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. Bercovici will start against UCLA on Thursday. (Photo by Alexis Macklin)The Sun Devils are just days away from what many players and coaches are calling the biggest game of the season, but they are preparing with a new quarterback.
Redshirt junior Mike Bercovici will start in the absence of injured redshirt senior quarterback Taylor Kelly, who broke a bone in his foot in ASU's last game against Colorado.
Bercovici, who has thrown just 24 career passes, is treating this week normally, despite the fact that Thursday will be his first career start, because his coaches put pressure on him to succeed everyday.
"I don't know if you can tell, everyday when we come out here to practice coach (Todd) Graham puts the pressure on us like it's the national championship game," Bercovici said. "Going into this game, it's nothing new as far as anxiety goes. I've just got to go out and do my job, run the quarterback position, not turn the ball over and get the sticks moving forward."
Graham said at his weekly press conference that he has confidence in his quarterback and despite his differences from Kelly, believes in Bercovici.
"Mike is solid," Graham said. "I think one of the great things about him is that the team has a lot of confidence in him. I have not had one conversation with Coach (Mike) Norvell about him... I think he's confident. His big thing is just take what they give you and run the system. Obviously we have to adapt the system to him. We run our offense, but there are things that he brings to the table that I'm excited to see."
The Sun Devils are always focused on keeping turnovers at a minimum, something Bercovici addressed.
"When you wear a fork on your helmet, ball security is the number one thing," Bercovici said. "This is nothing new for us or new for me since I've been here. That's the number one thing we focus on every single day."
An issue with bringing a new quarterback in during a season is the relationship with their center, but Bercovici said that he and junior Nick Kelly will have no issues.
"Me and Nick have a great quarterback-center relationship," Bercovici said. "We come out here every single day and have a huge emphasis on the quarterback-center exchange. That's the identity of our program. It doesn't start with the quarterback, it starts with the center."
Bercovici is getting more comfortable with the first team offense, but he has already built up a rapport with them through rotating in.
"In the past I've gotten one team reps before in the spring and they mix me in sometimes during the year, so I've felt comfortable with the ones," Bercovici said. "They're the most confident guys on the field, so getting that daily progression from being in more and more snaps is important. Football is about repetition and the more and more reps you get in life, the better you get. So, basically, right now I feel like we're in a position where we know we're going to win this game."
Bercovici has gotten a lot of well wishes since being named the starter for this week, but realizes that he needs to remain focused.
"Everyone tells me to embrace the situation and obviously I am," Bercovici said. "It's not distracting to me, I see it as all love. A lot of people are counting on us to win this game and I appreciate everybody that has congratulated me and whatnot, but ultimately nothing has been accomplished yet. This week we'll be 4-0 and we'll move on to next week."
2014 season in photos
Reach the reporter at mtonis@asu.edu or follow him on Twitter @Tonis_The_Tiger
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