Resurrection in the Valley of the Sun - an Arizona State Story

[Ncaa13Addict9225]

Around the NCAA – Week 1

Key Matchups

^#21 Boise State - 24 at 34 - ^#12 Michigan State

***Georgia Tech - 3 at 34 - ^#15 Virginia Tech***

^#1 Alabama – 28 (OT) at 27 (OT) - ^#9 Michigan

*** Game of the week

Pac - 12 Conference Standings - Updated: Sep 4, 2012
TEAM	REC	PCT	CONF	PF	PA	STRK
#2 USC	1-0	1.000	0-0	42	20	W1
#4 Oregon	1-0	1.000	0-0	33	30	W1
#18 Stanford	1-0	1.000	0-0	24	7	W1
Oregon State	1-0	1.000	0-0	48	10	W1
Arizona State	1-0	1.000	0-0	45	10	W1
Utah	1-0	1.000	0-0	52	0	W1
Colorado	1-0	1.000	0-0	24	6	W1
UCLA	0-1	0.000	0-0	34	37	L1
Washington	0-1	0.000	0-0	17	23	L1
Cal	0-1	0.000	0-0	34	35	L1
Arizona	0-1	0.000	0-0	10	27	L1
Washington State	0-1	0.000	0-0	10	27	L1

Heisman Watch - Updated: Sep 3, 2012
NAME	POS	SCHOOL		SEASON STATS
Matt Barkley (7)	QB	USC		24-31, 323 Yds, 3 TD, 1 INT
Montee Ball (28)	RB	Wisconsin		20 Car, 143 Yds, 7.2 Avg, 1 TD
Tyrann Mathieu (7)	CB	LSU		N/A
Denard Robinson (16)	QB	Michigan		11-27, 162 Yds, 3 TD
Landry Jones (12)	QB	Oklahoma		19-32, 297 Yds, 1 TD

Players of the Week
Offense: Mississippi State RB Nick Griffin (SO) - 23 Car, 152 Yds, 5 TD
Defense: Louisville CB Adrian Bushell (SR) - 3 Tkls, 2 TFL, ATK, FF, Int

NCAA Football Rankings - Coaches Poll - Updated: Sep 4, 2012
RK	LW	TEAM (VOTES)	W	L	POINTS
1	1	Alabama (38)	1	0	1502
2	2	USC (22)	1	0	1329
3	3	LSU (1)	1	0	1281
4	4	Oregon	1	0	1233
5	5	Oklahoma	1	0	1199
6	6	Georgia	1	0	1138
7	7	Arkansas	1	0	1091
8	8	Florida State	1	0	1045
9	11	South Carolina	1	0	921
10	12	Michigan State	1	0	872
11	13	Kansas State	1	0	818
12	9	Michigan	0	1	742
13	15	Virginia Tech	1	0	730
14	16	Wisconsin	1	0	687
15	17	TCU	0	0	644
16	18	Ohio State	1	0	601
17	19	Nebraska	1	0	559
18	20	Stanford	1	0	517
19	14	Clemson	0	1	420
20	23	Oklahoma State	1	0	394
21	--	Auburn	1	0	394
22	24	Notre Dame	1	0	366
23	25	Florida	1	0	314
24	10	West Virginia	0	1	236
25	21	Boise State	0	1	233

Others Receiving Votes –

Miami (170), Baylor (120), San Diego State (94), Mississippi State (64), Texas A&M (57), BYU (32), Mizzou (9)

Dropped Out –

Texas (^#22)

[Ncaa13Addict9225]

Matchup Preview | September 8, 2012
	@
Arizona State Sun Devils (1-0, 0-0 Away)		Texas Tech Red Raiders (1-0, 1-0 Home)
Offensive Stats Comparison 96 Passing Yards 400 146 Rushing Yards 170 242 Total Offensive Yards 570 504 Total Yards 648 45.0 Points Per Game 54.0 1 Passing TD 3 2 Rushing TD 3 12 First Downs 26 2 Red Zone Attempts 7 1-1 Red Zone TD-FG 5-2 100% Red Zone Percentage 100% Defensive Stats Comparison 165 Passing Yards Allowed 75 54 Rushing Yards Allowed 109 219 Total Yards Allowed 184 10.0 Points Per Game 3.0 2 Interceptions 0 2 Sacks 2 1 Fumble Recoveries 1 2 Red Zone Attempts 1 0-1 Red Zone TD-FG 0-0 50% Red Zone Percentage 100% Injury Report Game Notes First road game for Arizona State

Analyst Game Picks


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d Corso -dddddddddddddddddddddd Herbstreit -

d ddd dddddddddddd dddddd d d

[Az2k12]

I'll be following. GO DEVILS FORK EM

[Ncaa13Addict9225]

@

Lubbock, TX – The Sun Devils roll into Texas Tech territory expecting a hard-fought game. Texas Tech QB Seth Doege is a force to be reckoned with under center. RB Eric Stephens will need to be shut-down as well as WR Alex Torres.

