ASU Football: Mistake at Quarterback?
By Mike Slifer
For the upcoming bowl game against Duke, coach Todd Graham has made it clear that Taylor Kelly will start at quarterback for ASU.
Along with most fans, Devils in Detail has conflicting opinions about this decision. On the one hand, it is understandable that coach Graham would be loyal to Kelly. Even though he was pulled from the game in the 2nd half against Arizona, Kelly has been Graham’s guy. Taylor Kelly has won 25 games at the helm for the Sun Devils. His injury against Colorado sidelined him for six weeks. He never really regained his old form. His lack of productivity contributed to the losses to Oregon State and Arizona. Presumably, he would be at optimum health for the bowl game on Dec. 27th.
On the other hand, coach Graham did in fact go to back-up Mike Bercovici at the end of the UofA game. Additionally, Berco is unofficially slated to be the starting quarterback next season. (Kelly is graduating) With that being the case, wouldn’t it be prudent to get a “jump-start” on next season by letting Bercovici start and play this game? ASU gets 15 practices to prepare for Duke. Wouldn’t it be a good idea to let Berco get the first team reps for all those practices and get the ball in the bowl game? It would be the perfect segue to the off-season, leading up to spring ball.
With Kelly’s health (and effectiveness) still questionable, and the fact that Berco is starting next year, it seems logical to thank Taylor Kelly for his services and move on. However, in the end, the right decision for coach Graham is to start the quarterback that he believes gives this team the best chance to win. If it’s Kelly, so be it. If it’s Berco, fine. That’s where things get fuzzy.
It seems wrong to start Kelly just because he’s a senior and this is his last game. It’s also probably wrong to start Bercovici just because he’ll be the guy next season. Timing is a key factor here. The fact that Kelly was pulled during the UofA game, makes the quarterback decision interesting. It seems difficult to sell the fact that Kelly gives this team the best chance to win when he was benched during his last outing. (If he’s the best choice, then why did he get benched?)
Truthfully, for coach Graham, this decision is probably a painful one. It’s one of those decisions that if it doesn’t work, will be second-guessed all during the off-season. Furthermore, if Kelly struggles to run the offense, will coach Graham replace him with Berco? Or will he let the ship go down with Kelly at the helm?
Devils in Detail believes that during the game, coach Graham will do whatever it takes to win. Hopefully, that will not include Kelly having the indignation of getting benched during the game for the second time in a row. Bottom line; Coach Graham needs to pull whatever strings he must to secure a victory for ASU. A bowl win and a tenth victory would be huge for this program.