Bercovici's 5 TD passes lead Sun Devils over Buffaloes 48-23
TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) - Mike Bercovici threw five touchdown passes, tying a career high, and Tim White caught two scores to lead Arizona State to a 48-23 win over Colorado Saturday night in a Pac-12 South Division game.
Bercovici completed 20 of 31 passes for 260 yards and threw an interception before giving way to Manny Wilkins with 8:31 left in the game. One of Bercovici's scores came off a deflected ball that landed in White's hands and went 45 yards.
ASU (4-2, 2-1) won its second straight conference game on the heels of a 38-23 upset of then-No. 7 UCLA last week.
The Buffaloes (3-3, 0-2) lost their 13th straight conference road game, stretching back to the 2012 season, and are 0-7 all-time against the Sun Devils.
Arizona State got a couple of fortunate bounces, including on its first drive of the game. Demario Richard swerved in and out of tacklers on a short run and fumbled forward where tight end Kody Kohl scooped it up and ran into the end zone.
The next break came early in the third quarter on White's TD catch of CU cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon's deflection, giving the Sun Devils a 31-10 lead. White finished with seven grabs for 144 yards, both career highs.
ASU defensive end Antonio Longino had eight total tackles and 2 ˆ½ sacks, including one in the third quarter where he forced a fumble that led to a Sun Devils field goal.
Sefo Liufau had 389 yards passing, with a 68-yard touchdown pass to Devin Ross in the third quarter and an interception thrown early in the first. Kareem Orr stepped in front of Liufau's floater and returned it 30 yards to the Colorado 15. That set up Bercovici's 4-yard touchdown pass to Kohl with 8:33 left, giving ASU a 14-0 lead.
Liufau had a 42-yard hookup with Sean Irwin where the tight end hung in for the ball despite the impending hit from a Sun Devil defender. And It set up Phillip Lindsay's nifty 16-yard run touchdown run. Lindsay started inside then cut to the outside to get into the end zone and cut ASU's lead to 14-7 with 7:12 to go in the first.
That was as close as Colorado would get for the rest of the game, as White caught Bercovici's 38-yard touchdown pass to top off a two-play, 47-second possession and give ASU a 24-7 lead.
Diego Gonzalez kicked a 27-yard field goal for Colorado to trail 24-10 at halftime.
Arizona State scored touchdowns on its first two possessions of the third quarter, the second on Bercovici's 10-yard completion to senior Devin Lucien, the first of his college career.
D.J. Foster caught Bercovici's fifth touchdown pass, a 12-yard connection early in the fourth quarter.
Foster added 80 yards rushing. The ASU defense sacked Liufau eight times as the Sun Devils improved to 21-9 in Pac-12 South play since 2012.
Lindsay's 2-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter made the score 41-23. Lindsay's 51 yards rushing led Colorado. Shay Fields had five catches for 103 yards.