ASU football looks to get back on track with win against UCLA in last game at Rose Bowl
The Arizona State Sun Devils will be looking to regroup when it hits the road for its last showdown against UCLA.
Both teams are coming off losses, ASU 55-3 to Utah and UCLA 27-10 to Arizona, an outcome that resulted in the Bruins falling out of the national rankings.
Still, UCLA was ranked most of the season and it is one of 10 opponents on the Sun Devils schedule who were ranked at some point this season. Five are still ranked and three others received votes.
Let's take a closer look at the matchup:
Arizona State (2-7, 1-5) at UCLA (6-3, 3-3)
Time/site: Saturday, 7 p.m., Rose Bowl, Pasadena, CA.
TV: Pac-12 Network (J.B. Long (play-by-play), Lincoln Kennedy (analyst). Radio: ESPN 620 AM.
Last time they played: UCLA defeated the Sun Devils 50-36 here last season. The Bruins took a 28-10 halftime lead and never looked back. UCLA totaled 402 rushing yards while ASU QB Trenton Bourguet threw for 349 yards with two touchdowns.
Series history: UCLA leads the series which dates back to 1976, 23-15-1. The last time the teams played in the Rose Bowl (2021) ASU prevailed 42-23. The teams have split the past eight meetings contested in Pasadena.
Coaching matchup
ASU: Kenny Dillingham (first year). At 33, Dillingham is the youngest head coach at an FBS school. He served as offensive coordinator at Oregon last season. His first win as head coach came in ASU's season opener against Southern Utah, 24-21, with his first Pac-12 win coming against Washington State on Oct. 28. He is a local product out of Chaparral.
UCLA: Chip Kelly (sixth year, 33-32 at UCLA, 79-39 overall which includes four years at Oregon). This is Kelly's second go-round in the Pac-12, having previously headed Oregon from 2009 to 2012 and leading it to four straight BCS bowl appearances. He landed NFL opportunities, with three years in Philadelphia (2013-2015) and one in San Francisco (2016) but was fired from each. He returned to the college ranks at UCLA in 2018.
Storyline
Both teams have question marks at quarterback. ASU is already down true freshman Jaden Rashada and redshirt sophomore Drew Pyne. Redshirt junior Trenton Bourguet was knocked out last week's game, leaving it in the hands of untested No. 4 Jacob Conover. RB Cameron Skattebo even moved there late in the game.
Bourguet did practice some this week although the Sun Devils also worked on some other scenarios.
Meanwhile, junior Ethan Garbers and true freshman Dante Moore both departed last week's loss to Arizona, leaving junior Collin Schlee to finish the contest. Moore looms as the likely starter based on reports out of Los Angeles.
Arizona State will win if . . .
1. It finds its offense: It doesn't matter how good your defense is -- you are not going to beat anyone with 83 yards total offense which is the abysmal amount ASU totaled last week. The Sun Devils don't boast a lot of explosiveness. When they have been at their best it has been a matter of ball control and good time of possession drives. That also keeps the ball away from more potent offenses. Injuries on the offensive side of the ball have prevented the Sun Devils from really getting in any sort of rhythm, the exception being the Washington State game.
2. It can get off to a good start: As bad as last week was, the Sun Devils really need to have some things go right early, just to change the narrative of last week's loss. They have given up a touchdown on the other team's first possession in four of the last six games which included last week. If they struggle early, doubts are sure to creep in. Players have said all the right things this week but when you're coming off the type of loss they were handed last week, confidence has to be a little lacking.
3. The defense gets back to basics: Brian Ward's defense really showed out against perhaps the best team on its schedule in Washington but it looked rather pedestrian against Utah. Good opponents can do that to you but the Sun Devils are capable of better. ASU ranks sixth in the conference in total defense (360 ypg) and it is going to have to do at least that well to have any chance in this game, particularly with the issues on offense. Defensive injuries sustained in last week's game are going to complicate matters.
UCLA will win if . . .
It gets good quarterback play: Like ASU, UCLA has used multiple quarterbacks but it looks like Moore will be the guy this week. Moore has shown great potential but as is often the case with a true freshman, there have been growing pains too. Moore is 91-for-175 (52%) for 1,344 yards with 10 touchdowns and seven interceptions, while Garbers has thrown for 786 (68.1%) with six touchdowns and three interceptions.
It can avoid looking past ASU: The Bruins have the game against local rival USC looming next week so it might be human nature for them to get ahead of themselves. While that game is a week away, the schools have already gone to the extent of protecting their campus mascots. Perhaps last week's loss to Arizona will keep UCLA from getting too distracted.
