Arizona State Sun Devil offense ‘really close’ to regaining form

TEMPE, Ariz. — No excuses.

Though there are many to choose from.

Whether it be the high winds experienced in Washington or the top-ranked pass rush delivered by Utah, or word his injury was a broken right foot that required surgery which accounted for a six-week absence and inevitable rust upon his return.

No, Taylor Kelly wants to hear none of it.

The Arizona State starting quarterback knows he has to play better and must play better if his team is to accomplish all of its goals this season.

Heck, the offense as a whole needs to improve.

Despite 444 total yards, the most in three games, the Sun Devils scored a season-low 19 points in an overtime victory over then-18th ranked Utah last week.

“The thing that’s probably been the most disappointing is just the little details,” offensive coordinator and deputy head coach Mike Norvell said. “Last week, having five penalties on offense absolutely killed us. We have a 30-yard catch that’s called back. We have two 15-yard runs. We’re down at the two-yard line and get a procedure penalty. When you do that to yourself you’re going to have hard time scoring points. You’re going to have a hard time being successful. That’s the thing we challenged our guys with. It’s about the details. It’s about getting better, the discipline of what we’re doing.”

To his credit, Kelly acknowledged trying to do too much to spark the offense, a unit that has averaged just 21.5 points in the two games he’s been back under center.

The Sun Devils averaged 47 points prior to Kelly’s injury.

“I’ve got to keep trusting my eyes,” he said. “That’s a big thing is being ahead in my drop and trusting my football and my eyes and throwing the ball where it needs to be.”

Though he’s led ninth-ranked ASU to back-to-back wins, Kelly is completing only 56 percent of his passes for 385 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions. His up-and-down play has once again resurrected the Mike Bercovici conversation and whether a quarterback change may be in order.

“I’ve got all the confidence in the world (in Kelly),” head coach Todd Graham said. “One of the hardest things about quarterback is — you see all these drills and things they do for quarterbacks in all these camps — the hardest thing to get used to is people hitting you in the mouth and chasing after you. He’s coming off a broken foot and having surgery and not being able to do a whole lot. He showed great courage. He just needs to get his timing back. He played better than he did the week before, and he’ll continue to improve.”

In Kelly’s mind, the offense — as long as it doesn’t hurt itself with penalties — is “really close” to regaining its earlier form.

“This week, those guys are having a great week of practice,” he said. “Guys are flying around to the football, having fun in practice. It’s great to see.”

For the offense to break through this week, the timing couldn’t be better.

Saturday, the Sun Devils host Notre Dame in a matchup of two teams ranked in the top 10 in the latest College Football Playoff poll.

And then there’s also the matter of ASU’s 37-34 loss to Notre Dame a year ago that still lingers with Kelly.

“It’s a huge payback for us and for myself,” he said, referring to his two fourth-quarter interceptions that effectively sealed the Fighting Irish victory. “We were just so close in Dallas and to have them back here at our home with our fans, it’s going to be a great game.”

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