No. 10 UCLA looks unstoppable vs. No. 12 Arizona State
TEMPE, Ariz. — Breaking down No. 10 UCLA's 35-point win Thursday night at No. 12 Arizona State:
THE BIG PICTURE: There's the UCLA team we thought we'd see, the UCLA team that showed up for its first three games of the regular season and the UCLA team showed up in Sun Devil Stadium — the latter matching the Bruins' lofty expectations, fending off Arizona State's early run before exploding in the second quarter of a 62-27 win. After slogging through victories against Virginia, Memphis and Texas to open the year, UCLA seemed the harness its pent-up frustration at the Sun Devils' expense.
WHAT WE'LL BE TALKING ABOUT: For roughly 20 minutes of game time — from two minutes into the second quarter to little more six minutes into the third quarter, UCLA looked very much like the College Football Playoff contender most had projected the Bruins to be heading into the regular season. This stretch should send shockwaves through the Pac-12 Conference: UCLA went from behind 17-6 to ahead 48-20, storming past the Sun Devils with a 42-3 run that might just stand as the most impressive period of play from any team in college football thus far during the regular season.
Yet issues do remain. The Bruins' defense struggled pressuring ASU quarterback Mike Bercovici, who was making his first career start in place of an injured Taylor Kelly. With ample time to stand in the pocket, Bercovici ended with 488 yards passing and three scores. The Bruins' secondary came up with game-changing moments, including two Bercovici interceptions, but had its share of issues running with Arizona State's Jaelen Strong, Cameron Smith and D.J. Foster. Ultimately, UCLA was aided by some questionable coaching from the Sun Devils' staff: ASU threw the ball 65 times against just 32 carries.
THE DECIDING PLAY: Some defensive miscues — incorrect alignments, general mental disarray — led Arizona State to use all three of its timeouts in advance of a first half-ending drive with UCLA ahead 21-17. That cost Bercovici and the Sun Devils' offense an opportunity to regroup inside the Bruins' red zone, which in turn led to the game's defining moment: Clearly not on the same page with his receiver, Bercovici threw over the middle and into the waiting arms of UCLA defensive back Ishmael Adams, who dodged and weaved his way 95 yards for a touchdown with two seconds left before halftime. That gave the Bruins a 28-17 lead, and the wind was taken out of ASU's sails.
AUDIO: Hear the play that stretched UCLA's run to 28-0 at the start of the third quarter.
BREAKOUT PLAYER: Pencil in Adams as the all-purpose player of the week. In addition to his tackles, pass defense and long interception return, his 100-yard kickoff return after an Arizona State field goal in the third quarter put away the Sun Devils' hopes of a comeback. That made the score 41-20, leading to an exodus of ASU faithful into the Tempe night. Adams finished just shy of 300 return yards.
KEY STAT: In a span of little more than 13 minutes of game time from the second quarter through the first drive of the third quarter, UCLA had three plays of 80-plus yards — two 80-yard touchdown passes and a 95-yard interception return — and one drive spanning 90 yards in seven plays. That turned a 17-6 deficit into a 34-17 lead.
UCLA also had the 100-yard return from Adams and added an 81-yard sprint from tailback Paul Perkins midway through the fourth quarter.