ASU Football: Breaks go Sun Devils' way in 48-23 victory over Colorado

It's better to be lucky than good.

Saturday against the Colorado Buffaloes, the Arizona State Sun Devils were both lucky and good.

Having both on their side led to a 48-23 victory, leaving the Sun Devils at 4-2 heading into a road matchup against Utah next week.

Early in the season, it felt as if the Sun Devils were never going to catch a break. Turnovers, penalties, dropped passes. The luck didn't break the Sun Devils way.

Saturday night finally saw the tides turn for the Sun Devils.

In the first quarter, with the score still 0-0, Demario Richard fumbled the ball. For Sun Devil fans, this felt like a familiar sight. Something different happened though, as tight end Kody Kohl recovered the fumble at Colorado's 28-yard line and took it to the end zone.

"Obviously, you never want to put the ball on the ground," ASU quarterback Mike Bercovici said. "But if it does, we practice those situations. Fumble drills, hectic situations and Kody's one of the smartest football players on our team. That's a tribute to his character and just being around the football, following the ball. That's the mentality on offense: if the ball's on the ground, we're going to go get it. And it was six points, so we'll take it."

Bercovici had a career night behind center, throwing for a career-high five touchdowns to go with 260 passing yards. One of those five touchdowns was a tipped pass that landed in the hands of wide receiver Tim White, another sign of good fortune for the Sun Devils.

"Well, that fourth and [two] was an interesting play," ASU coach Todd Graham said. "We had a little conversation with coach [Mike] Norvell and he said, 'I can guarantee you that this play's gonna work'. Then when I saw it, I said, 'Oh, man.' I was just about to get a little upset. But it worked out."

For White, the play was a combination of skill and luck and he was just happy to be in that situation.

"You just play the game, and if the ball comes your way, you have to make a play," White said. "The ball was tipped and I was fortunate enough to make a play."

The Sun Devils are taught to play until the very end of the whistle, which White and Kohl emphasized while coming up with huge plays at key moments for ASU.

"On the first drive that was huge," Graham said. "It's guys hustling. And we talk about covering the ball. Our guys are hustling and making things happen there. You work hard and play every play, good things happen to you, sometimes it bounces your way."

For the Sun Devils, the breaks need to continue going their way. At the midway point of the season, Arizona State finds itself at 3-1 in Pac-12 play. The Sun Devils control their own destiny, and have a duel with Utah in Salt Lake City looming next week.

If they want to continue to have that control, the Sun Devils need to keep winning and keep catching these breaks.