USC-Oregon St., Stanford-Washington, and More Highlight Vegas Pac 12 Predictions for Week 5
Saturday Blitz Vegas Pac 12 Predictions Week 5
Game of the Week 1B
No. 11 UCLA Bruins at No. 15 Arizona State Sun Devils
Line: UCLA by 4
While Stanford-Washington is a Pac 12 showdown for who can compete with Oregon for first in their division, there’s a good chance that UCLA-Arizona State will determine who actually first in the Pac 12 South. Both teams have raised questions about the rest of the season thanks to the ugly play of UCLA in their first three wins and an injury to Arizona State quarterback Taylor Kelly. And it’s worth mentioning that UCLA quarterback Brett Hundley was hurt two weeks ago as well but is expected to play.
The Bruins and Jim Mora have won ugly through their first three games, but they are 3-0. And everybody they beat is looking like a decent bowl team, so those close wins might not be as bad as we initially thought. Still, the offense has got to find a rhythm. The only game where it looked good was against Memphis, but during that game it also made crucial mistakes that allowed the Tigers to drop 35 points. UCLA otherwise doesn’t have many problems on defense, so the key is on offense. And it revolves around two factors: don’t turn the ball over and get the running game going. The passing attack should be fine with Hundley or Jerry Neuheisel, who showed that he could be good once he gets into a rhythm. Whomever starts will be efficient enough to keep the passing game in good shape, but the ground game, and Paul Perkins, are going to be key to victory. This means UCLA’s offensive line has got to step up, much more than it has through the first three games, to open up the run game and help avoid turnovers. If that happens, this game will go to the Bruins.
The Sun Devils, meanwhile, could be in trouble. Taylor Kelly was supposed to be the star of the team and help it compete for a Pac 12 title. Now without him for a while, Arizona State has to find a way to keep that offensive firepower going. That starts with D.J. Foster. Foster has been the key to the offense so far this year, averaging 170 yards rushing and nearly 50 yards receiving a game with 6 total touchdowns, and he is going to have to be the one to lead the Sun Devils to victory at home. This is not a bad thing, honestly, because UCLA thrives on forcing turnovers, and a great rushing attack could help limit that. If Foster does what he does, and Mike Bercovici is competent enough to handle the job at quarterback, then Arizona State should be fine on offense. Then, the defense will have to force UCLA into bad positions by getting pressure up front. The Sun Devils will want to attack that offensive line to keep the Bruins running game useless and force that offense as a whole to make lots of mistakes.
Prediction
This game is going to come down to who controls the line of scrimmage, particularly when the Sun Devils defensive line goes up against the Bruins offensive line. UCLA’s offensive skill players should be fine for the game, and Arizona State should not have a problem replacing Kelly as long as Bercovici is efficient enough to turn Foster loose. And we know how UCLA’s defense is pretty good. So everything comes down to whether or not the Bruins offensive line can control the ASU defensive line, and it’s going to do the job just enough. UCLA will pull out another extremely close victory to get to 4-0, with or without Hundley.
UCLA: 28 Arizona State: 27