The Devils Take the Territorial Cup Back to Tempe in 52-37 Victory Over the Wildcats

Mike Stockman

Phoenix Area Sports

(Photos by Jacob M Cutler)

TEMPE, ARIZONA (November 21, 2015) The Territorial Cup, first played on Thanksgiving Day in 1899, is the nation’s oldest collegiate rivalry trophy and it is heading back to Tempe, AZ  after the Arizona State University Sun Devils defeated their rival Arizona Wildcats by a score of 52-37 at Sun Devil Stadium on Saturday November 21, 2015.

This was the 89^th meeting between these schools. The Wildcats lead the series 48-40-1.

Carrington skirts the sideline for a pick-six to seal the game.

Last year, the Wildcats won the Pac-12 South when they hosted and defeated the Devils in Tucson. This year, a win for the Devils makes them bowl eligible for the fourth straight season under Coach Todd Graham.

Even though the score sounds like a blow-out, it was a much closer 38-30 game with less than seven minutes left, until two interceptions were run back for touchdowns by freshman Kareem Orr (Chattanooga, Tenn) and red-shirt senior Lloyd Carrington (Dallas, TX),  giving the Devils 16 defensive touchdowns under Coach Graham, which is the most in the FBS since 2012.

The Player of the Game Award was given to senior WR Devin Lucien (Encino, CA). He caught nine passes for 190 yards and one touchdown.

Other notable performances came from sophomore Kalen Ballage (Peyton, CO) who rushed for a total of 110 yards.  In the second quarter, a 65 yard run set up a one yard touchdown run by senior quarterback Mike Bercovici. Bercovici led the Devils with 315 yards passing, two touchdown passes and one rushing touchdown.

Foster extends his streak to 51 games - Pac-12 record

Scottsdale native DJ Foster rushed for 33 yards, one touchdown, and 14 yards receiving.  This extends his streak of at least one reception to 51 games – a Pac-12 record. Foster is the only active FBS player to rush for over 2,000 yards and over 1,500 receiving in a career.

Sophomore Demario Richard (Palmdale, CA) rushed for 105 yards and one touchdown for the Devils before leaving the game due to injuring his ankle.

Red-shirt freshman Jalen Harvey caught the first pass of his collegiate career for the Devils which went for a 41 yard touchdown.

Zane Gonzales became the second All-Time leader in scoring for the Devils when he surpassed Thomas Weber’s 340 points by racking up a total of 10 points on the day giving him 348 in his career.

The Wildcats leading performances included an interception returned 21 yards for a touchdown early in the second quarter by sophomore Cam Denson (Tucson, AZ). Red-shirt freshman quarterback Brandon Dawkins (Oxnard, CA) passed for 305 yards, 78 yards rushing, one touchdown run and two touchdown passes.

21 yard pick-six by Denson puts Wildcats on board in Q2.

The longest play of the year for the Wildcats came on a 95 yard touchdown pass to red-shirt junior Trey Griffey.

Senior kicker Casey Skowron (Phoenix, AZ) became the seventh All-Time Leading Scorer for the Wildcats, adding 13 points to his career total.

The Wildcats were bowl eligible coming into this game. It is the fourth-straight season under Coach Rich Rodriguez and the seventh time in the last eight years that the Wildcats will play in a bowl game.

This was the final regular season game for the Wildcats who are off next week prior to the bowl games.

The Devils travel to Berkely, CA to play the California Golden Bears on Saturday, Nov 28 for the final game of the regular season.  The game time has been set to 8p.m. AZ time and will be covered by FoxSports1.

Devils Win Homecoming Game 27-17 Over Huskies

Mike Stockman

Copyright 2015 Phoenix Area Sports

(Photography by Jacob M Cutler)

TEMPE, AZ (November 14, 2015) The Arizona State University Sun Devils came from behind after being down 17-3 at the half, to defeat the Washington Huskies by a final score of 27-17 on Homecoming Saturday, November 14 at Sun Devil Stadium.

Mike Bercovici has thrown for over 4,000 yards as a Devil

In the first quarter, the Huskies chewed up the Devils’ defense with a total of 205 yards offense. Missed tackles and broken assignments allowed the Huskies to jump to a 10 - 0 lead.

In the second quarter, the Huskies extended their lead when quarterback Jake Browning threw a 29 yard touchdown pass to a wide open Darrell Daniels who strolled in easily with 8:20 left in the half.

The Devils would not get on the board until Zack Gonzales, now 3^rd all-time in scoring for the Devils, hit a 40 yard field goal with less than 2:30 left in the half.

At the half, the Huskies led 17-3 with a total of 341 yards on offense to the Devils’ 133 yards.

After halftime, a different team came out of the locker room for the Devils.  The Huskies continued to pile on the yards, but were unable to score the rest of the game.

In the second half, the Devils scored 7 points in the third quarter and 17 in the fourth.  The defense forced four turnovers, three interceptions and one forced fumble, to tame the Huskies.

The Devils finished the game with 397 yards total offense to the Huskies’ 547 total yards.

