Mike Bercovici in a position to repeat success vs. USC

Despite a relatively unimpressive 2-1 start for the Arizona State Sun Devils, they head into their matchup against the University of Southern California with no shortage of positive vibes flowing, primarily brought on from last year’s “Jael Mary” in which the Devils defeated the Trojans on a last second connection between Mike Bercovici and Jaelen Strong. While Strong is now gone, having been drafted by the Houston Texans, Berco has the opportunity to carry that 2014 success into this year’s tilt with USC.

That success that Mike Bercovici experienced against the Trojans last season went far beyond his last second heroics. Bercovici completely had his way with that Trojans team, leading an offensive attack that repeatedly kept ASU in a game where their defense was constantly faltering. Berco finished that game with 510 yards passing and five scores, on 27/45 passing.

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Of course, it’s important to note that 10 of those completions and 202 of those yards, as well as three of those touchdowns, found their way to Jaelen Strong. Bercovici doesn’t have that kind of weapon this year, which has hampered his start to an extent. But an improving ASU receiving corps, combined with an appropriate gameplan that fits Berco better than what we’ve seen in these first three weeks, could make all the difference in the world for the ASU signal caller.

Bercovici has been efficient enough this season, with a 61.9% completion percentage, going 70 for 113 thus far. At the same time, his ability to stretch the field has been limited, both due to playcalling and the lack of that true downfield threat. So while he is averaging 37.7 pass attempts through ASU’s first trio of contests, he’s also at just 7.07 yards per attempt. The emergence of Tim White as a threat in the passing game, in addition to continuing to lean on D.J. Foster, gives Berco something to work with, though we haven’t seen it develop into a rousing offensive success.

Where Berco really has a chance to make a difference against the Trojans, though, is in the run game. Stanford quarterback Kevin Hogan found some success on the ground against USC, with 28 yards across seven carries. His longest of the evening came on a 22-yard run. Combine that with Hogan’s 18-of-23 passing and pair of touchdowns and it was a difficult night for the USC defense trying to contain the opposing quarterback.

Bercovici finds himself in a position where he could do some serious damage against an apparently vulnerable USC group. While Todd Graham has gone out of his way to dismiss him as an option-style quarterback, Berco has shown an ability, and a willingness, to let his legs do the work when necessary. While the yardage totals aren’t impressive, primarily due to 11 sacks in three games, Bercovici has carried the ball 25 times thus far on the year, two of which went for ASU touchdowns.

It would certainly behoove the Devils to examine a gameplan that allows for Berco to tuck it and run with some regularity against the Trojans. While no one is suggesting a full read option look, allowing Bercovici the freedom to utilize his athleticism could be a tremendous asset for the Sun Devils against the Trojans on Saturday night. Couple that with a willingness to let Berco a little bit loose, letting him sling it to the likes of Tim White or D.J. Foster, and he could definitely be in a spot where a performance similar to that of his 2014 game against the Trojans might just be in the cards.

Against a team like the Trojans, a diverse offensive gameplan will be necessary. And while the run game, led by Demario Richard, and screen game, led by Demario Richard, will be an integral part of that, it’s time to let Mike Bercovici loose.

Randy Holt is the managing editor for Devils in Detail. You can follow him on Twitter @RandallPnkFloyd.

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Mike Bercovici in position to repeat success vs. USC

By Randy Holt | Sep 22, 2015