out with an injury.
Head coach Todd Graham said Kelly didn’t play because a running back’s elbow hit him in the head the day before during a walkthrough, cutting Kelly’s head.
The offense struggled with turnovers for most of the scrimmage. There were multiple fumbles and a combined four interceptions between redshirt sophomore Michael Eubank and Bercovici.
After the scrimmage, Bercovici took responsibility for the offense’s sloppy play.
“It all starts at the quarterback position,” Bercovici said. “That’s one of our goals on this team is to lead this team and every mistake is on us because in order for this offense to run it starts with the quarterback … it’s unacceptable on our part.”
Eubank wasn’t too happy either, but still felt he showed that he deserved playing time.
“My performance, it wasn’t exceptional, it was mediocre,” Eubank said. “Just a few mental errors, but overall I feel like I showcased that I can get some more time this year.”
The offense did, however, show some progress on the final drive, running much smoother, faster and more efficiently.
Bercovici said it all started off with a big play from a new wide receiver.
“It all started with the back-shoulder fade to Jaelen Strong,” Bercovici said “That’s how this offense works. Once we get a big gain we’re fast to the line and we get going quick.”
Despite the rough performance, Bercovici said he is optimistic about where the offense is, especially with a year of being in Graham’s system under their belts.
“It’s the second time in our offense in fall camp and we’re a 180 degree difference right now than (from where) we were last year,” he said. “So there’s a lot of improvement and it’s real exciting moving forward.”
Practice Notes
- Second and third string players got plenty of playing time and Graham said he is happy with his team’s depth. He said the second and third stringers look a lot better than they did last year.
- Freshman kicker Zane Gonzalez only missed one kick all day and made one from more than 40 yards out.
- Graham said there is a battle brewing for the Sam linebacker spot between redshirt freshman Salamo Fiso and senior Steffon Martin. Freshman Villiami Latu is also getting looks at the Sam linebacker position as well.
- Sophomore defensive tackle Jaxon Hood and senior defensive end Jake Sheffield both made several tackles for losses and impressed Graham at the scrimmage.
- Graham said junior linebacker Eriquel Florence, a transfer from Contra Costa College, is getting closer to practicing with the team.
- Punting consistency is still a concern as the first three or four punts of the day were not impressive. Junior punter Dom Vizzare, a transfer from Scottsdale Community College, is competing with freshman Matt Haack for the starting position.
Reach the reporter at ejsmith7@asu.edu or follow him on Twitter @EricSmith_SP
