Know Your Opponent: UCLA Football vs. Arizona State 2018
Arizona State Offense
The offense starts with the quarterback and the Sun Devils have a signal caller that has been pretty solid all season long. Manny Wilkins‘s 2,250 yards rank 27th in the nation and his 64.6% completion percentage is pretty impressive as well. Wilkins has been good under pressure and has been given a lot of time to operate behind a solid offensive line. He does have good numbers but has also been shaky at times. Still, he has been solid throwing the rock around but one would think that comes standard when you have one of the best receivers in the nation at your disposal.
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Enter N’Keal Harry, a human highlight reel. He might only be second in the Pac-12 in receiving yards to Oregon’s Dillon Mitchell, but only by five yards. This season, Harry has 828 receiving yards in his stat column (15.0 yards per catch, 92.0 yards per game) as well as 9 touchdowns. He is fast, explosive and the main weapon in ASU’s passing game, which is why UCLA’ defense has to find a way to shut him down.
There is a bit of a drop off in receiving yards as the Sun Devils’ next three options, Frank Darby, Kyle Williams, and Brandon Aiyuk, do not have over 400 yards this season, though they can be deadly if they slip past the Bruins as each of them average over 10 yards per catch.
2018 Arizona State Offensive Stats
Total – 435.4 | Rushing – 185.4 | Passing – 250.0 | Scoring – 29.8
If the passing game isn’t working then they can just go to the run, which is statistically the best in the Pac-12. That is due to workhorse Benjamin Eno who is putting up 123 yards per game and 5.8 per attempt. Eno will be the best running back UCLA faces this season, but they also have to be aware of Wilkins’s ability to run as he runs for nearly 35 yards per game.
This offense will be a huge test for the Bruins. Their run defense has improved but it still has holes in it. The pass defense has been decent, but they have often gotten burned. It also does not help that the Bruins have issues with wrapping up and tackling. If the issues persist, this will be all ASU.