(Tempe, AZ) Arizona State returned home after almost nearly a month on the road.
The two Los Angeles teams are most certainly the sharp teeth of the schedule.
USC took the Devils to task in the Coliseum winning 42-25 back on October 1st and now the other other half of the City of Angeles came to the desert.
This Sun Devil team is much different than it was in the first three games under former coach Herm Edwards.
Shaun Aguano is 2-3 since taking over the ship. That being said, the recent ASU game performance under redshirt Junior quarterback Trenton Bourguet had restored hope in salvaging the season and there’s still an outside chance this team can make it to a bowl game.
UCLA came in with a ton of firepower on offense, so the Sun Devil defense is on notice to be able to slow down the Bruins.
UCLA got the first possession of the game but Dorian Thompson-Robinson threw a pass that was intercepted by safety Chris Edmonds.
Bourguet withstood a couple of Bruin blitzes but couldn’t get it in the end zone. Carter Brown kicked a twenty five yard field goal to get the Devils on the scoreboard first, 3-0.
The Bruins got their act together on the second possession and went 75 yards on 7 plays to take the lead 7-3 midway through the first quarter.
Unfazed, ASU had their own long drive of 75 yards on 12 plays culminating in a Bourguet pass to Messiah Swinson for a touchdown on a fourth and goal. Arizona State regained the lead 10-7 towards to the end of the quarter.
Back and forth was the story of the first quarter as neither team punted and UCLA scored their second touchdown on a Keegan Jones catch to regain the lead 14-7.
X Valladay – Photo/Sun Devil Athletics
The second quarter play slowed down considerably but the big play offense of the Bruins still was a thorn in the Devils’ side as they went up 21-10 on a Jones rush into the end zone. Bruins extend the lead to 21-10.
Again, UCLA picked the Devils’ defense apart with big plays as Michael Ezekie was wide open in the middle of the end zone in a 90 yard drive that took almost six minutes. Bruins pulling away 28-10 at the half.
Arizona State gave up 330 yards on defense in the first half. Time after time, the Bruins got twenty five yards or more on big plays that would set them up with outstanding field position and a short field to work with.
Bruin coach Chip Kelly adjusted his defense in the second quarter putting more players up front to stop X Valladay and the ASU rushing attack.
ASU got the ball first in the second half. An all out blitz and a sack of Bourguet set the tone and the Devils went quietly three and out.
The Sun Devil defense could not stop UCLA as Thompson-Robinson scored in their first possession of the third quarter and the route was on 35-10 and still twenty five minutes of football left in the game.
Trenton Bourguet – Photo/Sun Devil Athletics
Arizona State finally got their offense in sync as Badger and Bourguet hooked up from seven yard and a touchdown. The two point conversion was successful and cut the Bruin lead 35-18 with 6:15 left in the third quarter.
UCLA on the first play after the Sun Devil touchdown ran a simple dive play that went 75 yards and a touchdown because ASU’s defense cannot tackle. Bruins 42-18.
This in itself is what makes ASU a well below average team. On the other side of the ball, Bourguet took quite a few hard hits from a porous offensive line.
And just like that, the Devils came alive on both offense and defense. UCLA was finally forced to punt and give the ball back to the Sun Devils.
Bourguet took them to pay dirt on a short field and Valladay took it in to keep hope alive. UCLA 42-25.
Defensively, ASU found themselves and stopped the Bruins on a fumble recovery.
In came the offense and drove 36 yards to kick a field goal. Now Arizona State was down two touchdowns, 42-28.
The Bruins once again were forced to punt. This time Bourguet drove the team 75 yards capped off with another Valladay touchdown. The two point conversion was good and suddenly ASU was within six points.
That’s where the dream ended as UCLA got their high powered offense in gear and went 75 yards in 7 plays to ice the game 50-36.
The biggest takeaway was the Sun Devil defense was totally overwhelmed by the UCLA attack and gave up 571 yards.
Running plays by the Bruins that were designed to gain four or five yards, they would break off twenty five yards or more. One play, a simple dive play from the Arizona State twenty five was taken seventy five yards to the house.
Poor tackling and the lack of a pass rush also contributed to the huge chucks of yardage given up.
Offensively, other than the scoreless second quarter, the Devils more than kept pace, but they were always forced to be the chaser.
Shaun Aguano – Photo/Sun Devil Athletics
Shaun Aguano is most likely to be relegated to the role of “gate keeper” the remaining three games as the Athletic Department will almost certainly be in search of a big name coach at the end of the seaon.
It doesn’t get any easier next week as ASU travels to the Palouse to face the Cougars of Washington State with the winds and cold temperatures.
UCLA returns home next Saturday to face the Arizona Wildcats.
The largest crowd of the year was on hand and attendance was 51,265.
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