Red Hot Sun Devil Of The Game: Jaelen Strong
By Mario Hicks
Each week we elect the “Red Hot Sun Devil” of the game, the one player who stood out enough to make a sizzling affect…win or lose. This week our spotlight features Jaelen Strong.
Strong stood by his team through the trouncing they faced by UCLA on Thursday night.
Jaelen Strong chalked up 12 total receptions for this game, 146 total receiving yards and averaged 12.2 receiving yards per game.
Although the game was a struggle for ASU, Jaelen Strong held strong (no pun intended) and did what he had to do.
#ArizonaSt WR Jaelen Strong w/ his usual productive night: 12 catches, 146 yards. Although this game tape also has several negative plays
— Dane Brugler (@dpbrugler) September 26, 2014
Others went so far as to say:
#ASU WR Jaelen Strong is getting a lot of buzz. People I talk w/expect him to be a 1st RD pick. He's big fast physical & can run
— John Middlekauff (@JohnMiddlekauff) September 26, 2014
Arizona State (3-1, 1-1) ran a staggering 105 plays and gained 626 yards against the young Bruins’ defense.
The rebuilt defense had its hands full with Hundley and the Bruins all night, giving up a string of big plays.
Mike Bercovici showed flashes of brilliance in replacing injured starter Taylor Kelly, throwing for 488 yards and three touchdowns in his first start while setting school records with 42 completions on 68 attempts.
He also displayed his penchant for turning the ball over, throwing two interceptions and losing a fumble that led to a UCLA touchdown.
The combination sent the Sun Devils to an ugly loss after three wins to start the season.
“That was embarrassing. It was a frustrating night,” Arizona State coach Todd Graham said. “The standard that we set here was not met tonight.”
Jittery early, Bercovici seemed to right himself with 5-yard touchdown pass to Kody Kohl and added a 29-yard scoring pass to Cameron Smith just over the reach of a UCLA defender.
He had some shaky moments after that, throwing a pair of interceptions, including the one Adams returned for a touchdown with 2 seconds left in the first half.
The Bruins poured it on after that and took advantage of the ASU mistakes, racking up the Bruins score to 62-27.
The ASU Sun Devils will take on USC Trojans on October 4th and will look for redemption and another win to get back on track.