Bercovici or Eubank? Which Sun Devil QB will step on the field first in 2013? DieHard Devil debates.

Mike Howell

There’s little doubt that the battle between Mike Bercovici and Michael Eubank for ASU’s no. 2 Quarterback spot will be a fierce one. These are two highly competitive players who both believe they are the best choice to lead this Sun Devil team after Taylor Kelly.

Let’s suspend the unknowns of fall camp and predict right now, whether it will be Mike Bercovici or Michael Eubank to get the first snaps behind Taylor Kelly on September 5 against Sacramento State.

My prediction is Bercovici. Why? Respect.

Bercovici red-shirted in 2012 while Eubank red-shirted in 2011. So both QB’s enter 2013 as RS Sophomores. Graham has said things to convey that Bercovici showed the most promise in the Spring while Taylor Kelly was clearly ASU’s guy.

It’s an interesting situation because while mop-up time should be expected against Sacramento State, ASU’s next four games are big-time contests with no room for politics.

QB, #2 Mike Bercovici

Despite Bercovici backing up Kelly in the opener, Eubank will become the #2 in those games because he’ll play the role he did last year in strategic play-calling. However I do think Eubank’s time will be more limited.

Eubank got roughly 18% of the snaps in 2012 but became less of a factor as the season progressed. In 2013, I don’t think OC Mike Norvell will determine there is as much pay-off with putting Eubank in sporadically as there is in keeping Kelly on the field, especially against some of the best teams in the country.

In the situation that Kelly gets injured and can not play, I believe Bercovici will have earned the #2 spot in filling the role of Taylor Kelly. Add into the fold an expected improvement in ASU’s receiving group, and Bercovici’s arm-strength becomes more valuable. It’s worth noting that last year Eubank ran the ball 63 times vs. 54 passes.

In the end, my call is that Coach Norvell and Coach Graham will have discussed and decided that Mike Bercovici will be the second quarterback to step on the field for the Sun Devils in 2013.

After that, the situation changes dramatically as ASU faces one of its toughest stretches of football in many, many years. It will be fun watching these two quarterbacks as they try to prove they are the clear-cut #2 behind Taylor Kelly this fall.

Eric Smith

Who will get the first snap of 2013 as Taylor Kelly’s understudy?

Beyond all likelihood, it’s Michael Eubank, and it has to do with ASU’s game plan and the kind of quarterback Eubank is.

The 6-foot-6, 246 pound redshirt sophomore saw action in all 13 games last year as a kind of change-of-pace quarterback. He’s a capable passer but also a physical runner.

Eubank provides a short-yardage option-running threat that Bercovici doesn’t offer and has first-team packages designed for him. While still technically a backup, Eubank has a place in the first-team game plan.

However, Bercovici does deserve some credit. He received praise from the coaching staff for his work in the spring. But that doesn’t change the fact that Eubank is capable of doing things that Bercovici simply can’t.

Eubank is going to have his number called sometime in the first half of the Sun Devils’ first game against Sacramento State, and it’ll be before Bercovici.

Jeff Alba

My case is for Bercovici to become the number one back up QB.

Since he burned his red-shirt year last season, Berco will be primed and ready to rock n’ roll if and when he gets the call in 2013.

There is more than one reason that Berco’s number should be called first, ahead of Michael Eubank. First and foremost, Mike Bercovici hates to lose. This intense competitiveness is the foundation that drives everything else in his approach to being a quarterback, leader and winner. He is totally committed to the ASU football program and proved it last year when he decided not to transfer after this season.

He has put in the dedicated work and earned the right to get his opportunity just like Eubank did last year. Berco has always had a rifle for an arm, that’s nothing new. What is new, however, is how he has transformed and conditioned his body in the past year in the Sun Devil workout program. He is leaner, stronger and even a bit quicker. All these factors have increased his ability to be successful in the high octane offense.

Berco will never have the wheels that Eubank has, but with all the play-makers around him, he won’t have to run much. And when he does run, he is capable enough to gain a few yards along the way.

All things considered, Berco will be the number one back up option in 2013.

QB, #18 Michael Eubank

James Romo

Much of Sun Devil Nation might assume that with an influx of quality receiving targets arriving in the fall, that Mike Bercovici might become Kelly’s back-up. The mediocre receiving depth last season lent itself to installing an offense that relied on more mobile signal callers, and thus Taylor Kelly and Mike Eubank got the nod.

Eubank will surely have a better understanding of the offensive scheme, and will have improved on his decision-making leaving no reason to disrupt the status quo during a treacherous first half of the schedule.

There is optimism that Jalen Strong and Joe Morris, among other newcomers, will emerge as game-changing receivers in 2013, but they won’t arrive in Tempe until this summer. I just don’t believe there will be enough time in fall camp for Berco to create the timing and rhythm with them in the passing game needed to supplant Eubank as the incumbent back-up by the first game.

Since both Eubank and Berco have exhausted their red-shirt seasons, at some point later in 2013 I can see Berco being a very viable option as the back-up. It just won’t happen before Eubank picks up where he left off last season.

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 What’s your prediction – Bercovici or Eubank? VOTE