Disappointed ASU football looks to 'rise to the occasion'

A month ago, Arizona State prepared for its season opener with unprecedented preseason publicity. Some of the sport's most respected personalities picked the Sun Devils to make the four-team College Football Playoff. A national reporter picked senior quarterback Mike Bercovici to win the Heisman Trophy.

Today, as the Sun Devils (2-2, 0-1 Pac-12) prepare for Saturday's Pac-12 contest against No. 7 UCLA, much has changed. ASU is coming off a 42-14 loss to USC, a contest in which it committed four turnovers, and a portion of the fan base is getting restless.

"Really, I want to come in here and just say, you know what, we're disappointed," coach Todd Graham said Monday at his weekly news conference. "I know our fans are disappointed. We can't beat ourselves like that by turning the football over and making bad decisions, especially on special teams."

ASU struggled in all phases in the USC loss, but its offensive issues need the most attention. Through four games, the Sun Devils have yet to find a consistent offensive rhythm. In the past, offensive coordinator Mike Norvell found ways to get the ball to his playmakers in space, but that hasn't happened much this season. Senior D.J. Foster – moved from running back to receiver – has 22 receptions, which ranks 37th nationally, but in 43 touches he has only one play of 20-plus yards.

A missing ingredient: Jaelen Strong. An All-Pac-12 selection, Strong last season had 82 receptions, 70 percent of which went for first downs. He drew double-teams, which provided 1-on-1 opportunities for ASU's secondary receivers. Strong also was great at making the back-shoulder catch, a skill this season's receivers still are trying to master.

Bercovici hasn't struggled, but he also hasn't performed like he did last season, when he led ASU to wins over USC and Stanford. At this point, the senior is completing just 59.2 percent of his passes, which ranks 12th in the Pac-12 (Oregon and Utah each have two quarterbacks listed in the top 12). In the USC loss, Bercovici missed throws he usually makes and committed two turnovers.

ASU's ball security is a head-scratcher. The Sun Devils practice it every day. Offensive players stretch before practice while holding footballs tight against their chests. And yet, the Sun Devils have fumbled 13 times, losing seven, among the worst in the nation in both categories. In the past, Graham and his staff have prided themselves on turnover margin, reciting the numbers from memory. This season, because of the offensive sloppiness, ASU is at minus-0.75

"There's not much to say other than we need to get it done," Graham said. "We've got to get it done and play disciplined football and obviously not have the critical errors. Have everybody do their job."

Graham on Monday recalled other early setbacks during his time at ASU. In 2012, the Sun Devils started 5-1 only to get embarrassed by Oregon 43-21. In 2013 they went to Stanford and fell behind 29-0 in a 42-28 loss. Last year, the Sun Devils lost 62-27 to UCLA.

"The biggest thing is no questioning, no doubt in what we are doing," Graham said. "These kids believe in each other. The first year it took us four games to respond, and the last two years we responded the next week."

Bercovici said one conference loss doesn't change ASU's goals. The Sun Devils still can win the Pac-12 South. Even so, he recognizes a sense of urgency, knowing it would be difficult to bounce back form early division losses to both USC and UCLA.

"We have eight games left,'' Bercovici said. "We have 24 practices left. You're just going to bust your tail to work and compete every single day, every single waking moment you have while you still have the pitchfork on your helmet. That's just the way we approach it. It's an exciting time because our backs are against the wall, we're going to play like we have a chip on our shoulder. We're going to rise to the occasion."

BRIEFLY

-ASU slowed its offensive tempo against USC, huddling often before plays and running the play clock down. Graham said that was a game-planning decision just for USC. "We're a tempo team that believes in that," he said. "(But) if you're not executing, it doesn't do you any good to go fast." ASU averages 77 plays per game, which ranks 25th nationally.

-Sophomore running back Kalen Ballage -- who missed ASU's first three games with mono -- played for the first time last week, rushing nine times for 33 yards. Ballage also caught a pass and contributed on special teams."I thought he did a really good job, made some good runs," Graham said. "Obviously, he fatigued pretty quickly. He wasn't able to get as many snaps as we'd like. We're hoping to increase that as we move forward."

-Senior receiver Gary Chambers had five catches for a career-high 103 yards against USC. Through four games, Chambers has 10 catches, which matches his total from all of last season. "Gary has been very steady and consistent," Graham said. "People talk about (last year's) Jael Mary deal, his catch was pretty critical before that. Gary is a great story, the way he's worked his way into the lineup the last two years. He's done a solid job."

-Graham is pleased with his defensive line. He said the Sun Devils our controlling the line of scrimmage and performing well against the run. An area that needs improvement: The pass rush.

Contact Doug Haller at 602-444-4949 or at doug.haller@arizonarepublic.com. Follow him on Twitter at @doughaller.