House of Sparky - Taking Back the Cup: ASU vs. Arizona CoverageFluently Speaking Victoryhttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/47079/fave.png2015-11-22T15:00:02-07:00http://www.houseofsparky.com/rss/stream/95284452015-11-22T15:00:02-07:002015-11-22T15:00:02-07:00ASU vs. Arizona: Positional Grades
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<figcaption>Casey Sapio-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>The Territorial Cup is back in Tempe after the Sun Devils beat the Wildcats 52-37 and with the rivalry win, comes bowl eligibility for ASU.</p> <p>Our positional grades for Arizona State's Territorial Cup win against the University of Arizona:</p>
<p><b>Quarterbacks: A-</b></p>
<p><span>Mike Bercovici</span> wins his last game at Sun Devil Stadium with a victory over Arizona and while the season, on the whole, has not lived up to expectations, this win gives the redshirt senior from California a huge reason to be happy about how his career in maroon and gold is coming to an end.</p>
<p>Bercovici finished his home finale with 315 yards on 21-of-32 passes with two touchdowns. He also scampered his way into the endzone for a 1-yard touchdown run early in the game.</p>
<p>His lone blunder came U of A defensive back <span>Cam Denson</span> read a bubble screen, picked off Bercovici, and took the interception back to the house for a 21-yard pick six.</p>
<p><b>Running Backs: A</b></p>
<p><span>Demario Richard</span> left the game with an apparent ankle injury, but was able to rack up 105 rushing yards and a touchdown before he was sidelined. Kallen Ballage worked his way to 110 yards on 18 carries and <span>D.J. Foster</span> added 33 rushing yards and a touchdown as well.</p>
<p>]The running backs finished the game with 100 percent ball security and made the Sun Devil offense more than one dimensional against a vulnerable and injured Wildcat defense.</p>
<p><b>Wide Receivers: A+</b></p>
<p>The sad part about watching Devin Lucien's monster game where he finished with 190 yards on nine catches and a touchdown was that we only get this season of Lucien before he is without eligibility. He will most likely finish the season close to 800 yards and at least four touchdowns once the Devils finish with Cal next week.</p>
<p>Tim White contributed 67 yards on eight catches and redshirt freshman <span>Jalen Harvey</span> caught his first career reception and his first career touchdown on a beautiful 41-yard touchdown throw from Bercovici. The deep ball was there against the Wildcats and the receivers made the most of the opportunities that came their way.</p>
<p><b>Offensive Line: A-</b></p>
<p>With only two sacks given up, the offensive line seemed to have its best game of the season and, for the most part, dominated the trenches. The pocket for Bercovici was as good as it has been throughout the year and the running backs had plenty of room to run before contact. It was a solid performance for the big men up front.</p>
<p><b>Defensive Line: A-</b></p>
<p>Sacks from JoJo Wicker, Demetrious Cherry, <span>Viliami Latu</span> plus the fact that the unit really limited any sort of rushing attack from the Wildcat offense gives the D-line an admirable grade.</p>
<p>They weren't able to directly recover any turnovers, but the constant pressure that the defensive line was instrumental in creating led to the two turnovers that sealed the game for ASU.</p>
<p><b>Linebackers: A</b></p>
<p>The linebackers were absolutely relentless in pressuring both <span>Brandon Dawkins</span> and <span>Jerrard Randall</span> throughout the entire game and credit to Dawkins because he was receiving some hard hits and still getting back up.</p>
<p><span>Salamo Fiso</span> continued his all-conference level of play with two and a half sacks, joined by Antonio Longino's one and a half sack, and blitzing extraordinaire D.J. Calhoun's one sack. The constant pressure created some opportunities for the ASU secondary to take advantage of late in the game.</p>
<p><b>Defensive Backs: A-</b></p>
<p>The 95-yard touchdown play by <span>Trey Griffey</span> brings this grade down and the Wildcats did throw for 340 yards, but the secondary absolutely redeemed what would have been a subpar game with some huge turnovers in the fourth quarter.</p>
<p>Aided by pressure from the front seven, Kareem Orr was able to set a school record for interceptions by a freshman with a monumental pick six and his fifth overall interception on the season. U of A was only down eight and the Wildcats began the drive with a chance to tie the game.</p>
<p>After getting hit hard in the backfield, Dawkins left up a pass for Orr to snatch away and take back 21 yards for six. That interception all but sealed the game for ASU, but the secondary wasn't done.</p>
<p>The next drive, <span>Lloyd Carrington</span> intercepted another pass from Dawkins and returned it 38 yards for a touchdown of his own. Two pick sixes in crucial minutes against U of A to ensure the Territorial Cup came back to Tempe will receive a good grade every time.</p>
<p><b>Special Teams: A-</b></p>
<p>Zane Gonzales was perfect for the day, making a 29-yard field goal in his only attempt of the day and going 7-for-7 on extra points. Matt Haack's first punt was shanked for 26 yards, but he rebounded well after that including a 65-yard punt directly after that first one.</p>
https://www.houseofsparky.com/2015/11/22/9778820/asu-vs-u-of-a-positional-gradesBlaneMarshall2015-11-21T20:45:19-07:002015-11-21T20:45:19-07:00Lucien plays major role in only Territorial Cup
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<figcaption>Casey Sapio-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>The former UCLA transfer was one of the stars of the game for ASU, leading the receiving attack in his only opportunity to win the Territorial Cup.</p> <p>As the sea of grey bodies poured onto the field after the conclusion of the Territorial Cup, there was one player hanging back. Watching, taking the spectacle in, absorbing it all. As a mob of players gathered around the Cup, jumping and shouting in celebration of its return to Tempe, Devin Lucien stayed a few feet behind.</p>