Matt Haack - 11 punts averaged over 46 yards

The Devils’ junior punter Matt Haack (Des Moines, Iowa) played a major role in pinning the Huskies back deep all game. He punted eleven times for a total of 507 yards, his average yards per punt was just over 46.

After the game, one reporter asked what happened in the locker room during the halftime intermission. Antonio Longino said “We said to each other - when we come out, we gotta come together. Don’t just play for the seniors. We have to play for everybody because tomorrow is not promised to anyone“.

In other postgame interviews, Kalen Ballage talked about the heart of the team when he stated “It’s how you finish, not how you start”.

Mike Bercovici, with over 4,000 yards passing as a Sun Devil, talked about what it felt like to put on the Devil uniform for over 90 games. He said “It feels incredible …We will never take it for granted”. “If you want to put a pitchfork on your helmet, you gotta wake up bright-eyed no matter the situation”.

As the players left the postgame interview, one could see the focus in the eyes of each of them as they begin to mentally prepare for their next game – the Arizona Wildcats.

Bercovici, Longino, Ballage in postgame interview.

The Huskies (4-6) travel to Oregon State to play the Beavers next week in a Pac12 Conference game on Saturday, November 21.

The Devils (5-5), needing  to win the next game to be bowl eligible,  host in-state rival and nemesis Arizona Wildcats on Saturday, November 21, at Sun Devil Stadium. The annual Territorial Cup showdown can be seen on local channels. Game time is 1:30 p.m. MST.  

Team USA Ties Canada 2-2 in Game 1

Mike Stockman

Copyright 2015 Phoenix Area Sports

GLENDALE, ARIZONA (October 31, 2015) The 2015 USA Baseball Premier12™ Team pitching staff combined for a total of 14 strike outs to hold back Canada in game 1 of 3 that ended in a 2-2 tie on Saturday afternoon, October 31 on Hank Aaron Field at Maryvale Baseball Park.

Team USA’s RHP Seth Simmons (Arizona Diamondbacks) led the pitching staff with five strike outs using only 39 pitches.

Canada scored their two runs in the second inning.  The first run came when Brock Kjeldgaard scored on a bases loaded walk. Taylor Green scored the second run on a sacrifice grounder.  Canada’s bats were held to a total of five hits for the game. Pete Orr led Canada’s batting with two hits in the game giving him a .500 slugging percentage.

Team USA’s first run came in the third inning when Jacob May crosses the plate on a Tyler Pastornicky RBI single to right field. The tying run came in the seventh inning when May singled up the middle allowing Brett Phillips to score on the play.

After the game, Team USA’s Manager Willie Randolph, an MLB veteran, stated “I was impressed with our pitching.” He also stated “today was a good day and I saw a lot of good things”.  When asked about tomorrow’s match up, his response was “I want them to be a little more aggressive. Tomorrow we will stretch out, probably doing more running and stealing bases.”

Team USA Baseball host Canada on Sunday at 1 p.m. AZ Time for game 2 at Maryvale Baseball Park. To follow the USA Baseball Premier™ Team, visit USABaseball.com. For game updates, follow @USABaseball on Twitter.

Devils' Defense Gets Eight Sacks in Win Over The Buffaloes

Mike Stockman

Copyright 2015 Phoenix Area Sports
(Photography by Jacob M Cutler)

ASU Sacks Colorado's Sefo Liufau 8 times.

TEMPE, AZ (October 10, 2015)  The Arizona State University Sun Devils’ defense produced eight sacks, twelve tackle for losses, a blocked punt, and an interception in the 48-23 win over Pac-12 rival Colorado Buffaloes on Saturday, October 10 at Sun Devils Stadium.

The Devils tight-end Kody Kohl scored the first two touchdowns of the game in the first quarter. The first touchdown came when he picked up a fumble and ran it in from 28 yards out. His second touchdown, a 16 yard reception, was the first of five touchdown passes thrown by senior quarterback Mike Bercovici.

Zane Gonzales, a junior from Deer Park, Texas, became the 5^th highest scorer in Devil history adding six extra points and two field goals to his career total of 300 points.

Kody Kohl scores on fumble recovery in first quarter.

For the second time in his career as the Devils’ quarterback, Bercovici threw five touchdown passes. He now has over 3,000 total yards passing.

The Buffaloes (3-3, 0-2 Pac-12) host the Arizona Wildcats in Boulder, CO on Saturday, October 17 at 7:05 p.m. The game will be televised on FS-1. 

The Devils (4-2, 2-1 Pac-12) travel to Salt Lake City on Saturday, October 17 to face the current PAC-12 South leader, Utah Utes. Game time is 7:00 p.m. AZ time and it will be televised on ESPN.

DJ Foster Becomes 4th in NCAA History to Rush and Receive for Over 2000 Yards

Mike Stockman
Copyright 2015 Phoenix Area Sports
(Photography by Jacob M Cutler)

Trojan QB Cody Kessler throws 5 TDs.

TEMPE, ARIZONA (September 26, 2015) The #19 University of Southern California Trojans did not need to use the triple option offense in their victory over the Arizona State University Sun Devils. Instead, they relied on the arm of Trojan senior quarterback Cody Kessler (Bakersfield, CA) who threw for 379 yards, five touchdowns, and finished the game with a 197 quarterback rating in the 42-14 win over the Devils on Saturday, September 26, at Sun Devils Stadium.

