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ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY FOOTBALL MEDIA CONFERENCE

October 12, 2015

Mike Bercovici

Tempe, Arizona

MIKE BERCOVICI: Obviously a very exciting week. It seems at this point that the championship is on the line every single week, none more than this as we're going up against probably the best opponent that we've played all season. We're excited about our match-up. We feel this is going to be a week that defines us as a program and as a brotherhood. So (No Audio).

Q. You mentioned the improved offensive line play. What specifically have you seen from the offensive line play, and how do you make sure you have enough time and space to make sure you do what you need to do in the pocket?
MIKE BERCOVICI: Yeah, games are won up front. Championships are won up front, offensive line or defensive line can make or break a ballgame. I think just the way they've been able to communicate these last couple of weeks and just their confidence going into the game, I mean, they're the heart and soul of our offensive unit. Just being able to communicate with them during games, before games.

I know that Nick is the leader of that offensive line group, and you don't have to worry about them right now being prepared. They're confident and they're just excited for whoever is against them.

Q. With Devin Lucien having scored his first Sun Devils touchdown Saturday, can you talk about him and the way he has so quickly been incorporated into your brotherhood? It's got to be challenging, not only coming from another school, but from a Pac-12 South division rival like that?
MIKE BERCOVICI: Absolutely. I think Devin Lucien, anybody that knows him they all say that he's the most competitive person that I've ever been around. Just to know that he's the kind of kid that's going to be catching passes for our football team, you wouldn't want it any other way.

He's laser focused. He knows he wants to catch the ball and he wants to go score. He's been a great teammate, being able to adapt from two ends of the world it seems like. But what he's doing now is putting his head down and going to work. He loves his football team, I know he loves this offense, and you're going to see him more in the zone coming up in the next few weeks.

Q. At halftime before you go off the field, Coach Graham usually talks to you guys before on the sideline. This past Saturday you talked to them it looked like. Have you done that before at all?
MIKE BERCOVICI: Yeah, I have.

Q. Do you do it every week?
MIKE BERCOVICI: Occasionally. It's all based upon the situation that Coach Graham feels about the situation, whether he feels he needs to say his two cents or not. But he just pointed to me, gave me the nod, and I know that he believes that I see eye to eye with him on what needs to be said, and really all that needed to be said was just basically can't turn the football over, and that starts with me. Just making sure that we get our energy up for the second half and we dominate. It was exactly that.

To get our fourth win was the mission. However it looked, ugly or clean, coming out of there that night.

Q. After what games have you done that this year or at halftime what games are you done that this year?
MIKE BERCOVICI: I can't remember. It might have been Stanford last year and maybe this year. I think he's just getting more and more comfortable letting players lead. I think I really feel that that's a big growth for him as a coach and for us as players.

Q. After the USC loss when things didn't look real promising at the time, did you and Jordan, the other captains, did you have a players' only meeting? Did you do anything out of the ordinary or was it just pretty much the same thing throughout?
MIKE BERCOVICI: Coach kind of laid the foundation that next Sunday about what the Sunday and Monday. Specifically he talked about what the expectations were, and he gave us a pretty elusive diagram of what the years past have been from 2012 all the way and gave us a little history and background. We've been able to do a great job as leaders being able to talk to guys, not necessarily in the team room, just whether it be in the locker room, the parking lot, wherever it may be, guys are going to dinner with each other. I think that's been huge.

We have built that bond from Camp T, where players are used to going out to eat with players after hours, and it really does show in situations like that type of controversy, adversity to where we are now.

Q. You busted out some big runs this year. Can you describe the decision making process? Obviously you're looking at the edge rusher, when you decide to keep it running and hit the edge. There is also a willingness to say maybe it's time for me to take that option as well. Can you take us inside that?
MIKE BERCOVICI: Absolutely. I mean, this is college football. You only get one opportunity as a senior group to go win a championship, and when it's third down and however long, if there is a situation where I need to pull the ball down and get that first down, it doesn't matter what the situation is, we've got to go get it as an offense.

I think one of the greatest things that Coach Graham and Coach Norvell do for the quarterback position is understanding how using your feet can be a huge dynamic for an offense. I've really been able to just adapt to that style and really believe in it. I know offensive line, would be the first person to pick me up if I'm knocked down, and that is just how this offense gets rolling.

Q. Cal's quarterback had four or five interceptions against Utah. What do you make about Utah's success that they've been able to have on the defensive side of the ball and your match-up against them?
MIKE BERCOVICI: Utah's very opportunistic football team. They've done a great job thus far. They play with energy, and they play with passion, and that's something that we've got to match and surpass. But the reality is we've got to focus on ourselves, do what we need to do.

It starts tomorrow at practice, and it's just going to be 7:00 in the morning, what are our hours going to look like? How are we going to take that.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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