<p>After a couple of minutes, he stepped forward and touched his hand to the trophy that his performacne had helped win. A player who hadn't been embedded into Sun Devil culture until recently played his final regular season game at Sun Devil Stadium as if he had been a Sun Devil all along.</p>
<p>After spending a summer in the desert heat, catching balls from Mike Bercovici while trying to adjust to his new school, team and life, Lucien credited his successful transition from UCLA to Arizona State to the other seniors on the team, a transition that Todd Graham almost didn't let him make.</p>
<p>Following a performance in which he hauled in nine balls for 190 yards and a touchdown in the win over Arizona, it's safe to say that transition was successful.</p>
<p>"He'd probably tell you if he was honest, it was pretty tough. I'll be real honest with you, it was something I had to be sold on," Graham said. "It's hard in that short period of time to understand how we do things. How we work, how we do things, the discipline, the structure, the rigor. Not only on the field but academically and everything that we do."</p>
<p>Lucien came to Tempe thanks to the blessing of UCLA head coach Jim Mora, allowing him to not just transfer within the conference but to one of the Bruins' competitors for the Pac-12 South. ASU was without its top two receivers from the previous season as Jaelen Strong had turned pro and Cameron Smith suffered a knee injury that would rob him of his 2015 campaign.</p>
<p>Lucien was without a place to play out his graduate eligibility. He had known Mike Bercovici from playing prep ball in Southern California, and Bercovici convinced him to come out to Tempe with his last year of college.</p>
<p>"Me and Berc worked all offseason on deep balls and just having that connection so we could have a game like we had today," Lucien said. "I remember vividly when we were in the bubble and I ran a post route and he missed me by an inch. We just kept going and going and today you see us connect on one. It's just little stuff like that when you take it back five months, you see all the hard work you do really comes out towards the end of the season."</p>
<p>Lucien's year as a Sun Devil is coming to a close, and while his season at ASU didn't result in a serious run towards the College Football Playoff, he's won over the fans and teammates in Tempe.</p>
<p>"He has been great, what a great kid. He has really exceeded what i thought that we would be able to do in such a short time," coach Graham said. "I'm really proud of him. I'm really proud of Berc. Berc had a lot to do with that. He told me he'd make sure it'd be done right and he did what he said he'd do."</p>
<p>He may not be playing in a major bowl game to finish out his college career, but one thing Lucien did experience was a Territorial Cup victory. Looking back on the months of work in the shadows so that he could enjoy success in the light, Lucien again referenced the group of ASU seniors.</p>
<p>"The adjustment wasn't as hard as most people would think just because of the senior group we had. They just took me under their wings as soon as I got here," Lucien said. "Lloyd (Carrington), Berc, I was at Berc's house every day during the summer. To have a game like today my hat just goes off to everybody else who put me that position to do what i did. I'm really at a loss for words."</p>
<p>Lucien came to Tempe known for catching touchdowns as a Bruin, and had to work to assert himself as a contributing member of the team before he would be known for anything but what he did at UCLA. As his season comes to a close, Lucien's done that and more.</p>
<p>On his touchdown catch, he beat the Arizona defender deep and Bercovici found him in stride for a 59-yard score. As he entered the end zone and peered up at the student section that booed the name of the back of his jersey before they cheered for it, Lucien put up the signature Sun Devil fork.</p>
<p>The player who came to ASU uncertain of his ability to adjust had completed his transition. No longer did he look like an outsider. Holding up that fork Saturday, Lucien looked right where he belonged.</p>
https://www.houseofsparky.com/2015/11/21/9776748/asu-football-devin-lucien-territorial-cupShane Theodore2015-11-21T20:21:14-07:002015-11-21T20:21:14-07:00ASU Football: Sun Devils beat Arizona, 52-37
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<figcaption>Casey Sapio-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>Arizona State jumped out to a 14-0 lead and managed to hang on Saturday, reclaiming the Territorial Cup and obtaining bowl eligibility with a 52-37 victory against rival Arizona. </p> <p><span>Nine months ago, the senior trio of <span>Mike Bercovici</span>, <span>D.J. Foster</span>, and <span>Jordan Simone</span> penned an </span><a href="http://www.thesundevils.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=30300&ATCLID=209884596" target="_blank" data-ref-index="4" style="box-sizing: border-box; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #1e1b3f; text-decoration: underline; outline: 0px; font-weight: bold; font-family: 'Mercury SSm A', 'Mercury SSm B', Georgia, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; background-color: #ffffff;">open letter to Sun Devil Nation</a><span>. Included was a promise to work harder than ever, both on the field and in the classroom, and to compete for a National Championship. But there was one last note, tucked away at the bottom of the declaration, that appeared to carry more weight than any of the other sentences above it:<br></span></p>
<p><i>"The Territorial Cup will will return to Tempe this year"</i></p>
