ASU football had just 70 yards of field to work with in the 2015 spring game because of ongoing Sun Devil Stadium renovations, but ASU didn't miss a beat in what coach Todd Graham called the team's "best spring so far."
The Sun Devils came out energetic in their first game day situation of the spring, but were far from perfect.
"We had some missed opportunities, had some drops tonight, but lots of promise," Graham said. "We had a great spring. This team has got something special, but we've got a lot of work to do."
Graham said ASU fulfilled its main goal in front of its fans Friday night — stay healthy.
In a matchup of first-team offense against first-team defense, the Maroon side (which wore anthracite "Desert Fuel" uniforms) defeated the White team 37-17.
After introducing nine new defensive starters during last year's spring game, returning nine starters on the defensive end was a new experience for Graham this year.
"What you can't do when you have nine returning starters instead of nine starters gone, is we work with the same sense of urgency with a chip on our shoulder every day," Graham said. "By the end of (2014) our defense was our strength, so we've got to work with the same sense of urgency just like we're replacing nine starters."
Sophomore defensive back DeAndre Scott shone above the rest in a hectic Friday night, performing well in some of the special teams drills and intercepting redshirt senior quarterback Mike Bercovici during 11-on-11 drills.
"(DeAndre) Scott is a guy who's going to come along and do real good things," Graham said. "He's special on special teams."
Sophomore linebacker DJ Calhoun impressed for a linebacking core that proved effective all night long.
"With our linebacking core, we're going to do great," Calhoun said. "We're young, too, so as far as we go and watch film and everything we're going to get it all."
Calhoun said Graham has pulled no punches defensively with this unit.
"Every day it's something new," Calhoun said. "You don't know what to expect of him. That's why I love him as a coach, it's crazy."
Redshirt senior cornerback Lloyd Carrington also starred for the strong defensive front Friday night, effectively shutting down each receiver who came on his side.
"Lloyd is the best corner I've worked with in my career because he's the smartest, has the best character, has the best technique," Graham said. "He is the most improved player in the spring and he is a returning starter. That says a lot about him."
Senior wide receiver D.J. Foster came away with a strong impression of Carrington after the cornerback shut down the hot start to his night.
"I think Lloyd's one of the best corners in the Pac-12, hands down," Foster said. "I've been going against him every day and he's continually trying to make me better and I'm trying to make him better."
Video by Devin Conley | Multimedia Reporter
Despite being shut down for most of the night once shifted over to Carrington's end, Graham came away impressed with Foster's transition from running back to wide receiver this spring.
"D.J. is special," Graham said. "D.J. is a guy that you want to get the ball to and we didn't show a lot with him tonight either. He's definitely a guy we'll move around and do some special things with."
Foster emerged as one of Bercovici's top targets Friday.
"It took a little time, but we started getting it to click and I think (Bercovici) did very good with all the receivers and he started getting comfortable," Foster said.
Bercovici, who is in his first spring as projected starter, got off to a rough start. After being picked off once by redshirt senior Jordan Simone in 7-on-7 drills and again by Scott in 11-on-11, he rebounded with a quality deep ball to redshirt sophomore Ellis Jefferson for a 60-yard score.
"You've just got to move on," Bercovici said. "Those are plays that I haven't had a lot of those thing spring, but you know as a quarterback you have to have a short memory and move on to the next play."
While Bercovici faced his struggles Friday, the young, deep running back core flexed its muscle early and often on Friday.
"They're horses back there," Bercovici said. "From Kalen (Ballage), (Demario Richard), Nick (Ralston), Gump (Hayes), we're gonna get six yards a pop and all of a sudden break it for 80 yards, and that's what our running backs do."
Ballage and Richard carried the bulk of the load in the backfield, with each scoring their share of red zone touchdowns. De'Chavon "Gump" Hayes made an impact as well, breaking through and getting into space often despite a few drops.
"This running back group is very special," Ballage said. "We couldn't do what we do without the offensive line. They really get down and they move people, so you have to run hard."
As champions of the 2015 spring game, the Maroon side was rewarded a special treat — a steak dinner.
"We get a steak dinner (for the win)," Bercovici said. "The losers get tuna fish sandwiches, so we'll be excited."
Foster said he'll be glad to rub in the victory to his teammates on the White team.
"I'll be sure to be eating steak in front of Jordan (Simone), most definitely," Foster said.
Graham said that while he was impressed with ASU's performance in the spring, the expectations must continue to go higher.
"Our guys are real used to winning 10 games," Graham said. "We've got to get out of that. We have to win 15."
Reach the assistant sports editor at fardaya@asu.edu or follow @fardaya15 on Twitter.
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