UCLA Football 2015 Schedule Preview: Arizona State Sun Devils
Who knows what is going to happen week to week in the Pac-12. So many good teams, so many good games and UCLA football has two to start conference play. After their conference opener at Arizona, UCLA gets to tango with another desert school, the Arizona State Sun Devils. They are a fiery team (no pun intended) that has aspirations of conference and national championships and if they play their cards right, they could see those aspirations come true.
The Arizona State Sun Devils
Nov 8, 2014; Tempe, AZ, USA; Arizona State Sun Devils head coach Todd Graham enters the stadium prior to the game against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Sun Devil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports
Head Coach: Todd Graham, 4th year
2014 Record: 10-3 overall, 6-3 Pac-12
Arizona State has really turned their program around under head coach Todd Graham. The fourth year coach has brought some aggression and some fire into a program that will be serious contenders in the conference… but they are not there yet. They need consistency.
Last season the offense was split between starter Taylor Kelly and his back-up Mike Bercovici who did a spectacular job covering for Kelly who got injured three games in. This year, it is all Bercovici’s.
The Arizona State Offense
Nov 28, 2014; Tucson, AZ, USA; Arizona State Sun Devils quarterback Mike Bercovici (2) against the Arizona Wildcats during the 88th annual territorial cup at Arizona Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
The Mike Bercovici era is properly underway at ASU, again. In his first game replacing the injured Kelly, he was impressive moving the ball around as he threw for 488 yards. Unfortunately it was against UCLA and they lost 62-27. Although, the next week he threw a late Hail Mary to beat USC. A week after that, they wrecked Stanford 26-10. It was questionable to replace the successful Bercovici when Kelly returned, but for the most part, it worked out for ASU. They finished with 10 wins and a victory over Duke in the Sun Bowl.
UCLA Bruins
As for the running backs, the Sun Devils are stacked. Because of this, last year’s primary RB D.J. Foster will be moved to receiver where they desperately need help. Right now, they look to utilize the services of several good running backs including Demario Richard who should be the #1 RB (he was second in total rushing yards for ASU last year behind Foster).
The question here is “how will ASU attack through the air?” Aside from Foster, there are a lot of questions about who will help out the receiving game. They recently got help from former Bruin, senior Devin Lucien, who announced he would transfer from UCLA after he officially graduated.
As for their offensive line, they return starting center Nick Kelly and guards Christian Westerman and Vi Teofilo, but will have to rely on the services of new tackles. If the new starters can get up to speed with the three returners, they should have no problem moving the offense… but can they do it against UCLA’s front line? This will be interesting to see how they go up against UCLA’s Eddie Vanderdoes and Kenny Clark, two of the best defensive linemen in the conference.
The Arizona State Defense
Nov 28, 2014; Tucson, AZ, USA; Arizona State Sun Devils defensive tackle Tashon Smallwood (90) against the Arizona Wildcats during the 88th annual territorial cup at Arizona Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
The Sun Devil D loses several key players, but have a lot of depth and talent to fill those voids. On the defensive line, sophomore nose tackle Tashon Smallwood will be the biggest threat and is often compared to former ASU DE Will Sutton. That is a bold statement, but if Smallwood can get to Sutton-like levels of athleticism, the ASU D-line should be in good shape.
As for their linebackers, the cupboard is full. They are deep and have several players that can and will rotate in at LB. The one to look for is Viliami Moeakiola who is by far their best linebacker. He gets help from two other experienced LBs, Salamo Fiso and Antonio Longino.
If the linebackers are the best unit on defense than the defensive backs are a close second. This group has a lot of depth, a lot of experience and a lot of talent that will be led by three seniors: Lloyd Carrington, Kweishi Brown and Jordan Simone.
The Arizona State at UCLA Outlook
Two weeks after Brett Hundley was injured at Texas, it was unknown what the Bruins would do in their conference opener against Arizona State. Nobody expected a blow out.
With this season’s game at the Rose Bowl, it seems to be in UCLA’s favor, but with the championship attitude Graham is bringing to this program, expect Arizona State to play this game with a lot more focus than last season. Unfortunately for the Sun Devils, in the end it will be UCLA’s defense that once again stops the ASU offense.
The Way-Too-Early Prediction
Arizona State 1o – UCLA 21