<p>Return it did on Saturday, thanks to a tremendous and inspiring performance from this cast of seniors. Bercovici and company led the way to a 52-37 win over the rival <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.azdesertswarm.com/">Arizona Wildcats</a> (6-6, 3-6 Pac-12), getting the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.houseofsparky.com/">Arizona State Sun Devils</a> (6-5, 4-4 Pac-12) a crucial sixth win in the process.</p>
<p style="box-sizing: border-box; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; font-family: 'Mercury SSm A', 'Mercury SSm B', Georgia, serif; margin-top: 1em; line-height: 24px; color: #292929; font-size: 16px;" class="pgh-paragraph" id="paragraph3">After a rough start for both offenses that saw either a punt or turnover on the game's first seven possessions, Arizona State drew first blood on a quick three-play, 66-yard drive. Faced with a 2nd & 10 deep in his own territory, Bercovici threw one of his best deep balls of the season on a 58-yard post route to senior Devin Lucien. Demario Richard capped the drive on the next play, rumbling eight yards into the end zone to give the Sun Devils an early 7-0 advantage.</p>
<p style="box-sizing: border-box; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; font-family: 'Mercury SSm A', 'Mercury SSm B', Georgia, serif; margin-top: 1em; line-height: 24px; color: #292929; font-size: 16px;" class="pgh-paragraph" id="paragraph6">"Mike (Norvell) and the staff did a great job of preparing and planning," head coach Todd Graham said when asked about hitting on the big pass play early on. "When we are physical running the football, you have got to load up the box to stop us. It had a lot to do with us controlling the line of scrimmage, pounding, and being physical."</p>
<p style="box-sizing: border-box; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; font-family: 'Mercury SSm A', 'Mercury SSm B', Georgia, serif; margin-top: 1em; line-height: 24px; color: #292929; font-size: 16px;" class="pgh-paragraph" id="paragraph7">Another three-and-out followed for the Wildcats, and they would once again be burned on the big play after giving the ball back. Just as he did less than two minutes prior, Lucien broke free in the secondary and received a perfect ball from Bercovici.</p>
<p style="box-sizing: border-box; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; font-family: 'Mercury SSm A', 'Mercury SSm B', Georgia, serif; margin-top: 1em; line-height: 24px; color: #292929; font-size: 16px;" class="pgh-paragraph">This time, he didn't need anyone to finish the job for him. The receiver cruised across the goal line, sending the sellout crowd at Sun Devil Stadium into a frenzy as their team now held a two-touchdown lead in the first quarter.</p>
<p style="box-sizing: border-box; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; font-family: 'Mercury SSm A', 'Mercury SSm B', Georgia, serif; margin-top: 1em; line-height: 24px; color: #292929; font-size: 16px;" class="pgh-paragraph" id="paragraph9">"What killed us the whole game, and particularly in the first half, were the big pass plays," said Wildcat head coach Rich Rodriguez. "They are allowed to do those. We just need to learn how to defend them better."</p>
<p style="box-sizing: border-box; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; font-family: 'Mercury SSm A', 'Mercury SSm B', Georgia, serif; margin-top: 1em; line-height: 24px; color: #292929; font-size: 16px;" class="pgh-paragraph" id="paragraph10">Low and behold, Arizona would work its way back into the game. But in an afternoon that would be known for its high-scoring offenses, an opportune defensive play did the trick for Rodriguez's team. Cornerback Cam Denson read a Bercovici screen pass like a book, easily jumping the route before taking the ball 21 yards the other way into the end zone.</p>
<p style="box-sizing: border-box; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; font-family: 'Mercury SSm A', 'Mercury SSm B', Georgia, serif; margin-top: 1em; line-height: 24px; color: #292929; font-size: 16px;" class="pgh-paragraph" id="paragraph11">The maroon and gold answered back on their next series, putting together their longest drive of the day to that point. The drive went 78 yards over 11 plays, ending on a Bercovici keeper from the one-yard line to make the score 21-7.</p>
<p style="box-sizing: border-box; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; font-family: 'Mercury SSm A', 'Mercury SSm B', Georgia, serif; margin-top: 1em; line-height: 24px; color: #292929; font-size: 16px;" class="pgh-paragraph" id="paragraph13">After a 22-yard field goal from <span>Casey Skowron</span> cut the deficit to 21-10, Arizona State's offense continued to roll. A pair of first downs got the team into plus field position before Bercovici found receiver <span>Jalen Harvey</span> for a 41-yard touchdown pass. The reception was Harvey's first ever as a Sun Devil.</p>
<p style="box-sizing: border-box; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; font-family: 'Mercury SSm A', 'Mercury SSm B', Georgia, serif; margin-top: 1em; line-height: 24px; color: #292929; font-size: 16px;" class="pgh-paragraph" id="paragraph14">Four minutes later, another efficient drive resulted in points for Graham's team. <span>Zane Gonzalez</span> connected on his only field goal attempt of the day, a 29-yarder as time expired in the first half to make the score 31-10.</p>
<p style="box-sizing: border-box; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; font-family: 'Mercury SSm A', 'Mercury SSm B', Georgia, serif; margin-top: 1em; line-height: 24px; color: #292929; font-size: 16px;" class="pgh-paragraph" id="paragraph15">For as good as the first half was, anyone that has watched this team all season long knew that a 21-point lead wasn't necessarily safe.</p>
<p style="box-sizing: border-box; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; font-family: 'Mercury SSm A', 'Mercury SSm B', Georgia, serif; margin-top: 1em; line-height: 24px; color: #292929; font-size: 16px;" class="pgh-paragraph">"We always tend to make it interesting," Graham said after the game.</p>