In the first three games of the season, the Devils faced triple option offenses, allowing an average of over 215 yards rushing per game. In this game, they were able to hold the Trojans to less than 100 yards rushing. However, with a total of four turnovers, missed tackles, and two missed field goals, the Devils’ Head Coach Todd Graham stated, in a concerned manner, “They executed, we didn’t”.

DJ Foster makes history.

The Devils’ senior DJ Foster (Scottsdale, AZ) becomes the 4th player in the history of NCAA football to receive 2000 yards and rush for 2000 yards.

The Trojans’ Kessler also achieved a prestigious record in this game. His total career touchdown passes ranks him as third in the history of Trojan football.

The Trojans (3-1, 1-1 PAC-12) will host the Washington Huskies in a Pac-12 conference game on October 8, at 6 p.m. PT. The game will broadcast on ESPN.

The Devils (2-2, 0-1 PAC-12) travel to Pasadena, CA to take on Pac-12 rival UCLA Bruins  on Saturday, Oct 3 at 4:30 p.m. AZ time. The game will be covered by FOX.
 

Demario Richard Breaks ASU Record for Most Yards Receiving By Running Back

Mike Stockman
Copyright 2015 Phoenix Area Sports
(Photography by Jacob M Cutler)



Richard dives across goal for 33 yard td reception

TEMPE, ARIZONA (September 18, 2015) Arizona State University Sun Devil’s running back Demario Richard rushed for 104 yards and flew past defenders for 151 yards receiving while scoring two touchdowns in a 34-10 victory over the New Mexico Lobos on Friday, September 18 at Frank Kush Stadium.

Richard, a sophomore from Palmdale, CA had a record performance that included a 93 yard touchdown reception, the third longest touchdown pass in Devil history. His 151 yards in receptions is the most from a running back in the history for Devils' football.

For the second week in a row, a visiting non-conference team has created havoc in the middle of the Devils' defense carving up long runs and scoring touchdowns. The Lobos were able rack up 15 first downs, 184 yards rushing, and held the ball for a total of 36:21.

Coach Todd Graham leads his Devils to another win

In the post-game press conference, Coach Todd Graham was asked if he was concerned about the performance his defense is having this year against the run. His response was a very firm “I guarantee our guys are going to be ready for next week”.  He went on to say “I feel good about where my team is at”.

The Lobos will be traveling next week to play the Wyoming Cowboys on Saturday, September 26 at 1:08 pm MST. The game can be seen on television channel ROOT.

The Devils host PAC-12 Conference rivals University of Southern California Trojans on Saturday, September 26, 2015.  This is the first conference game time of the season for the Devils. The game time has not been announced and will be covered on PAC-12 Networks.



Cal Poly Rushes for 323 Yards But Lose 35-21 to the Devils

Mike Stockman
Copyright 2015 Phoenix Area Sports
(Photography provided by Jacob M Cutler)

TEMPE, ARIZONA (September 12, 2015) Cal Poly Mustangs' rushing attack surprised the Arizona State University Sun Devils by gaining 323 yards, but the Mustangs couldn't hold on for the upset. Tied at 21-21 with less than eight minutes left in the fourth quarter, the Devils added two touchdowns to pull ahead in their home opener to win 35 -21 in the first meeting against the Mustangs on Saturday, September 12 at Frank Kush Stadium.



Kody Kohl makes game changing touchdown catch with defender on his back.


The game started as most expected, the Devils took the lead 14-0 early in the second quarter. However the Mustangs, with a triple option threat, drove 64 yards in eight plays and scored on a pounding, up-the-middle run by Joe Protheroe. Protheroe would end the night with 130 net yards rushing, one touchdown, and an average of 4.6 yards per carry for the Mustangs, a Big Sky Conference member.

On the next play, Devils' junior De'Chavon Hayes takes the kick-off 57 yards, setting up the Devils in great field position on the Mustangs' side of the 50 yard line.  The Devils finished the drive with a six yard run, the first of two Demario Richard touchdowns, making the score 21-7.

Once again, most of the fans thought the Mustangs would roll over and the score would get out of hand. 



Mustang running back Joe Protheroe dives over goal line for score

This would not be the case for the Mustangs, who are in their 97th season of football. With :13 seconds left in the first half, Mustang quarterback Chris Brown scored on a one yard quarterback sneak, bringing the Mustangs within seven points. On the first drive of the second half, the Mustangs tied the game with a 21 yard touchdown pass from Chris Brown to Reagan Enger.

It wasn't until the fourth quarter with 7:36 left on the clock that the Devils were able to score the go-ahead touchdown on a 10 yard game-changing pass from Mike Bercovici to Kody Kohl. Bercovici completed his third touchdown pass to Tim White with 1:59 on the clock putting the final score at 35-21.

 

Cal Poly's home opener against Northern Iowa is Saturday, September 19 at 7:30 p.m.

The Devils host the New Mexico Lobos in Tempe, AZ on Friday, September 18 at 7 p.m. The game will be televised on the PAC-12 Network.