“I’ve got a tremendous belief in this football team. It’s the best football team that we’ve had since we’ve been at Arizona State. The character, the discipline, the speed, the athleticism, just being in our fourth year — it’s just a special time and special group of young men.” – ASU head coach Todd Graham
Eleventh in a 12-part series previewing the Pac-12 football season.
BURBANK, Calif. — Arizona State coach Todd Graham didn’t mince any words at Pac-12 Media Days. He let everyone know what the Sun Devils aim to do.
“Our goal and our mission is to be Pac-12 champions and national champions,” Graham said. “So we approach that by winning every day, everything we do.”
Graham went on to say that he’s proud of how his guys perform on the field and what they do in the classroom and in the community.
Football, though, really has the coach excited.
“I’ve got a tremendous belief in this football team. It’s the best football team that we’ve had since we’ve been at Arizona State,” Graham said. “The character, the discipline, the speed, the athleticism, just being in our fourth year — it’s just a special time and special group of young men.”
That’s saying something considering the success ASU has had since Graham’s arrival in 2012. The Sun Devils won the Pac-12 South in 2013 and finished in av tie for the second the other two years. Overall, they’re coming off of consecutive 10-win seasons.
“Our deal is to be 1-0 every week and win every rep — win every day,” Graham said. “Our program is about winning championships.”
OFFENSE: Senior quarterback Mike Bercovici leads ASU’s offense following the graduation on Taylor Kelly. Bercovici stepped in when Kelly was injured for three games last season and wound up guiding the Sun Devils to wins over USC and Stanford. Three seniors return as starters on the offensive line to assist the change in command. Junior running back D.J. Foster (1,081 yards) is expected to shift to the slot because of his pass-catching abilities.
DEFENSE: Eight starters return for the Sun Devils including junior linebackers Salamo Fiso, Antonio Longino and Laiu Moeakiola. The trio had a combined total of 27 tackles for loss and 10.5 sacks. Sophomore linebacker D.J. Calhoun made seven tackles behind the line of scrimmage last year and earned Freshman All-America honors. The secondary is led by senior free safety Jordan Simone. He made a team-high 100 tackles in 2014.
EXTRA POINTS: Junior kicker Zane Gonzalez led ASU with 118 points in 2014 . . . Junior Matt Haack averaged 43.3 yards per punt last season . . . The Sun Devils were the least penalized team (32.4 yards per game) in the Pac-12 last year . . . ASU opens the season Sept. 5 at NRG Stadium in Houston against Texas A&M.
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ARIZONA STATE SUN DEVILS
2014 record: 10-3, 6-3 (T-2nd, South)
2015 Pac-12 media poll: 2nd, South
Returning starters: 17 (7 offense, 8 defense — kicker and punter)
Head coach (record): Todd Graham (77-41 overall, 28-12 at ASU, fourth year)
2015 schedule
Sept. 5 — vs. Texas A&M (Houston)
Sept. 12 — CAL POLY
Sept. 19 — NEW MEXICO
Sept. 26 — USC
Oct. 3 — at UCLA
Oct. 10 — COLORADO
Oct. 17 — at Utah
Oct. 29 — OREGON
Nov. 7 — at Washington State
Nov. 14 — WASHINGTON
Nov. 21 — ARIZONA
Nov. 28 — at California
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Pac-12 previews
Aug. 3: Oregon State
Aug. 4: Washington State
Aug. 5: Washington
Aug. 6: California
Aug. 7: Stanford
Aug. 8: Oregon
Aug. 9: Colorado
Aug. 10: Utah
Aug. 11: Arizona
Aug. 12: UCLA
Today: Arizona State
Friday: USC
Email: dirk@desnews.com
Twitter: @DirkFacer