<p style="box-sizing: border-box; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; font-family: 'Mercury SSm A', 'Mercury SSm B', Georgia, serif; margin-top: 1em; line-height: 24px; color: #292929; font-size: 16px;" class="pgh-paragraph">The Wildcats slowly chipped away at the deficit, using a pair of field goals in the first 12 minutes of the third quarter to pull within 31-16. Their biggest play of the day, however, would come in the final minute of the quarter.</p>
<p style="box-sizing: border-box; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; font-family: 'Mercury SSm A', 'Mercury SSm B', Georgia, serif; margin-top: 1em; line-height: 24px; color: #292929; font-size: 16px;" class="pgh-paragraph" id="paragraph16">Backed up to their own 5-yard line, quarterback <span>Brandon Dawkins</span> hit <span>Trey Griffey</span> on a slant pattern that appeared to be enough for a first down. Griffey then managed to slip two would-be tacklers right at the sticks, then ran 85 more yards to the end zone while multiple Sun Devils were juked out of their shoes in pursuit.</p>
<p style="box-sizing: border-box; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; font-family: 'Mercury SSm A', 'Mercury SSm B', Georgia, serif; margin-top: 1em; line-height: 24px; color: #292929; font-size: 16px;" class="pgh-paragraph">The ensuing extra point made the score 31-23, and just like that the visitors from down south had made it a one-possession ball game.</p>
<p style="box-sizing: border-box; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; font-family: 'Mercury SSm A', 'Mercury SSm B', Georgia, serif; margin-top: 1em; line-height: 24px; color: #292929; font-size: 16px;" class="pgh-paragraph" id="paragraph19">As it turned out, that would be all Arizona State needed to wake up and put the game out of reach. The next drive was another 11-play masterpiece, concluding with a 1-yard touchdown run from Foster.</p>
<p style="box-sizing: border-box; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; font-family: 'Mercury SSm A', 'Mercury SSm B', Georgia, serif; margin-top: 1em; line-height: 24px; color: #292929; font-size: 16px;" class="pgh-paragraph">The biggest play on that possession, though, came on a tough 4th & 1 call at midfield. The team convinced Graham during a timeout to go for it, and Bercovici came up clutch with a 10-yard run on a read option keeper.</p>
<p style="box-sizing: border-box; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; font-family: 'Mercury SSm A', 'Mercury SSm B', Georgia, serif; margin-top: 1em; line-height: 24px; color: #292929; font-size: 16px;" class="pgh-paragraph" id="paragraph20">"Boy, I did not want to do that," said Graham. "That was a really difficult call that we went back and forth on about seven times in 20 seconds. But I knew it was going to work the whole time."</p>
<p style="box-sizing: border-box; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; font-family: 'Mercury SSm A', 'Mercury SSm B', Georgia, serif; margin-top: 1em; line-height: 24px; color: #292929; font-size: 16px;" class="pgh-paragraph" id="paragraph21">The Wildcats pulled within eight one more time on a touchdown pass from Dawkins with a little under seven minutes remaining, and the Wildcats actually got the ball back with four minutes left and a chance to go on a game-tying drive. Kareem Orr, however, had other plans.</p>
<p style="box-sizing: border-box; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; font-family: 'Mercury SSm A', 'Mercury SSm B', Georgia, serif; margin-top: 1em; line-height: 24px; color: #292929; font-size: 16px;" class="pgh-paragraph">On a day when ASU's seniors were the ones being honored, it was a true freshman that put the game on ice. Orr jumped a pass from Dawkins on 3rd & 6 and had nothing but daylight and green grass in front of him.</p>
<p style="box-sizing: border-box; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; font-family: 'Mercury SSm A', 'Mercury SSm B', Georgia, serif; margin-top: 1em; line-height: 24px; color: #292929; font-size: 16px;" class="pgh-paragraph">The pick-six made the score 45-30, and yet another interception return for a touchdown (this one by <span>Lloyd Carrington</span>) a minute later put the icing on the cake.</p>
<p style="box-sizing: border-box; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; font-family: 'Mercury SSm A', 'Mercury SSm B', Georgia, serif; margin-top: 1em; line-height: 24px; color: #292929; font-size: 16px;" class="pgh-paragraph" id="paragraph22">The maroon and gold finally seem to be hitting their stride, and while dreams of a title have long since been out of reach, this group of seniors at least got to make good on one of their promises today. The Territorial Cup is back in Tempe, and memories of this victory will remain long after the players that won this game are gone.</p>
<p style="box-sizing: border-box; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; font-family: 'Mercury SSm A', 'Mercury SSm B', Georgia, serif; margin-top: 1em; line-height: 24px; color: #292929; font-size: 16px;" class="pgh-paragraph">"The mission all summer long was to bring that Cup home," Bercovici said. "Well, the Cup is home and it is going to stay here a long time."</p>
https://www.houseofsparky.com/2015/11/21/9776270/asu-football-arizona-wildcats-final-score-grahamConnor Pelton2015-11-21T18:24:30-07:002015-11-21T18:24:30-07:00Game balls for the victory over Arizona
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<p>Who stood out in ASU's 52-27 victory over Arizona. Find out when we hand out Territorial Cup Game Balls. </p> <p>For the third time in four years, the Territorial Cup will reside in Tempe as the Sun Devils beat the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.azdesertswarm.com/">Arizona Wildcats</a> 52-37 Saturday afternoon in front of a sold out crowd at Sun Devil Stadium.</p>
<p>It was an emotional day as the Sun Devils honored their seniors as players such as <span>Mike Bercovici</span>, <span>D.J. Foster</span>, <span>Christian Westerman</span>, <span>Antonio Longino</span> and <span>Nick Kelly</span> ran out of the Tillman Tunnel for the final time.</p>
