Redshirt sophomore wide receiver Jaelen Strong looks to the referee to confirm his touchdown against UCLA in Pasadena, Calif. ASU defeated the Bruins 38-35 and clinched a spot in the Pac-12 championship. (Photo by Dominic Valente.)The last three times ASU football and UCLA have faced off, the winner has gone on to win the Pac-12 South.
Not only has each game decided the Pac-12 South champion, the last drive of each game has been what crowned the victor.
“Ain't that great?” ASU coach Todd Graham said. “That's why you do this."
Graham embraces the big games, so he prefers those like this one. UCLA, in fact, has been the game circled on his schedule since the end of last season.
Even without his starting quarterback, redshirt senior Taylor Kelly, Graham has full confidence his team is going to come out firing against the Bruins, who may be without their starting quarterback, Brett Hundley. He’s questionable with a hyperextended elbow he injured against Texas.
With Kelly sidelined, redshirt junior Mike Bercovici will take the reins for the first time on Thursday.
“We have all the confidence in the world (in Bercovici),” Graham said. “One of the reasons why is because he’s such a consummate team guy. And there’s a lot of things he adds to the offense.”
After waiting in the wings for two-plus seasons now under Kelly, Bercovici is basking in the glory of a starting college quarterback.
“To be honest with you, I love it,” Bercovici said. “I've embraced this moment. This is something I've always worked for. I've been out here quite a bit of time, and being the backup, you don't get the same love that you normally get."
Just because he’s allowing himself to enjoy the spotlight a little bit doesn’t mean he’s taking anything away from his preparations for the game.
Bercovici has practiced the Mike Norvell-Graham offense for as long as Kelly, and though they possess slightly different skill sets, each can run the offense similarly. The biggest difference for Bercovici will be running it with the first team, instead of the second team.
That doesn’t worry him, though; Bercovici credits Norvell for getting him enough first-team reps during his time at ASU to feel comfortable. It also helps having an additional week to prepare.
“I think that is key: To get that time, to get those first-team reps,” Norvell said. “Being able to get out there and execute with (redshirt junior receiver) Jaelen (Strong) and (sophomore receiver) Cameron (Smith). We try to balance it pretty good throughout, so he does have a great relationship with those guys.”
Even Kelly hasn’t shown a great in-game relationship with any players but Strong and junior running back D.J. Foster. They combine for 30 of ASU’s 51 receptions, while Foster leads the run game, too. Against the Sun Devils’ biggest challenge to date, Bercovici will have to utilize more than just Foster and Strong.
Three things to watch for
1. Can the defensive line take advantage of UCLA?
UCLA coach Jim Mora Jr. wanted to take the blame away from his offensive line for the number of sacks the Bruins have given up this season. He said sacks are a team stat, not an indictment of the offensive line. Nonetheless, the Bruins have still been vulnerable to the pass rush. They're tied for fourth-worst in the nation, allowing four sacks per game (12 total this season). ASU's defense ranks near the middle of the pack, averaging two sacks per game.
2. How much does ASU trust Bercovici?
Redshirt senior safety Damarious Randall was asked today what it's like going up against Bercovici in practice compared to Kelly. He said it's been more or less the same thing and to expect "300 to 400" yards passing from Bercovici. Why rely on a backup quarterback, though, when you have weapons like junior D.J. Foster and freshmen Kalen Ballage and Demario Richard in the backfield?
3. Will ASU's preparations pay dividends?
The Sun Devils have had nearly two weeks to prepare for UCLA, and they've been preparing for Brett Hundley to play the whole time. Graham's philosophy for preparing for a team with injuries is to "always prepare for the best one." Mora has been mum on the status of his starting quarterback, but he presents a unique threat if he plays — one that ASU's defense will likely be overmatched by if it doesn't play near-flawless football.
TV/radio information
Kickoff: 7 p.m. Arizona time
TV: Fox Sports 1
Radio: KTAR 620 AM/The Blaze 1330 AM
Prediction: UCLA 35, ASU 24
Reach the reporter at ewebeck@asu.edu or follow him on Twitter @EvanWebeck