The game was tough back and forth will little action for most of the 1^st quarter. Around the 2:21 mark, TTU WR Alex Torres leaves the game with a concussion and would not return. Texas Tech would score later in the drive taking a 7-0 lead. As time expires in the 1^st, Texas Tech would score again taking a 14-0 lead. TE Max Smith gets things started for the away side after hooking up with QB Mike Bercovici for an 8 Yd TD grab.

Score is now 14-7 TTU. But disaster strikes right before the half as Texas Tech throws a deep ball to WR Dominique Wheeler for another TD. Score 21-7, Texas Tech up at the half.

This big hit by ASU FS Keelan Johnson (10) sends TTU WR Alex Torres (86) to the sidelines for the rest of the game with a concussion.

Bercovici has made a strong recovery from his abysmal performance last week against Colorado State. Against Texas Tech, he’s gone 11-18, 191 Yds, 1 TD, 186.9 QBR so far through 3 quarters. Late in the third, Bercovici dodges a defender and hooks up with his WR Kevin Ozier for a wide open TD, making the score 21-14 with 2:57 remaining in the 3^rd. At the end of the third, it’s still 21-14, but Texas Tech has the ball and is threatening inside Sun Devil territory.

A crucial 3^rd and 17 gave ASU new life until Texas Tech broke their hearts and converted on an out to the sideline. With 5:19 left in the 4^th quarter, ASU SS Alden Darby gets an INT inside his own ten and takes it down the field 49 yds on the return.

ASU QB Mike Bercovici hits a WIDE OPEN WR Jamal Miles downfield for a 45-yd gain.

ASU RB Cameron Marshall has had a very uncharacteristically quiet day. ASU’s running game had been put on the back burner once Texas Tech nabbed the lead early on. Marshall found new life in the 4^th quarter however as he started to churn out run after run for good yards. When an elbow bursitis sidelined him for the game with 4:35 left, RB Kyle Middlebrooks came in and continued to carry the load, scoring on a 2 yd run play with 4:01 left in the game to make it 21-21 all.

After Texas Tech scored on the next possession, Middlebrooks went back to work on the ground; helping get ASU within striking distance. After a TD catch by WR Kevin Ozier, his second of the game, the score was 27-28 due to a missed XP by K. Andy Garoutte. Texas Tech burned the clock and kicked a field goal, kicking off to ASU with :07 left in the game and a 31-27 lead. A last second Hail Mary almost worked to HB Kyle Middlebrooks, but the pass was slightly under-thrown and he was run down by defenders after slowing up to make the catch. Texas Tech wins 31-27 after a hell of a game.

ASU WR Kevin Ozier shakes the D and scores one with time running out.

The Sun Devils look to bounce back next week as they must take on the #8 ranked Michigan State Spartans.

Week 2 Full Box Score

Arizona State Sun Devils at Texas Tech Red Raiders
Sep 8, 2012	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
Arizona State Sun Devils (1-1)	0	7	7	13	27
Texas Tech Red Raiders (2-0)	14	7	0	10	31

Team Stats Comparison
	ASU	TTU
Total Offense	390	448
Rushing Yards	98	59
Passing Yards	292	389
First Downs	14	14
Punt Return Yards	30	23
Kick Return Yards	155	87
Total Yards	575	558
Turnovers	0	1
3rd Down Converstion	3-9	7-13
4th Down Conversion	1-1	0-0
2-Point Conversion	0-0	0-0
Red Zone Touchdowns/Field Goals	3-0	1-1
Penalties	0-0	0-0
Posession Time	12:10	11:50