<p>A lot of performances stood out in the victory, here are your Territorial Cup Game Balls.</p>
<p><b><span>Devin Lucien</span> - Wide Receiver </b></p>
<p>Lucien was named the Bob Moran Territorial Cup MVP so he is an obvious choice for our first Game Ball. The senior wide receiver broke out for 190 yards on nine catches with a touchdown. Lucien set up ASU's first score with a 58-yard reception and scored ASU's second touchdown of the game with a 59-yard reception late in the first quarter.</p>
<p>For the first time this season, ASU hit multiple long passes in a game as Mike Bercovici played perhaps his best game of the season. Lucien as a major factor in that as he averaged 21.1 yards per catch. The vertical passes helped open up the run game and powered ASU to 52 points against the Wildcats.</p>
<p><b>Mike Bercovici - Quarterback </b></p>
<p>The senior signal-caller has taken his lumps by the fans and media this season. Against Arizona, he was nearly flawless. Bercovici went 21-of-32 for 315 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. He also rushed for a touchdown and converted a crucial fourth-and-one with a 10-yard run in the fourth quarter.</p>
<p>One thing that stood out was how Bercovici was able to make throws down the field. He hit Lucien for gains of 58 and 59 and threw a 41-yard touchdown to Jalen Harvey. With the exception of the interception, where he was picked trying to throw a screen pass in the second quarter, Bercovici played flawless football and made sound decisions all night.</p>
<p><b><span>Salamo Fiso</span> - Linebacker</b></p>
<p>Fiso is the best defensive player on the team and he may be the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year. Against Arizona, Fiso collected seven total tackles, six solo tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks. He makes the calls on the ASU defense and he has been the most consistent player on the unit all season, and that continued against Arizona.</p>
<p><b>Llyod Carrington - Cornerback </b></p>
<p>Carrington has been with Todd Graham since his days at Pitt, transferring to Tempe when Graham took the job at ASU. In his last game at Sun Devil Stadium, Carrington racked up seven total tackles, six solo tackles and one interception that he took back 38 yards for ASU's final touchdown.</p>
<p>Graham said after the game he nearly cried when Carrington scored because of how long the senior has been with Graham. Carrington has been an underrated part of ASU's defense all season and he stood out once again on Saturday.</p>
<p><b>The ASU Offensive Line</b></p>
<p><b> </b>The unit has four seniors including <span>Vi Teofilo</span>, who started 42 career games as a Sun Devil. ASU quarterback Mike Bercovici was sacked just twice against Arizona, the Sun Devils averaged 5.2 yards per carry and had two running backs go over 100 yards.</p>
https://www.houseofsparky.com/2015/11/21/9776598/asu-football-arizona-wildcats-game-ballsRyan Bafaloukos2015-11-21T17:16:23-07:002015-11-21T17:16:23-07:00Sun Devils take down Arizona 52-37, win back Cup
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<p>For the third time in four years, ASU beat Arizona and won the Territorial Cup. </p> <p>After a year of residence in Tucson, the Territorial Cup is moving back to Tempe. The Sun Devils jumped out to 31-10 halftime lead and made enough plays in the second half to top the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.azdesertswarm.com/">Arizona Wildcats</a> 52-37.</p>
<p>It was senior quarterback <span>Mike Bercovici</span> and senior wide receiver <span>Devin Lucien</span> who propelled the Sun Devils to their third victory over Arizona in the last four years. Lucien caught nine passes for 190 yards and a touchdown. It is the most receiving yards for an ASU wideout since <span>Jaelen Strong</span> against USC in 2014.</p>
<p>An emotional Mike Bercovici delivered one of his best performances of the season in his final game at Sun Devil Stadium. The ASU signal caller went 21-of-32 yards, for 315 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. He also added a touchdown run in the first half.</p>
<p>Both offenses started slow and after Arizona's third punt of the first quarter, the Sun Devils got on the board first courtesy of a nine-yard touchdown run by sophomore Demario Richard. The score was set up by a 58-yard reception by Devin Lucien to put ASU inside the Wildcat 10-yard line.</p>
<p>The Sun Devils extended their lead on their next possession when Bercovici found a wide open Devin Lucien for a 59-yard touchdown. ASU extended their lead to 14-0 on just six plays, with each scoring drive taking less than two minutes.</p>
<p>Following a disastrous first quarter in which the Wildcats punted the ball five times and went three-and-out three times, Rich Rodriguez made change at quarterback, electing to play third string, redshirt freshman <span>Brandon Dawkins</span>.</p>
<p>The Wildcats responded with their best drive of the day in which Dawkins converted a third down with a 26-yard run and found <span>Johnny Jackson</span> for 28 yards to put Arizona in the ASU red zone. However, the drive stalled and the Wildcats kicked a field goal to make the score 21-10 with 5:47 left in the first half.</p>
<p>Once again the Sun Devils answered a Wildcat scoring drive with one of their own as Bercovici found <span>Jalen Harvey</span> for a 41-yard touchdown on ASU's next drive. It was Harvey's first career catch and it gave ASU a 28-10 lead with 4:00 left in the half.</p>
<p>After Arizona went three-and-out, it looked as if ASU was content to run the clock out and take an 18-point lead into halftime. However, with just over two minutes left, <span>Kalen Ballage</span> took a handoff up the far sideline 65 yards to the Arizona 10. The Sun Devils settled for a field goal to take 31-10 lead into halftime.</p>