The defense does its usual job: With as good as the defense has been, the offense doesn't have to do a lot. While DL Laiatu Latu is the marquee performer of the unit, Dillingham said this week that talking just about him was a disservice to the other defensive linemen who are also "really good." UCLA leads the Pac-12 in rushing defense, sacks and tackles for a loss, ranks second behind Utah in total defense and is third in passing defense. And this week it will not exactly be facing a potent offense in ASU.
Personnel notes
UCLA: LB Ale Kaho and QB Ethan Garbers (leg) are doubtful. QB Dante Moore and WR Titus Mokiao-Atimalala are questionable. S Kamari Ramsey is probable.
Arizona State: Players definitely out — OL Emmit Bohle, OL Ben Coleman, OL Bram Walden, OL Sione Finau, OL Kyle Scott, QB Drew Pyne, QB Jaden Rashada, DB Montana Warren, DL Michael Matus, DL Prince Dorbah, WR Xavier Guillory, RB DeCarlos Brooks and P Josh Carlson. Players listed as questionable include QB Trenton Bourguet, DL Anthonie Cooper, DB Macen Williams, and OL Max Iheanachor. ASU also is even more limited up front with Isaia Glass quitting the team last week.
They said it
"Kenny does a great job. Kenny did a great job when he was at Oregon. They present a lot of different issues. I think the running back who’s a transfer (Cameron Skattebo), they’re really utilizing in a lot of different ways. He’s thrown a bunch of passes, he’s kicked, they’ve punted out of formations, they’re going to give you a lot of exotic looks, they’re going to attack you in all sorts of different ways, they run speed sweeps, they run unbalanced formations, they’re going to give you a lot of different things to make you kind of be off base a little bit in terms of where they are and what they do, so they do a great job of attacking you. Not sure who’s available at quarterback, we’ll prepare for all of them and we played against Bourguet last year, I think he’s a really talented player, gets the ball out of his hands very quickly and is really smart, he’s decisive in terms of making decisions and we saw that in last year’s game playing against him, he had a big game against us last year, but offensively they’re going to give you the whole gamut and you’ve got to be prepared for everything."
— UCLA coach Chip Kelly on ASU offense
More on ASU's 2-7 start: It may be fun to think about, but Arizona State football can't quit
“He's an unbelievable player. He's an unbelievable person. Hard worker, tough, smart, accurate. Pick any other adjective that's positive in the dictionary, and I believe that about that kid. I think he's just an unbelievable, unbelievable person... I built a really good relationship. Unfortunately, I can't really talk to him anymore due to NCAA rules, which is unfortunate just because he is a great kid and we built a really strong bond. But I wish him nothing but the best in his entire career, and he's unbelievable.” - ASU coach Kenny Dillingham on UCLA quarterback Dante Moore
By the numbers
0 — Despite being the most targeted cornerback in the Pac-12 (55 targets), ASU's Jordan Clark is one of only sevenleague corners with 200 coverage snaps to not allow a touchdown. Of 98 total FBS corners to be targeted 41+ times, he is one of just 15 to not be credited with a touchdown. Clark is eighth among Pac-12 corners with 200+ coverage snaps in allowing a first down on just 30.9% of his targets.
16 — Tackles for loss by UCLA DL Laiatu Latu, who is tied for the Pac-12 lead in that department (Utah's Jonah Elliss) and is tied for fifth nationally. He also rates second in the Pac-12 (behind Elliss) and third nationally in sacks per game average (1.22).
47 — Number of quarterback pressures this season for ASU junior B.J. Green, good for third among all FBS players. He is also fourth in the nation with 10 quarterback hits this year.
70.4 — Rushing yards per game UCLA is giving up. That ranks first in the Pac-12 and second among all FBS schools behind only Penn State (60. 6 ypg). The Bruins also rank third in the Pac-12 in passing defense (223.9 ypg) and second in overall defense (294.3 ypg).
105 — Number of games missed by a total of 26 players who have been injured this year at ASU. Ten players have missed five games or more. At least three players with new injuries will be added to that total after this week's game, among those DE Michael Matus who sustained a torn ACL against Utah.
Who will win and why
UCLA 42, Arizona State 14: The Sun Devils really struggled on offense last week against Utah and this week they are facing a Bruins defense many think is even better. Both teams have some uncertainty at quarterback but the Sun Devils situation is a bit more precarious as they were down to their fourth last week, then even used their "emergency" QB in Cameron Skattebo. So it will be a tough ask against a team that is coming off a major loss and sure to be in a bad mood.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: ASU looks to get back on track with win against UCLA at Rose Bowl
