(Photo: Allyson Cummings/WCSN)
Nine minutes and 40 seconds.
That was the duration of ASU quarterback Mike Bercovici’s post-practice interview session on Tuesday. The nearly 10 minutes of nonstop Bercovici are indeed a stark contrast to the routine unavailability of Taylor Kelly for post-practice comments.
The expansion of press access from one starting quarterback to the next is easily explained: The Sun Devils coaching staff and Bercovici himself have a message to convey.
The message, though at times filled with fluffy rhetoric to illuminate heart-warming character traits, is a reassuring and simple one: All is not lost with Mike Bercovici under center as the starting quarterback.
“We’ve got all the confidence in the world,” head coach Todd Graham said. “One of the reason’s I’ve got such confidence in [Bercovici] is that he is such a consummate team guy. Mike has a lot of things that he adds to the offense from a skills standpoint; the key is that we adapt to him.”
“I like the fact that he and Taylor have prepared every week, just like they’re both the starting quarterback. Our players have confidence in his abilities.”
Offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Mike Norvell voiced a concurring opinion:
“’Berc’ has been executing this offense the entire time he’s been here,” Norvell said. “He’s continuing to get better each and every day. There’s things that he does bring to the table. With his arm strength, there is not a throw he can’t make on the field. In the time that he’s been in, he’s established himself as a runner. Every week we’re going to adapt (the game plan) to different matchups and what we’re trying to attack, so I’m excited to see what Berc’s going to bring to the table this week.”
Bercovici, a 6’1, 200-pound redshirt junior, is assuming the starting quarterback duties after Kelly went down with a foot injury in the third quarter of last week’s matchup against Colorado. The severity of Kelly’s injury has remained undisclosed, however, numerous reports indicate Kelly will be sidelined for up to a month.
“It’s definitely difficult. It’s different for our program. We step out of the team meeting room and Taylor isn’t suited up,” Bercovici said. “It’s obviously different for the team… But for the current situation, we can’t think like that. We have to move forward until he’s back.”
In 2012, Bercovici lost a competition with Kelly and Michael Eubank for starting quarterback duties. Relegated to backup duties was obviously a disheartening blow to Bercovici, who had verbally committed to ASU a week after receiving a scholarship offer from the university and never considered attending anywhere else. Combine that with the fact that he was the No. 7 quarterback recruit in the nation and the No. 91 overall recruit coming out of high school, and the situation screamed that Bercovici would opt to transfer.
He did not, and as a result, has earned the utmost respect and praise from his coaching staff.
“Mike’s a great Sun Devil,” Norvell said. “There are a lot of programs where Mike could go and be the starting quarterback at. He has elected to stay here, put in his time and basically wait his turn. And now this team needs him.”
“Since I’ve been here, I’ve done everything I can to prepare myself to run this offense,” Bercovici said. “As you can see with these first drives we’ve run (in 11-on-11 during practice), we’re dangerous when we scheme a team correctly. Those coaches are working around the clock, and all I need to do is do my job.”
While Kelly’s injury is obviously a devastating blow to the Sun Devils’ Pac-12 South title and National Championship aspirations, the rest of the Sun Devil squad has been incessant on voicing their confidence in Bercovici.
“He’s grown unbelievably,” Norvell said. “And that’s the thing that’s given me so much confidence, we’ve got a guy who hasn’t wasted days. Every day that he’s been here, he’s grown. He approaches it like he’s been the starter every day. He and Taylor communicate every rep in practice, every game they’re on the sideline together. He’s prepared for this moment.”
“My relationship with [Kelly] has helped me in this situation,” Bercovici said. “Because I have such a great relationship with him right now, that No. 1 offense, those offensive lineman and Jaelen [Strong], they know that I’m doing my part and basically I’m a reflection of Taylor. I emulate Taylor in everything that he does…My relationship with him has gotten me to where I am now.”
“I put the same constraint on myself when I’m working with the two’s and Stephon McCray under center as I am with Nick (Kelly). So I’ve been ready for this for a long time. This is an opportunity that I owe to my teammates. If I weren’t ready right now, it would be pretty obvious to the guys at practice. I think the guys felt nothing but confidence in me after this practice, knowing that there’s no drop-off.”
Rallying behind Bercovici by pointing to his noble decision to stay at ASU and his mastery of the playbook is honorable. But at the same time, all those stories go out the window once he takes the field in what will be the biggest game of the season against UCLA.
A career 12-for-24 for 112 yards and 4.72 yards per attempt, it is clear that Bercovici’s track record is less than ideal given the magnitude of this game.
But thanks to a stroke of bad luck, expressing confidence and support for Bercovici is all the Sun Devils can do.
“They’re obviously excited for me, but they’re also excited for the team,” Bercovici said. “This isn’t really about me. I’m a guy that needs to go in, step in under center and be a champion in everything I do.”
Follow Jacob Garcia on Twitter @Jake_M_Garcia or connect with him on LinkedIn.