<p>Arizona State fumbled on its first possession of the third quarter and the Wilcats turned it into a 37-yard field goal by Skowron to pull Arizona within 31-13. Arizona added another field goal late in the third to pull within two scores, 31-16 with 3:35 left in the third quarter.</p>
<p>The Wildcats pulled within eight with less than a minute to play in the third quarter when wide receiver <span>Trey Griffey</span> dipped and dodged his way through the ASU secondary for a 95-yard touchdown reception.</p>
<p>The Sun Devil offense struggled in the third quarter, as they punted on their next three drives following their fumble to begin the quarter and saw their 21-point halftime lead dwindle to just eight at the end of the third.</p>
<p>However, ASU started the fourth quarter with a 10-play, 74 yard touchdown drive that was capped off by a one-yard run by <span>D.J. Foster</span> to put the Sun Devils up 38-23. The Wildcats responded with their second touchdown drive of the half and pulled back within eight when Dawkins found Jackson for a 17-yard touchdown with 6:50 left in the game.</p>
<p>The Sun Devils were able to pick up a first down and chew some clock, however they punted the ball back to Arizona with four minutes left, leading 38-30.</p>
<p>On a day where the Sun Devil Seniors on offense excelled, it was a freshman on defense that made the play of the day for ASU. With Arizona facing a third-and-six, Kareem Orr intercepted a pass over the middle and returned it 21 yards for a touchdown to put ASU up 45-30 with 3:33 left in the game.</p>
<p>On Arizona's next drive, senior Llyod Carrington picked off Dawkins down the far sideline and returned it 38 yards to cap an excellent performance from the Sun Devils. Arizona added a late touchdown, but it was too little too late as the Sun Devils took back the Cup and topped the Wildcats 52-37.</p>
https://www.houseofsparky.com/2015/11/21/9776394/asu-football-arizona-wildcats-final-score-territorial-cupRyan Bafaloukos2015-11-21T15:14:27-07:002015-11-21T15:14:27-07:00ASU leads Arizona 31-10 at the half
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<figcaption>Casey Sapio-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>ASU leads Arizona 31-10 after 30 minutes. </p> <p>The <a href="https://www.houseofsparky.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Arizona State Sun Devils</a> lead the <a href="https://www.azdesertswarm.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Arizona Wildcats</a> 31-10 after 30 minutes of their rivalry showdown. The <a href="https://www.houseofsparky.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Sun Devils</a> gained 400 yards of total offense, including 169 on the ground in the half.</p>
<p>Both offenses started the game slow as the <a href="https://www.azdesertswarm.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Wildcats</a> and Sun Devils each punted on their first possession. On Arizona's second possession, <span>Christian Sam</span> stripped Arizona quarterback <span>Jerrard Randall</span> and the fumble was recovered by Laiu Moeakiola, setting up ASU at the Arizona 49-yard line.</p>
<p>The Sun Devils were not able to take advantage of the turnover and turned the ball over on downs after <span>Mike Bercovici</span> was sacked on fourth down near midfield.</p>
<p>Following Arizona's third punt of the first quarter, the Sun Devils got on the board first courtesy of a nine-yard touchdown run by sophomore Demario Richard. The score was set up by a 58-yard reception by <span>Devin Lucien</span> to put ASU inside the Wildcat 10-yard line.</p>
<p>The Sun Devils extended their lead on their next possession when Bercovici found a wide open Devin Lucien for a 59-yard touchdown. ASU extended their lead to 14-0 on just six plays, with each scoring drive taking less than two minutes.</p>
<p>ASU's momentum was halted on the second play of the second quarter when Arizona defensive back <span>Cam Denson</span> intercepted a screen pass and took it 21 yards for a touchdown. The Sun Devil lead was cut to 14-7 less than 30 seconds into the second quarter.</p>
<p>Following the turnover, the Sun Devils marched 78 yards in 10 plays for their third touchdown of the half. Two plays after a defensive pass interference penalty gave ASU first-and-goal at the two, Bercovici rushed one yard for the ASU score to put the Sun Devils up 21-7 with 10:33 left to play in the half.</p>
<p>Following a disastrous first quarter in which the Wildcats punted the ball five times and went three-and-out three times, Rich Rodriguez made change at quarterback, electing to play third string, redshirt freshman <span>Brandon Dawkins</span>.</p>
<p>The Wildcats responded with their best drive of the day in which Dawkins converted a third down with a 26-yard run and found <span>Johnny Jackson</span> for 28 yards to put Arizona in the ASU red zone. However, the drive stalled and the Wildcats kicked a field goal to make the score 21-10 with 5:47 left in the first half.</p>
<p>Once again the Sun Devils answered a Wildcat scoring drive with one of their own as Bercovici found <span>Jalen Harvey</span> for a 41-yard touchdown on ASU's next drive. It was Harvey's first career catch and it gave ASU a 28-10 lead with 4:00 left in the half.</p>
<p>After Arizona went three-and-out, it looked as if ASU was content to run the clock out and take an 18-point lead into halftime. However, with just over two minutes left, <span>Kalen Ballage</span> took a handoff up the far sideline 65 yards to the Arizona 10. The Sun Devils settled for a field goal to take 31-10 lead into halftime.</p>
<p>Bercovici finished the half 14-of-20 for 231 yards, three total touchdowns and one interception. Ballage tallied 98 rushing yards on 12 carries and Richard added 71 yards on just eight carries. Arizona gained just 141 total yards in the first half.</p>
<p>The Sun Devils will receive the second half kickoff.</p>
https://www.houseofsparky.com/2015/11/21/9776032/asu-football-sun-devils-lead-territorial-cup-battleRyan Bafaloukos2015-11-20T17:30:02-07:002015-11-20T17:30:02-07:00Could a struggling Berco get benched vs Arizona?
