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ASU football coach Graham: 2014 injury reinforces need for a backup quarterback

If Mike Bercovici is hurt, who replaces him?

Redshirt freshman quarterback Manny Wilkins (center) runs a drill during ASU football practice on Thursday, Aug. 6, 2015, at the Verde Dickey Dome in Tempe.
Redshirt freshman quarterback Manny Wilkins (center) runs a drill during ASU football practice on Thursday, Aug. 6, 2015, at the Verde Dickey Dome in Tempe.

It wasn't that long ago that ASU football redshirt senior quarterback Mike Bercovici was just a backup.

Then, his opportunity came.

Then-starter Taylor Kelly, who had led the Sun Devils to the Pac-12 South title the year before, broke his foot down the stretch of the team's win over Colorado.

Bercovici stepped in after years of sitting behind Kelly, and made the most of his opportunity in setting a NCAA record with 998 passing yards in his first two career starts.

This year, however, head coach Todd Graham said he is not sure who would fill in if Bercovici went down with an injury.

"I went to bed last year and I didn't worry about anything," Graham said. "I should've, because my quarterback broke his foot the third week. I didn't worry because of the guy we had behind him. 

"The biggest focus better be on those guys that are behind Mike (Bercovici) and it's not clear," he said. "That tells you that they're not ready. They better be approaching every day like they're the starting quarterback because you never know what's going to happen. That's an area that concerns me. We have got some great players there, with very little experience."

Kelly, now an offensive assistant with the program, can speak of a living example to always be prepared.

"Coach Norvell always tells you that you're one play away, and he said that today," Kelly said. "A guy has got to be ready, and you're one play away from getting out there and playing."

Now, Kelly's job is to look through the young, inexperienced crop of redshirt freshman Manny Wilkins and freshmen Brady White and Bryce Perkins behind Bercovici.

"They're all very talented guys," Kelly said. "They're young. They lack experience and you can't coach that. The thing that (deputy head coach Mike) Norvell and I are focusing on is the little things. The discipline stuff, your alignments, your reads, your footwork, your drops, making sure that it's perfect on every play. 

"When they're on the sideline, they're getting mental reps, putting them in those situations and reading when (Bercovici) is out there, watching what he's doing."

Wilkins is the lone player with any experience in Norvell's scheme, having redshirted last season.


Reach the reporter at fardaya@asu.edu or follow @fardaya15 on Twitter.

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