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Last-second ‘Jael Mary’ caps ASU’s historic defeat of USC Trojans

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Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2014

By Sam Rabadi

PHOENIX -

KARI OSEP/CRONKITE NEWS: It was a weekend of chaos in the college football world. Arizona State pulled off a win for the first time at the L.A. Coliseum since 1999, with a play that will go down in ASU history – one we like to call the “Jael Mary.”

Joining us from our Los Angeles bureau with insight from the game is Sam Rabadi.

SAM RABADI/CRONKITE NEWS: Thanks, Kari. Gray skies here in Tinseltown. That can best describe the mood of the USC Trojans  today after the Southern California-raised Mike Bercovici had his prayer answered when he found Jaelen Strong on the 46-yard “Jael Mary” pass to supplant the Trojans on the final play of the game Saturday.

TODD GRAHAM/ARIZONA STATE FOOTBALL COACH: Great to be a Sun Devil, so proud of our team, proud of all the individuals talk about anybody individually would be just… just from a team standpoint that’s the best one we’ve had since we’ve been here.

MIKE BERCOVICI/ARIZONA STATE QUARTERBACK: Saw Jaelen take a step in the end zone and I don’t think I could have made it down 50 yards to the end zone, and it was an indescribable feeling. I got people telling me, “Get up, get up, get up,” but all I wanted to do was run upstairs to my mom and give her a big hug.

JAELEN STRONG/ARIZONA STATE RECEIVER: I went up and grabbed and I landed in the end zone, I don’t even remember it honestly. I blacked out.

SAM RABADI/CRONKITE NEWS: And one more note on Bercovici: He is the first quarterback to ever pass for five touchdowns against USC in their 125-year history. And you better believe that isn’t going well over here in Trojan Nation.

But USC doesn’t have time to feel sorry for themselves because next on the schedule is Arizona. The Wildcats just defeated the second-ranked team in the country, the Oregon Ducks. That victory propelled them into the top 10  in the AP poll. That’s the first time a team went from unranked to ranked in the top 10 in the modern era.