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<p>One year ago, Todd Graham benched a struggling Taylor Kelly for Mike Bercovici in the Territorial Cup. Would he bench a struggling Berco for Manny Wilkins in 2015?</p> <p>Hindsight is 20/20, and we're sure seeing clearly now.</p>
<p>All the preseason hype, the Herbstreit prediction, Todd Graham calling this year's team his best yet. It's all served as a cruel punchline for detractors of Arizona State football this season.</p>
<p>The magic of the Territorial Cup has allowed ASU fans to forget about the grand scope of their team's season for a week, with all eyes focused on taking the Cup back from Arizona and reaching bowl eligibility. If ASU upends the WIldcats and brings the Cup back to Tempe after falling short in 2014's incredible Territorial Cup, it'll turn around a lot of the negative sentiments that currently bombards the program.</p>
<p>A win over U of A plus the recent in-state recruiting victories make for both consolation for this season and hope for next season, enough to keep most ASU fans happy until the 2016 campaign starts with renewed expectations.</p>
<p>So with the rest of this season only offering the prize of pride as ASU's reward, the question needs to be asked: when does Todd Graham start thinking about his next QB?</p>
<p>We know that Graham has already made efforts to get Manny Wilkins real game experience (he played a snap against Washington). ASU's struggles in the nonconference games didn't offer him much time and the conference season hasn't provided him with much more, but the coaching staff has started to turn their attention away from the heights it can achieve with Mike Bercovici and started the process of evaluating its quarterback situation for next season.</p>
<p>And they should.</p>
<p>Even though he's a senior who's served as a strong leader for this year's Sun Devils, to say that Mike Bercovici deserves these last two or three games of his career because of what he's put into the team is to value the next two or three games over the next two or three seasons.</p>
<p>The leader Bercovici deserves to play out his career, but Todd Graham's not obligated to keep him in there just because he's the guy that was tabbed for the first ten games of the season.</p>
<p>This is different from Taylor Kelly, who lost his job due to injury and even though he clearly came back too early, his place as the team's starter was earned with his performance. Bercovici's been inconsistent at best, and dreadful at his worst.</p>
<p>Bercovici hasn't reached Graham's breaking point yet, but the Arizona game could be exactly that. Remember last season? Bercovici finished the game for ASU, and Kelly spent the last regular season game of his career on the bench. On Saturday, a struggling Bercovici should get yanked too.</p>
<p>With Brady White sitting in the wings and seen by many as the solution next year for ASU at the quarterback position, Wilkins has the benefit of being able to step in for Berco in the case Graham pulls him and state his case to take the reins full-time in 2016.</p>
<p>ASU isn't going to be throwing White or Bryce Perkins in there as both are redshirting, so any opportunity for Wilkins to show that he's progressed enough in his two years in the program to experience early success on the field is vital for the coaching staff headed into 2016.</p>
<p>Manny Wilkins has become a fan favorite at ASU for his performance on the recruiting trail, serving as one of ASU's strongest advocates in winning away a few strong recruits from other Pac-12 schools. But with so much excitement held for White as a four-star recruit, he's in danger of being overtaken by a player with more eligibility than him.</p>
<p>ASU doesn't know what it has in either Brady White or Manny Wilkins. But they know they have to make a decision between them. With an important game on the horizon and an important decision further ahead, it's time for ASU to start seeing what Wilkins can offer on the field. Who knows, maybe the best player to come from the recruiting class he helped put together is him.</p>
https://www.houseofsparky.com/2015/11/20/9745624/asu-football-mike-bercovici-manny-wilkinsShane Theodore2015-11-20T14:01:02-07:002015-11-20T14:01:02-07:00ASU vs. Arizona: Complete Game Preview
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<p>Everything you need to know for the 2015 edition of the Territorial Cup. </p> <p><b><a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.azdesertswarm.com/">Arizona Wildcats</a> (6-5, 3-5 Pac-12) @ <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.houseofsparky.com/">Arizona State Sun Devils</a> (5-5, 3-4, Pac-12)</b></p>
<p><b>Kickoff: 3:30 p.m. ET/1:30 p.m MT</b></p>
<p><b>Television: Fox Sports 1 (Tim Brando, Spencer Tillman, Bruce Feldman) </b></p>
<p><b>Radio: Arizona Sports 98.7 FM | Sirus 125 (Tim Healey, Jeff Van Raaphorst, Doug Franz) </b></p>
<p><b>What ASU is Wearing: The Sun Devils will be wearing their Desert Hammer uniforms against the Wildcats. </b></p>
<p><b>All Time Series: Arizona leads the all-time series 48-39-1 against the Sun Devils. ASU has won three out of the last five meetings over Arizona and the Sun Devils are 20-18-1 in games played at Sun Devil Stadium. </b></p>
<p><b>Arizona in 2015: </b>The Wildcats were not really tested out of conference, as they beat UTSA, Nevada and Northern Arizona by a combined score of 163-65.</p>
<p>Arizona began conference play with back-to-back losses to UCLA and Stanford by a combined 64 points. Following two victories over Oregon State and Colorado, Arizona fell to Washington State (45-42) at home and to Washington (49-3) on the road.</p>
<p>The Wildcats then fell to USC at the Coliseum 38-30 before most recently topping No. 10 Utah 37-30 in double overtime to improve their record to 6-5 and gain bowl eligibility.</p>
<p>Arizona has been hampered by injuries in 2015 as perhaps their three best players -- Scooby Wright III, Anu Soloman and Nick Wilson -- have all missed time in 2015.</p>
<p><b>ASU on Offense: </b>It what will surely be an emotional day at Sun Devil Stadium, seniors Mike Bercovici, D.J. Foster, Gary Chambers as well as four offensive linemen will play their final home game against the Arizona Wildcats.</p>