Scoring Summary
FIRST QUARTER SCORING		ASU	TTU
2:05	(TTU) TD - TTU D. Edwards 11 yd pass from S. Doege	0	7
0:00	(TTU) TD - TTU J. Amaro 51 yd pass from S. Doege	0	14
SECOND QUARTER SCORING		ASU	TTU
1:51	(ASU) TD - ASU M. Smith 8 yd pass from M. Bercovici	7	14
0:02	(TTU) TD - TTU D. Wheeler 50 yd pass from S. Doege	7	21
THIRD QUARTER SCORING		ASU	TTU
3:53	(ASU) TD - ASU K. Ozier 20 yd pass from M. Bercovici	14	21
FOURTH QUARTER SCORING		ASU	TTU
4:00	(ASU) TD - ASU K. Middlebrooks 2 yd run	21	21
3:42	(TTU) TD - TTU D. Wheeler 75 yd pass from S. Doege	21	28
3:17	(ASU) TD - ASU K. Ozier 34 yd pass from M. Bercovici	27	28
0:18	(TTU) FG - TTU R. Bustin 17 yd kick	27	31

Arizona State Sun Devils PASSING C/A YDS TD INT M. Bercovici 14/23 292 3 0 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD C. Marshall 13 49 3.7 0 K. Middlebrooks 6 67 11.1 1 M. Bercovici 4 -18 -4.5 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD J. Miles 4 85 21.2 0 K. Ozier 4 70 17.5 2 R. Ross 2 52 26.0 0 K. Middlebrooks 1 53 53.0 0 D. Rogers 1 10 10.0 0 M. Smith 1 8 8.0 1 C. Marshall 1 14 14.0 0 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD K. Johnson 10 1 0 0 D. Carr 4 0 0 0 D. Coleman 4 0 0 0 O. Irabor 4 0 0 0 S. Martin 3 1 0 0 O. Johnson 3 0 0 0 A. Darby 3 0 1 0 Z. Little 2 0 0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG A. Garoutte 0/0 3/4 3 -- PUNTING NO YDS AVG IN20 A. Garoutte 5 202 40.4 0 KICK RETURN RET YDS AVG TD Z. Little 5 135 27.0 0 R. Ross 1 20 20.0 0 PUNT RETURN RET YDS AVG TD Z. Little 3 30 10.0 0

Texas Tech Red Raiders PASSING C/A YDS TD INT S. Doege 16/27 389 4 1 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD E. Stephens 18 89 4.9 0 S. Doege 10 -24 -2.4 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD A. Zouzalik 5 64 12.8 0 J. Bell 4 88 22.0 0 B. Marquez 3 50 16.6 0 D. Wheeler 2 125 62.5 2 J.Amaro 1 51 51.0 1 D. Edwards 1 11 11.0 1 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD D. Cobb 9 2 0 0 C. Davis 7 0 0 0 T. Bullitt 5 0 0 0 C. Douglas 5 0 0 0 E. Neboh 4 0 0 0 W. Smith 4 0 0 0 M. Starts 4 1 0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG R. Bustin 1/1 4/4 7 18 PUNTING NO YDS AVG IN20 R. Erxleben 4 180 45.0 0 KICK RETURN RET YDS AVG TD E. Stephens 3 68 22.6 0 E. Neboh 1 19 19.0 0 PUNT RETURN RET YDS AVG TD E.Stephens 2 23 11.5 0

[Ncaa13Addict9225]

Around the NCAA Week 2

It’s the week 2 recap and headlining this week’s upcoming matchups is the annual brawl taking place between Florida and Tennessee. This year’s game is hosted by the Vols at Neyland Stadium. Kickoff is set for Saturday afternoon @ 3:15 pm est.

Other Top Stories:

- Backyard BBQ’d:

^#4 Oregon drop one to Fresno State on home turf

- Mizzou clamps down:

^#6 Georgia drop their conference opener to SEC newcomers Mizzou

- Auburn as usual:

^#21 Auburn roll to an easy victory against Mississippi State in SEC opener

Key Matchups:

^#22 Notre Dame (3-0) - 31 @ ^#23 Mizzou (2-1) - 27

^#2 USC (3-0) - 35 @ ^#17 Stanford (2-1) - 7

^#1 Alabama (2-1) - 26 @ ^#5 Arkansas (3-0) - 34

*** Florida (1-2) - 19 @ Tennessee (3-0) - 21 ***

*** Game of the Week***

Heisman Watch

Heisman Watch - Updated: Sep 8, 2012
NAME	POS	SCHOOL		SEASON STATS
Matt Barkley (7)	QB	USC		46-60, 691 Yds, 8 TD, 1 INT
Montee Ball (28)	RB	Wisconsin		45 Car, 267 Yds, 5.9 Avg, 1 TD
Tyrann Mathieu (7)	CB	LSU		N/A
Tony Gregory (22)	HB	Virginia Tech		47 Car, 272 Yds, 5.8 Avg, 5 TD
Rex Burkhead (22)	HB	Nebraska		44 Car, 274 Yds, 6.2 Avg, 6 TD

