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The memory still lingers as if it happened yesterday, the details as crisp and clear as the summer sky.
Arizona State defied all odds, down 34-32 with the football at their 28-yard-line and just 23 seconds to go and no timeouts remaining. After a strike down the middle of the field from Mike Bercovici to Gary Chambers to the 45-yard line, the Sun Devils spiked the ball and had one final play left in store with seven seconds remaining.
Bercovici dropped back and let it fly for a Hail Mary, where Jaelen Strong high-pointed the ball over USC defenders and found himself in the end zone for a touchdown, upsetting the No. 16 Trojans on the road, 38-34.
Although 10 years have passed since his two years in Tempe – where he recorded back-to-back seasons of 1,000-plus receiving yards and finished in the top 10 for all-time receptions, 157, and receiving yards, 2,287, in program history – his coach at the time, Todd Graham, still remembers the play and the victory like it happened yesterday. Having coached and played at the collegiate level for a significant part of his life, Graham has seen everything but ranks the highlight-reel catch above all else.
“That play is ingrained in my head and my memory in slow motion,” Graham said. “It was one of the greatest plays, if not the greatest play. I can’t rank a play in my career that would mean more to me than that play, winning in the (LA Memorial) Coliseum in the last seconds.”
ASU went 10-3, won its Sun Bowl matchup against Duke that season and finished 12th in the final national Associated Press poll, marking the program’s highest finish since 1996, when Jake Plummer led the Sun Devils to a Rose Bowl appearance.
Sporting new colors on the sidelines under the bright lights of high school football, the game still fuels Strong.
“It’s who I am every day,” Strong said…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/jael-mary-anniversary-former-asu-213032252.html
Author : AZCentral | The Arizona Republic
Publish date : 2024-10-04 21:30:32
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