Kelly's injury overshadows ASU win over Colorado

With a 38-24 win over Colorado on Saturday, Arizona State is off to its first 3-0 start since 2007, but the win hardly felt like one considering what the Sun Devils might have lost.

Starting quarterback Taylor Kelly left the field in the third quarter with an apparent foot injury and returned on crutches and wearing a protective boot, overshadowing ASU's win with what could be a devastating injury for the No. 16 Sun Devils.

Little was known about the extent of the injury or the exact nature Saturday night -- coach Todd Graham was guarded in his comments after the game -- but if body language is any indication, Kelly's injury could be significant. After returning to the sidelines, the senior Kelly sat emotionless with a towel draped over his head, reacting little to the game or teammates.

Graham, speaking on the KTAR 620 AM postgame show, offered an optimistic but vague assessment of the injuries to Kelly and redshirt sophomore linebacker Laiu Moeakiola.

"They're going to be fine," Graham said. "They'll be absolutely fine. Obviously they were out for this game, and we'll go to work and get 'em ready. We've got a week and a half to get 'em ready."

ASU's bye week comes at an opportune time considering the injuries, but if Kelly, a three-year starter, is lost for any amount of time -- even just a game or two -- ASU will face a much tougher road to a repeat as Pac-12 South champions. After the bye week, ASU hosts No. 12 UCLA and goes on the road to play No. 9 USC.

"We'll go back and regroup and get ready for UCLA," Graham said. "These guys know that this game has determined the Pac-12 South champion the last two years. We're excited to be 3-0 going into this game, and they know that we've got to figure out a way to get it done."

Redshirt junior quarterback Mike Bercovici replaced Kelly against Colorado. Prior to Saturday, Bercovici had attempted 20 passes at ASU, playing only at the end of blow out games. He was 2 for 4 for 8 yards Saturday.

"I'm proud of Bercovici," Graham said. "Mike approaches every game like he's the starter, so I was really proud of him."

Prior to leaving the game, Kelly had completed 13 of 21 passes for 195 yards and three touchdowns. He also rushed six times for 70 yards, scoring on a 50-yard run.

Making matters worse, ASU also lost Moeakiola to an apparent right arm injury in the second quarter. Earlier in the week, Moeakiola was named a team captain, and Graham said Moeakiola's leadership made him "kind of like a Taylor Kelly on defense."

After Moeakiola's injury, ASU's defense seemed briefly out of sorts. Colorado scored on back-to-back drives to cut ASU's lead to 17-14. The Sun Devils scored again late in the second quarter to take a 24-14 lead into halftime.

"The second quarter's been kind of been our nemesis," Graham said. "We've had a lot of critical errors."

The second quarter woes mirrored those of last week in ASU's win over New Mexico. In the second quarter Saturday, Colorado outgained ASU 171-20. But even without Moeakiola, the defense readjusted and held the Buffaloes to 10 second-half points.

ASU didn't score again after Kelly left the game, but up until that point, ASU had looked quite capable offensively. Junior running back D.J. Foster turned in another big performance, rushing 20 times for 147 yards and a touchdown and also catching four passes for 59 yards and a touchdown. ASU finished with 426 total yards, including 223 on the ground.

In spite of ASU losing two captains to injury Saturday, the win sets up a huge showdown Sept. 25. The game will match two unbeaten teams and should be first regular season game between ranked teams at Sun Devil Stadium since 2007.

Just how prepared ASU will be for the game won't become clear until more is known about Kelly's status.

ASU defensive back Jordan Simone leads teammates in the school fight song after their 38-24 victory over Colorado.

This win could prove costly. Injuries happen, and there's only so much that can be done to avoid them, but Saturday's injuries to Kelly and Moeakiola could be season-changers. ASU is entering the toughest part of its schedule (next three games: UCLA, at USC, Stanford), a stretch that has all the makings of a make-or-break month.

The defense is improving. The defense has looked better each week, and on Saturday it looked at times like the defenses of the past two seasons, capable of changing games on one play. The key numbers: nine tackles for loss, three sacks, two interceptions, one fumble. There were still some issues Saturday -- critical errors, blown coverages, missed assignments -- but the young defense is showing incremental improvement.

Punter Matt Haack showed his potential. Haack, a sophomore, had easily the best game of his career after two shaky weeks. He averaged 48.1 yards per punt on seven punts Saturday, including a career best 57-yarder.

D.J. Foster -- ASU keeps going to the junior running back, and he keeps getting it done. Foster has now rushed for 100 yards or more in five of his last six games with nine rushing touchdowns in that stretch.

Jordan Simone -- The bandit safety, making his second start of the season, had a hand in three turnovers. In the first half, he snagged an interception and forced a fumble. In the second half, he helped ASU stop Colorado on a fourth down. He also led the team with 13 tackles.

-- ASU committed an eight penalties for 59 yards, which Graham called "ridiculous." The total nearly matched ASU's combined eight penalties for 60 yards through its first two games.

-- With Moeakiola unavailable, ASU inserted redshirt junior Ezekiel Bishop at spur linebacker. In the second half, though, ASU went with true freshman Chrisitan Sam, who finished the game with five tackles, including one for loss, and an interception.

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