Players of the Week:

Offense: Western Michigan Clark Mussman TE 12 Rec, 219 Yds, 4 TD

Defense: Nevada Jeremiah Green OLB6 Tkls, 3 Atk, 2 FF, INT

Top 25 Coaches Poll

NCAA Football Rankings - Coaches Poll - Updated: Sep 11, 2012
RK	LW	TEAM (VOTES)	W	L	POINTS
1	1	Alabama (32)	2	0	1496
2	2	USC (23)	2	0	1452
3	3	LSU (3)	2	0	1373
4	5	Oklahoma (1)	2	0	1254
5	7	Arkansas (1)	2	0	1139
6	8	Florida State	2	0	1082
7	9	South Carolina	2	0	1027
8	10	Michigan State	2	0	989
9	11	Kansas State	2	0	919
10	12	Michigan	1	1	814
11	13	Virginia Tech	2	0	814
12	14	Wisconsin	2	0	778
13	15	TCU	1	0	713
14	16	Ohio State	2	0	663
15	6	Georgia	1	1	637
16	17	Nebraska	2	0	630
17	18	Stanford	2	0	568
18	20	Oklahoma State	2	0	489
19	19	Clemson	1	1	475
20	4	Oregon	1	1	462
21	21	Auburn	2	0	444
22	22	Notre Dame	2	0	387
23	--	Missouri	2	0	344
24	24	West Virginia	0	1	220
25	--	Texas A&M	2	0	216

Others receiving votes –

Baylor (180), Boise State (180), BYU (31), Florida (22), Louisville (14)

Dropped Out –

Florida (^#23), Boise State (^#25)

[Ncaa13Addict9225]

Arizona State Sun Press

Exclusive Interview

Today the ASU Sun Press had the pleasure of sitting down with two of the players who were responsible for keeping us in the game against Texas Tech. Mike Bercovici, starting QB, and Kyle Middlebrooks, second team RB. These two are here to tell a little about what it was like to be out there in such a tight game.


ASU Sun Press: “Good morning Mike…Kyle.”


Mike Bercovici: ”Good morning.”


Kyle Middlebrooks: “Mornin…”


Sun Press: “So tell what it was like to be in such a close game coming down to the wire? How was it under center, Mike?”


MB: “Well, we’re always practicing for game situations just like this. I guess if I think about it, it’s just kind of natural to elevate my game in the clutch.”


SP: “Would you agree, Kyle?”


KM: “Yeah. I mean, you don’t really think about it, you know? When you’re in the moment, everything else is just white noise.”


MB: “Well said.”


SP: “Okay then, Mike, you threw for 292 yards and 3 TD’s with no interceptions. How do you feel about that?”


MB: “I feel pretty good. But I always feel there’s more to work on. I never wanna get complacent.”


SP: “I understand. How about you, Kyle? You’re actually behind Cameron Marshall on the depth chart but you stepped up big when he went out with the elbow injury. What would you say about that?”


KM: “Well, I know the media is always tryna stir the pot, but I honestly feel that I’m right where I need to be. If Cam had gone down and I wasn’t down there on the depth chart, I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to help our team stay in the game. Cam is great, he’s like fam to me, man. I’m satisfied with my role. As we all just seen, I can still contribute, man.”


SP: “Okay, Kyle. Yes, we definitely know you’re a contributor now. One last question for both of you…what do you expect out of the game from Michigan State next weekend; the number 8 team in the country?”


MB: “I think it’s going to be a tough game. I think we’re going to need to be prepared; be sharp. But I think we’ll come away with the win.”


KM: “Yeah. I don’t expect nothing less than a victory…”

[WesternStateWR]

Tough loss to Texas Tech... looks like spread teams may give you a little trouble this year

[Ncaa13Addict9225]

Quote: Originally Posted by WesternStateWR

Tough loss to Texas Tech... looks like spread teams may give you a little trouble this year

Definitely. I'm running a 3-3-5 defense and even with more downfield coverage, they're lighting me up because the QB has too much time in the pocket.