Eagle High’s Kelly leads explosive offense in Sun Devils’ victory

Published: December 30, 2012 

Marcio Jose Sanchez — The Associated Press

SAN FRANCISCO — Taylor Kelly, Marion Grice and the rest of the Arizona State offense put an emphatic finish on coach Todd Graham’s successful first season with the Sun Devils.

Kelly threw four touchdown passes and ran for a fifth score to lead Arizona State to its first bowl win in seven years, a 62-28 victory over Navy in the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl on Saturday.

Offensive MVP Marion Grice ran for 159 yards and two touchdowns for the Sun Devils (8-5), who used their fast-paced spread offense to score touchdowns on their first nine possessions.

“Our guys came to play today and dominated,” Graham said. “I’m proud of them.”

Kelly finished 17-for-19 for 268 yards, ending the season completing a school-record 67.1 percent of his passes. He also rushed for 81 yards, scoring on a 1-yard run that made it 21-0.

Grice, playing with a heavy heart after his brother was murdered last week in Houston, scored on a 10-yard run in the first quarter and a 39-yarder in the third. He had 19 touchdowns this season, with 11 coming on the ground.

“We opened our arms out for Marion,” Kelly said. “We’re all with him. He’s in our prayers and our family. He’s having a hard time in the locker room or he’d be out here. He’s all into this program. He wanted to come out and play for his brother and his family and also our brothers.”

The Sun Devils won their most games since 2007 and won a bowl for the first time since the 2005 Insight Bowl against Rutgers. They also capped their season by beating rival Arizona and winning a bowl, a feat they had accomplished just once in the past 33 seasons.

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