<p>"I can still remember Taylor Kelly's face when he came out of that tunnel last year for the last time, and it's something that you never see it looking forward, but now that it's finally here, it is pretty amazing. We know what the mission is Saturday, and we're not going to be distracted by the emotions of senior day, but it is a pretty monumental day for us seniors," said Bercovici."</p>
<p>Bercovici continued his up-and-down season by following up a disastrous first half against Washington by going 12-for-14 in the game's final 30 minutes, finishing with 253 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions in the victory against the Huskies.</p>
<p>The Sun Devils outscored the Huskies 24-0 in the second half.</p>
<p>"Just felt good to finally start clicking on offense. But I mean, all that really is is preparation. A lot of things that we saw on film, was something that we attacked, and our offensive line did a really good job in the second half," Bercovici said. "Receivers played well. Tight ends stepped up. Obviously the running game started becoming more explosive, and once this offense gets going, we have that type of ability.</p>
<p>"And as a quarterback you've got to put the ball in the right spot and let your playmakers make plays. It's something we need to build on moving forward."</p>
<p>The Sun Devils face an Arizona defense that has been revenged by injuries all season. Scooby Wright III has gone down in two separate games this season and will not play this weekend. The Wildcat defense ranks 10th in the conference in passing defense and total defense and 11th in the Pac-12 in scoring defense.</p>
<p>Arizona has surrendered at least 30 points to seven of their 11 opponents this season and in six of their eight conference games.</p>
<p><b><i>Offensive Keys</i></b></p>
<p><b>Run the Ball Up the Middle: </b>Arizona State is built to run the football between the tackles. They have three seniors along the interior of the offensive line and two big, bruising running backs. ASU has had success this season when they attack teams up the middle instead of trying to stretch plays outside. Arizona is missing their best defensive player, attack them up the gut.</p>
<p><b>Get Foster Involved: </b>In the past three Territorial Cup meetings, Foster is averaging 21 touches and over 110 total yards per game. This season, he is averaging just 9.2 touches and 74.3 total yards per game. Foster will probably have a little added motivation on Saturday -- with it being his last game at Sun Devil Stadium -- so it would be smart to feed him early and often whether it be through the air or on the ground.</p>
<p><b>ASU on Defense: </b>The ASU defense took a hit on Saturday with the loss of Jordan Simone to an ACL injury. Even though Simone took his lumps at times in pass defense, he excelled against the run and racked up 91 tackles, nine tackles for loss, four sacks and two interceptions this season.</p>
<p>"My heart goes out to him," said Todd Graham. "I mean, just a tremendous young man, tremendous story, walking on here, earning a scholarship, the level of play that he played at last year, and what's so tough is that he probably -- I know he had played his best three games going into this game, this last game, and obviously is just a -- I mean, epitomizes what our program -- got a heart of a champion. Just a great giver of respect, and you just hate it for him."</p>
<p>Not only were the Sun Devils missing Simone for most of the second half, true freshman Kareem Orr did not play against Washington, meaning ASU played with two backup safeties and a backup linebacker after Laiu Moeakiola left with an injury as well.</p>
<p>"Marcus Ball came in and great with a great passion and had very limited reps. Just really proud of being able to come in, too. We had to make a lot of adjustments from what they were doing game-plan wise, and Chad (Adams) and James (Johnson) both really did a great job of adjusting on the fly. All those guys I was really, really proud of," Graham said.</p>
<p>Arizona quarterback Anu Soloman is questionable for Saturday's contest after he suffered his second concussion of the season in Arizona's win over Utah. If Soloman cannot play, senior Jerrard Randall would get the call. Randall has only attempted 85 passes in his career and this season has 483 yards passing with five touchdowns and three interceptions.</p>
<p>"Both very, very athletic," Graham said about the two Arizona quarterbacks. "Obviously Solomon is a very seasoned veteran, has a tremendous athleticism. Both of them have tremendous ability to extend plays, can operate their system, understand their system very, very well.</p>
<p>"Both very athletic, both very hard to contain, both you have to account for, and, you know, Randall would be just a really, really explosive runner. I mean, a guy that's every bit as explosive as any tailback, so he's a challenge. Both of them are very good players."</p>
<p><b><i>Defensive Keys</i></b></p>
<p><b>Contain Jerrard Randall: </b>Even though Soloman is considered questionable, it is unlikely he plays after a second concussion. Randall has rushed for more yards than he has throw for this season. The Sun Devils will bring consistent pressure and try to confuse Randall and that may leave some lanes for him to run. ASU has to be aware when the play breaks down and limit Randall in the run game.</p>
<p><b>Force Turnovers: </b>It is a simple key but look at how the game changed when ASU began to force turnovers against Washington. This season, ASU ranks 81st in the nation in turnover margin and with Arizona potentially playing with a backup quarterback it should present ample opportunities for turnovers.</p>
<p><b>Final Breakdown</b></p>
<p>For all that was and will be written this week, it remains a rivalry game. Throw the records out the window and home field really does not matter. This game will come down to how makes the fewer mistakes and who executes better.</p>
<p>Arizona State is our pick for a few reasons. Arizona is going to be playing without its best defensive player (Wright) and potentially its best offensive player (Soloman). Randall has been up-and-down throwing the football and the Sun Devils actually played its best half of football on defense despite losing Simone and Moeakiola.</p>
<p>Also, it is Senior Day at ASU and Graham and this program take that very seriously.</p>
<p><b>Prediction: ASU 34, Arizona 27</b></p>
https://www.houseofsparky.com/2015/11/20/9769252/asu-arizona-kickoff-time-tv-info-radio-live-streamRyan Bafaloukos