Redshirt junior quarterback Mike Bercovici signs a Sun Devil fan's shirt at Camp Tontozona on Aug. 16. (Photo by Mario Mendez)When redshirt senior quarterback Taylor Kelly went down with an injury against Colorado, Sun Devil nation was concerned.
OK, maybe a little more than concerned. How about panicked?
Kelly hurt his foot on a run in the third quarter last Saturday and went to the locker room. He emerged sporting a protective boot and crutches.
Kelly has been ruled out for at least the UCLA game on Sept. 25 and will probably be sidelined longer, based on media reports. For the time being, redshirt junior quarterback Mike Bercovici will step up in his place.
We actually don’t know who will start for No. 12 UCLA. It could be Brett Hundley or Jerry Nueheisel, though it's expected to be Hundley, according to the Los Angeles Times.
At ASU, Kelly beat out Michael Eubank (since transferred) and Bercovici in a tight position battle back in 2012. The former stuck around for his moment. Many thought it would be in 2015, after Kelly exhausted his eligibility, but his time has come early.
Bercovici’s college football experience has mainly come in mop-up duty, when games are already decided. His career numbers look pedestrian, completing 14 of 24 passes for 112 yards and a touchdown, but in those situations, ASU isn’t looking to complete passes down the field.
In his career, Kelly has completed 64.4 percent of his passes, the best mark in program history. He has thrown for more than 3,000 yards in back-to-back seasons and has 63 passing touchdowns compared to 21 interceptions.
Kelly has great chemistry with redshirt junior wide receiver Jaelen Strong, particularly on the back-shoulder fade route. Perhaps most of all, his deceptive scrambling ability is what separates him from other quarterbacks.
However, as big of a loss as Kelly is for the team, he’s just one component in the system. The program is bigger than a single player.
It takes 11 players working in sync to run an offense. The team also needs coaches to call the right plays. Bercovici is in his third season under offensive coordinator Mike Norvell and head coach Todd Graham. He knows the offense.
Redshirt junior quarterback Mike Bercovici successfully throws the to redshirt freshman wide receiver Ellis Jefferson in a home game against Weber State on Aug. 28. ASU won against Weber State 45-14. (Photo by Alexis Macklin)I'm not downplaying how important the quarterback position is; obviously, it's the most vital in the system. He receives the ball on every play, calls audibles and distributes to other players. But there are other ways an offense can move the football. Bercovici will have assistance from an explosive rushing attack.
Junior running back D.J. Foster has already broken his personal single-season rushing mark, with 510 yards through three games. Foster is third in the FBS in rushing yards and is sixth with 9.44 yards per carry.
There will be little margin for error when the Bruins come to town. It’s not the beginning of the season when ASU played its easy games. (ASU’s schedule is ranked 173rd in the country through three weeks, according to Jeff Sagarin).
ASU gets an additional week off before hosting UCLA, though it’s not quite that long, because the game is on a Thursday. The extra practice time may help Bercovici get acclimated with certain players, but he doesn’t really need more practice reps — he’s been a practice player going on four seasons. He needs game experience.
The next two happen to be ASU's most important of the season. If the Sun Devils win them both, they’ll be in great shape to repeat as division champions, while losing both essentially eliminates them in the Pac-12 South. A 1-1 showing keeps ASU afloat, but the team would need help.
These games will provide clues on just how valuable Kelly was and if the system can bring in the next man up with little drop-off in production.
2014 season in photos [slideshow_deploy id='149980'] Reach the columnist at Justin.Janssen@asu.edu or follow him on Twitter @jjanssen11
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