UCLA Vs ASU: The Bruin Defense Stop The Sun Devils Short

In last night’s game where #10 UCLA (4-0, 1-0) defeated #15 Arizona State (3-1, 1-1) 62-27, the defense played a crucial role in limiting the Sun Devil’s scoring chances. The Bruin defense could not slow them down for the most part, but UCLA came came up big on several key plays that stunted ASU’s progress. Arizona State put up 626 yards of total offense, yet only managed to score 27 points. That may seem lopsided, but not when you analyze how the Bruins kept the Sun Devils out of the end zone.

The Containment of Foster

Sep 25, 2014; Tempe, AZ, USA; Arizona State Sun Devils running back D.J. Foster (8) fumbles the ball in the first quarter against the UCLA Bruins at Sun Devil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

First off, you have to give it to the Bruins for shutting down one of the best running backs in the nation. Before this game, D.J. Foster was averaging 127.5 yards per game with a crucial 9.4 yards per carry. Against UCLA, Foster was held to 30 yards on 9 carries averaging only 3.3 yards per carry.

The pressure on Foster was clear on ASU’s second drive of the game when Eddie Vanderdoes stripped the ball from him, only to have Eric Kendricks recover the fumble. The Sun Devils were not getting anything on the ground in this game as they only managed 138 for the game.

The only place ASU could go was through the air and rely on back-up quarterback Mike Bercovici to beat the Bruins.

UCLA’s Secondary Took Several Hits

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ASU’s back-up QB was anything but. Bercovici led several impressive drives down the field en route to 488 passing yards. As you would imagine, the secondary got lit up several times. Most of the damage was done in the first and second quarter as Bercovici hit Kody Kohl and Cameron Smith for a couple of passing TDs, but after that, ASU was lucky to get their third touchdown later in the game, but that was after UCLA rattled off 28 straight points.

Still, Bercovici could have done a lot more damage through the air. Aside from his two WRs that caught a touchdown, Jaelen Strong was catching balls all over the field and ended up with 126 yards of his own. Once again, the Bruins were getting caught in zone coverage and leaving Sun Devils open with a lot of room to operate, but in man-to-man, things changed for UCLA.

The Bruins had two important interceptions, one that Ishmael Adams snagged at the Bruin 5-yard line and took to the house for a 95-yard touchdown. The secondary was getting burned throughout the night, but they were also putting up a fight of their own.

Stopping ASU In Their Own Territiory

Sep 25, 2014; Tempe, AZ, USA; UCLA Bruins defensive back Anthony Jefferson (right) is upended after making an interception in the second quarter against the Arizona State Sun Devils at Sun Devil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Another crucial piece of defending that UCLA had in their favor was stopping ASU just before they would score. The Sun Devils would march downfield, but got stopped by the Bruins before they could put anymore points on the board. One was the Adams pick six, another was when Anthony Jefferson had a no-look interception at their own 23-yard line that killed a chance for ASU to add to their 17-13 lead.

Later in the game, the Bruins had another crucial stop at the goal line to add to the Sun Devil’s offensive woes. Bercovici had orchestrated another impressive drive in the 4th quarter that got ASU down to the Bruin 1-yard line on a 3rd down catch. The Sun Devils tried to smash it in on 4th down, but the Bruin front line had not only stopped, but pushed back ASU’s Kalen Ballage 3 yards for the turnover on downs.

So as it were, despite UCLA starting slow, they managed to confuse, limit and impose their will on the Sun Devils over and over. It was also a good sign to see that the Bruins were a lot more consistent than they have been in the last three games. Sure, they gave up a ton of yards, but they stopped Arizona State when it mattered and that will be key going forward.