(Photo: Scotty Bara/WCSN)
Following the loss to No. 17 USC, Arizona State and head coach Todd Graham appropriately began practice stretching to the tune of “Going Back to Cali” by Notorious B.I.G. in preparation for its trip to No. 7 UCLA.
Graham emphasized the importance of ball security after turning the ball over four times against USC, specifically regarding the two fumbles that led to Trojan touchdowns at the end of the first half.
The first came from redshirt senior quarterback Mike Bercovici, whose fumble while mishandling the handoff to sophomore running back Demario Richard turned into a touchdown 95 yards the other way. Redshirt junior running back De’Chavon Hayes followed that with a fumble on the ensuing kickoff return that allowed USC to stretch its lead to 35-0 going into the half.
“Me fumbling that kick return, that was something that was big on me,” Hayes said. “I take that very serious to the point where I just didn’t want to talk to nobody, but we just got to come out, and we just got to respond.”
Last season, ASU fumbled 15 times, losing just four. Through four games in 2015, ASU has already fumbled 13 times, losing seven. The gaffs allowed USC to score 28 points off ASU turnovers.
Ballage still on his way back
Against the Trojans, sophomore Kalen Ballage made his season debut, carrying the ball nine times for 30 yards. Ballage missed the first three games of the season, and in a strongly worded social media post, said he lost 20 pounds while recovering from mono.
“When you play this game, you just have so many emotions,” Ballage said. “I think that you should, or I don’t think you should play this game. You play with 10 other guys on the field, and there’s a lot of different emotions.”
Ballage plays a key part in giving ASU depth not only in the backfield, where the Sun Devils have arguably seen the most consistent success on offense. Against USC, they racked up 182 yards while averaging 5.2 yards per carry.
He also said he isn’t sure if he’ll play on defense at devilbacker against UCLA, but did mention Graham is “full of surprises.”
Hayes getting time at defensive back
With redshirt senior Lloyd Carrington a little banged up following last week, Hayes spent a portion of time playing defensive back for the first time this season.
“Lloyd should be ok,” Graham said. “But I do think that he’ll (Hayes) still have his package on offense, and so we kind of shared him.”
Hayes mentioned that he played the position in high school and some in JUCO, and that he was close to committing to Clemson as a defensive back. With the injuries to ASU’s secondary, Hayes is likely seeing reps as a matter of depth more than anything else.
“Sometimes when you have necessity, you find something that might work out really helping you,” Graham said. “I think he can cover.”
Hayes was upbeat about the opportunity following practice, which he said the coaches approached him about on Sunday night. With his degree of familiarity with the spot, he also was excited about what the opportunity presented him.
“You just got that swagger (at cornerback),” Hayes said. “It’s like you’re free back there. It’s up to you to make the plays, your responsibility.”
He said the coaches want him to play somewhere around 18-20 plays on offense and a handful on defense, and Graham said he is most likely to see time in their nickel package.
Practice notes
– A Jacksonville Jaguars scout was in attendance today.
– Sophomore safety Armand Perry was off crutches but still in a walking boot.
– Redshirt junior wide receiver Eric Lauderdale ran with the first-team offense. Lauderdale hasn’t made a catch this season.
– Redshirt junior Stephon McCray was at first-team center. Senior center Nick Kelly went down for a portion of the USC game but came back to play. McCray semi-regularly gets first-team reps to allow Kelly to rest.
You can reach Zac Pacleb on Twitter @ZacPacleb or via email at zacpacleb@gmail.com.
