Injured redshirt senior quarterback Taylor Kelly and redshirt junior quarterback Mike Bercovici watch from the sidelines at home game against UCLA on Sept. 25, 2014. The Sun Devils lost to the Bruins, 62-27. (Photo by Alexis Macklin)He didn't do much. Occasionally, he'd pick up a ball and throw it, or catch a pass. But mostly, he stood. However, Taylor Kelly stood suited up for the first time in almost a month.
The redshirt senior quarterback went down with a right foot injury against Colorado on Sept. 13. And on Oct. 9, he put on shoulder pads and a green practice jersey for the first time since the 38-24 Sun Devil win.
It's usual progress for Kelly, and Graham still expects him to play against No. 25 Stanford. But the Sun Devils continue to prepare for either him or redshirt junior Mike Bercovici to lead ASU into its game against the Cardinal.
"We're just easing him back in a little bit," Graham said.
Kelly rarely ran, mostly just walked during practice. Bercovici and freshman Manny Wilkins ran the offensive drills, while Kelly continued to stand on the sidelines. Clearly, he's not 100 percent yet, but he's making progress. Kelly ditched the walking boot Wednesday and Thursday, he was dressed for practice.
It looked as though Kelly was able to plant on his injured right foot and throw in his walking boot, but he didn't do much of either on Thursday. Just walking, standing and working with the other quarterbacks.
Calhoun to Spur
Graham praised freshman linebacker DJ Calhoun on Tuesday, saying he played his best game in his short career as a Sun Devil on Saturday against USC. He praised him again Thursday, talking about the difficulties of picking up a scheme as a freshman.
"He's done great at times," Graham said. "Physically, he's just really talented. He's got great spirit (and) great energy. He's just not used to the volume of information."
The amount of information for Calhoun is about to increase — in fact, it already has the past three practices. Calhoun began to work at Spur linebacker on Tuesday, and continued Wednesday and Thursday. The true freshman had thrived at Will through the first five games of the season, capped off by a nine-tackle, 2.5-tackles-for-loss performance against the Trojans in Los Angeles. He's fourth on the team in tackles (27) and tackles for loss (3.5).
He's the smallest linebacker, but that doesn't scare him away from rushing up the middle with the big boys. Going forward, he'll be picking on players closer to his own size, though. With redshirt sophomore linebacker Laiu Moeakiola still wearing the green no-contact jersey, Calhoun took first-team reps at Spur, and he thinks the position change will be for the long-term.
He referenced Moeakiola's injury a couple times, however vaguely. Graham on Tuesday said Moeakiola "just wasn't ready" to play against USC, explaining his lack of snaps, and that they were going to rest him during the bye week. Moving Calhoun to Spur, especially after his success at Will, could indicate a longer timetable than originally expected for Moeakiola, though.
Calhoun said the coaching staff wants him at Spur because of his smaller stature and his mobility. Being able to move freely in order to perform cover duties is a large part of the Spur position, being a hybrid between a safety and a linebacker.
"I have to get better at (coverage)," Calhoun said. "Everyday, I have to get better at it. I didn't really cover as much at Will."
The change wouldn't have been possible in Calhoun's eyes if the Sun Devils didn't have a bye this week. Despite the success he's had, Calhoun is still just a freshman. And a freshman who's just moved positions, with a lot more knowledge to pick up.
Additional notes
— Freshman defensive tackle Renell Wren practiced extensively with the first-team defense during walk throughs Thursday. He enrolled late and has been playing catch up so far this season, but Graham said he likes the progress Wren has made. Graham wouldn't go into detail about when to expect him in game action but indicated it could be in the near future.
— Redshirt junior Antonio Longino was back at Will again Thursday after practicing there Tuesday, too. With Calhoun's move to Spur, ASU needed to fill the open Will spot. Longino had previously been working as a Devilbacker, alongside redshirt sophomore Edmond Boateng and redshirt senior De'Marieya Nelson.
Reach the reporter at ewebeck@asu.edu or follow him on Twitter @EvanWebeck
