Game To Watch: Arizona State at #20 UCLA: October 2, 2021

Arizona State visits UCLA for a battle of 1- 0 Pac-12 teams on Saturday at 10:30 EST. The Sun Devils bounced back from a loss to BYU with a convincing win over Colorado last week. The Bruins also got back on track with a win over Stanford after losing to Fresno State the week before. The Sun Devils and Bruins are two top contenders to win the Pac-12 South and the winner Saturday will give themselves a big advantage.

Recent History

UCLA holds the edge over Arizona State all time, going 22 – 14 – 1. The Bruins have won two in a row, including a 25 – 18 win in Tempe a year ago. The Sun Devils’ last win in the series came in 2018, when they pulled out a 31 – 28 win at home. The last five games between the teams have been decided by ten points or less, with four of them decided by a touchdown or less.

Top 25 Players

What To Watch For…

A Battle of Two of the Best Running Attacks in the Pac-12

Arizona State has recruited well at running back and has three talented backs that have carried the ball this year. Chip Trayanum has missed the last three games with an injury but should be good to go against UCLA. He carried the ball 6 times for 52 yards and 2 touchdowns in the opener before the injury. Arizona State also features Rachaad White, who has 55 carries for 262 yards and 6 touchdowns. Daniyel Ngata is the third running back, but has explosive ability as well, he has carried the ball 32 times for 216 yards and 3 touchdowns. As if the three running backs were not dangerous enough, Arizona State gets a boost in the run game from quarterback Jayden Daniels who has 26 carries for 248 yards and 2 touchdowns on the season. The Bruins have gotten a boost from a pair of transfer runningbacks. Zach Charbonnet transferred from Michigan this off season and has excelled for the Bruins, rushing for 360 yards and 7 touchdowns on 47 carries. In 2020 they added Brittain Brown, who transferred from Duke and has also done well, running for 263 yards on 47 carries and 2 touchdowns this year. UCLA also has a dangerous run threat at the quarterback position with Dorian Thompson-Robinson. Both defenses will be challenged to keep these running attacks in check Saturday night.

Which Team’s Defense Will Create More Pressure?

Creating pressure is a must to have a successful defense. If the offense is allowed to be comfortable and dictate to the defense it’s very difficult to get a stop. The Sun Devils and Bruins have both done a good job getting pressure this year and will need to continue that to win this game. UCLA is tied for third in the Pac-12 with 2.25 sacks per game, while Arizona State is tied for first with 3 sacks per game. They have both done this without one pass rusher getting a vast majority of the sacks, but instead a variety of players have created pressure from different spots. Arizona State may have an advantage in this match-up because their offensive line has done a better job protecting the passer this year. The Sun Devils have allowed just 1.25 sacks per game this year, while the Bruins have allowed 2.5 sacks per game. Creating pressure will be key for both defenses, the offense that handles that pressure better will win this game.

Jayden Daniels vs Dorian Thompson – Robinson

Jayden Daniels and Dorian Thompson-Robinson are two of the most explosive quarterbacks in college football. Daniels has been accurate and efficient as a passer, with a 72.6 percent completion percentage and 8.5 yards per attempt, but he has 3 interceptions against just 2 touchdowns this year. He is still a prolific threat in the running game, and with the accuracy and efficiency the interceptions may just be more bad luck than anything else. Thompson-Robinson hasn’t been as accurate but has been able to hit bigger plays down field, completing 57.3 percent of his passes but for 10.3 yards per attempt. He has thrown 9 touchdowns with only 1 interception and will look to continue hitting big plays while limiting the turnovers this week. Daniels and Thompson-Robinson are very different players, but both have proven to be very effective leaders for their offense. The quarterback is still the most important position in football, and the play of these two signal callers should be entertaining and indicative of how the game is going to play out.

Prediction

This will be a match-up of two evenly matched teams and there will be a feeling out phase early before they figure out how they want to attack each other. Arizona State’s running game will try to control the tempo of the game, especially with Trayanum back on the field. UCLA has a quick strike offense with the ability to capitalize on any mistakes the defense makes and they will hit some big plays. The Bruins big plays will put pressure on the Sun Devils and allow UCLA to come away with the win. UCLA 34 Arizona State 26.

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College Football: Cal at UCLA, November 30, 2019, Los Angeles, CA Image taken by Steve Cheng is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.