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By TYLER FREADER
Cronkite News
TEMPE – When Arizona State took the practice field Wednesday, the opening guitar riff to AC/DC’s “Thunderstruck” blared from the team’s speakers.
Players clapped and cheered as they began fall practice, preparing for their early-season showdown with SEC West opponent Texas A&M.
“Best looking team we’ve had, and I’m talking about looking in their eyes,” said ASU football coach Todd Graham. “Fastest, strongest, most powerful. Really exciting to see that today, and very, very poised and experienced in how they worked in practice today.
“It was a really, really good day.”
The Sun Devils begin their season ranked No. 16 in the Amway Coaches Poll, with only three other members of the Pac-12 – Oregon, USC and UCLA – ranked higher.
“Our coaches have done a great job of getting the right guys,” Graham said. “This is the most selfless team that I’ve been around. They get it, they understand.”
The player at the helm of the offense is fifth-year senior quarterback Mike Bercovici, whose efforts filling in for injured quarterback Taylor Kelly in 2014 made him an instant hero to ASU fans.
“We really do have a special unit,” Bercovici said. “You can see what coach Graham’s done in his recruiting. It’s starting to come together now.”
Bercovici led the Devils’ offensive attack starting in three games and amassing 1,445 passing yards and 12 touchdowns last season.
As the full-time starter, Bercovici will have his hands full with the team’s Sept. 5 date with Texas A&M.
“When you’re a little kid and you commit to this school as a 17-year-old and say, ‘I want to play for Arizona State,’ you’re committing to this school to play opponents like that,” Bercovici said. “It gives you a taste in your mouth that you’re working for something. You’re working to really impress.”
Graham, entering his fourth year at ASU, likened his team’s upcoming journey to a mountain climb.
“Our motto this year is a mountain. We’re trying to get to the mountain top, that’s represented by 15-0,” Graham said. “But when you get farther up the mountain, it gets harder and harder and harder.
“We’ve really talked about how are we going to get there. That means everybody, coach Graham included, what are you going to do to sacrifice, what are you going to do to learn and be better and get better at what you’re doing?”
One such player who could help the Devils ascend to the top of Graham’s metaphorical mountain is second-year player Kalen Ballage, who played in 12 of ASU’s 13 games as a true freshman.
Ballage is listed as a running back, but the coaching staff plans to play him on both sides of the ball.
“I’ve always played every position my whole life,” Ballage said. “In high school, I played defense and I played offense. To me, it’s fun.”
Ballage rushed for 126 yards on 42 attempts for three touchdowns, also accounting for 187 yards in the kick-return game last season.
“He can be one of the most dynamic tailbacks in the country, and he can also be one of the most dynamic pass rushers. There’s no doubt in my mind,” Graham said. “But we’re going to be very careful that we get the most out of him and don’t over-use that.”
With the season opener only 31 days away, Graham said the only thing that can stop the Devils from a successful season is themselves.
“The only thing that can keep us from getting to the top of that mountain is to stop. So, one step at a time,” Graham said. “Today we took a good step. I like that.”
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The Sun Devils are 28-12 all-time under Graham. (Photo by Tyler Freader)