Entering the season, ASU football appeared to be committed to one thing — its identity.
However, after just two games, there remains much to be resolved offensively amidst an outbreak of injuries that have tested the team's depth, especially at running back. The impact has been evident in their reluctance to run the ball up the middle.
"Establishing identity is huge," redshirt senior quarterback Michael Bercovici said. "I think that's something that over the last two weeks we're excited about where we are moving into this third week, moving on to Friday night is that we are creating an identity."
After throwing for just 199 yards and a touchdown in ASU's season-opening loss to Texas A&M, Bercovici and the offense showed improvement in throwing for 283 yards and three touchdowns against a lesser Football Champion Subdivision opponent, Cal Poly.
A key to their success? Being physical, as sophomore running back Demario Richard carried the ball 25 times for 121 yards and two touchdowns.
"Well, I think we've established the identity in January and in fall camp that we're a physical football team," Bercovici said. "There is no doubt what we want to do. We want to run the football. With what we have outside with the speed and playmaking ability, we want to be a team that plays fast, that plays 90 snaps a game."
Another highlight from Saturday night came with the late emergence of redshirt junior tight end Kody Kohl (three catches, 40 yards, one touchdown) and redshirt junior wide receiver Timothy White (three touches, 82 yards, one touchdown).
Bercovici was particularly impressed with White, who made his ASU debut after missing the season opener with a wrist injury.
"What he has to come is his — his ability to catch and run with the football is one of a kind and his speed and route running, he's going to be a serious threat for us," Bercovici said. "So cast or not, he's tough as nails. When someone has invested in the program, you don't have to worry about something as small as a little injury, because those things go away."
Despite the team's strides offensively from its meager performance against Texas A&M, it only put up 35 points against an FCS opponent.
Twice the Sun Devils had the ball in the red zone and came up empty, Bercovici interception the capper of one of those promising opportunities. Ball security continued to be an issue in the game for head coach Todd Graham, as ASU lost momentum after Cal Poly recovered a Kohl fumble in the second quarter and sophomore punt returner Jacom Brimhall muffed his first two returns.
"I'm not happy about it," Graham said. "You're exactly right. That's a good observation because we've put the ball in jeopardy more in two games than maybe we did the entire season last year, not just the time we've turned it over."
Kohl's lost fumble was a potential game changer, as ASU appeared to be driving towards a 28-7 lead in the second quarter when he coughed the ball up.
"We just made a first down. You go down and make it 28-7, now it's a regular deal. Turn it over on your own end, that is the second week in a row that we've done that. So we've got to take care of the football and not put the ball in jeopardy."
Another point of emphasis in coming weeks with the offense is tempo, where the team is trying to ramp up the speed and put the defense on their heels, Bercovici said.
"We're not trying to play tempo," Bercovici said. "We're trying to create an identity of having tempo be who we are, and I think that says everything."
Graham said that establishing the offensive tempo is the key to opening up the offense as a whole, and is essential to who they are as a football team.
"So the tempo, what I'm talking about tempo it's just us understanding that we want to go fast," Graham said. "Obviously the first first down is the key. But when you see those big chunk gains and you get a big gain, we should be going warp speed, and that's something we've got to — we're working very hard on that this week."
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Reach the reporter at fardaya@asu.edu or follow @fardaya15 on Twitter.
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