This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2014, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Arizona State quarterback Mike Bercovici delivered a miracle comeback against USC, then beat Stanford and was photographed kissing a cheerleader in an iconic scene in the middle of the Sun Devil Stadium field.
And now he's going back to the sideline as if none of that stuff happened although his longtime girlfriend presumably is sticking with him.
Taylor Kelly likely will return as ASU's quarterback Saturday at Washington after being out since Sept. 13 with a foot injury. Kelly is 21-9 as a starter, so coach Todd Graham is making what he labeled a "pretty standard" personnel decision.
"Obviously, this is Taylor's football team, and he's earned that," Graham said.
Bercovici may have a role in the game plan, Graham said, because of how he's performed lately. The Sun Devils lost to UCLA in his first start, although he produce some big numbers in the second half. Then, he passed for 510 yards and four touchdowns in a 38-33 victory over USC that ended with his Hail Mary pass to Jaelen Strong. ASU beat Stanford 26-10 with Bercovici passing for 245 yards.
Graham said he gladly would have taken a 2-1 record for that portion of the schedule, without his starting QB. "These guys have impressed me," he said.
Comeback of the season
The Pac-12 has featured all kinds of rallies and dramatic finishes in 2014, but no comeback story could match UCLA cornerback Marcus Rios' tale.
Rios intercepted a California pass near the goal line, preserving the Bruins' 36-34 victory in Berkeley. Rios overcame a fungal infection that nearly killed him in the spring of 2013 and still weakens him at times. He was hospitalized for two months and his weight dropped from 180 pounds to 130, as detailed in the Los Angeles Times.
Rios was profiled on the "Monsters Inside Me" program on Animal Planet, documenting parasitic conditions. And then he came through with the game-saving interception on a controversial play, upheld after video review. He probably deserved that ruling, creating a memorable moment for the Bruins. Rios' teammates "all know what he's been through," said UCLA coach Jim Mora.
Continuing theme
On the other side, Rios' interception handed Cal another tough loss, while adding to the Bears' number of wild finishes in Pac-12 games. They've won by three points in double overtime (Colorado) and by one point (Washington State) and lost via a Hail Mary (Arizona) and a missed scoring opportunity (UCLA). Cal had the ball at the Bruins' 36-yard line with plenty of time to get into field-goal range, but went for the big strike.
As discouraging as those losses have been, this is much better than being blasted every week, as happened last year when Cal went 0-9 in conference play.
"We're a couple plays away from being 6-1, but that's the way football is," said coach Sonny Dykes. "Our guys certainly can see good things in store for us."
The Bears (4-3) could be playing for bowl eligibility when they host BYU in the season finale Nov. 29.
The South's rise
The balance and high-level competition in the Pac-12 South are attributable partly to the coaching purge that followed the 2011 season, as Arizona coach Rich Rodriguez pointed out without mentioning himself.
Arizona, Arizona State and UCLA all made coaching changes that year, and the three programs are a combined 68-31 overall since then. USC is 11-4 since firing coach Lane Kiffin in September 2012.
kkragthorpe@sltrib.com No. 1 Oregon
Ducks can fortify Pac-12 North position this week
No. 2 USC
Outside of Oregon, may be best-balanced offense in league
No. 3 Arizona State
Defense earned stripes against Stanford
No. 4 Arizona
Looking to bounce back after loss and bye
No. 5 Utah
Flawed offensively, but elite on defense
No. 6 UCLA
Hopes confidence improves after ending slide
No. 7 Stanford
Out of the playoff, but not out of division race
No. 8 Washington
Still a bit shadowy where Huskies stack up
No. 9 Cal
Golden Bears on wrong side of heartbreaker again
No. 10 Oregon State
Mannion, receivers still aren't on same page
No. 11 Washington State
Bowl eligibility a dim possibility
No. 12 Colorado
May not have progress to show at the end of season