UCLA vs. ASU: TV Info, Spread, Injury Updates, Game Time and More
One of college football's budding rivalries takes center stage Thursday as the No. 11 UCLA Bruins meet the No. 15 Arizona State Sun Devils in a battle of unbeatens with massive Pac-12 implications hanging in the balance.
The two explosive programs figure to put on quite the show when one recalls that the last two encounters have come down to the final possessions and been decided by a total of seven points.
For Sun Devils coach Todd Graham, the showdown is beginning to dwarf other so-called rivalries.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
"Our fans tell me: 'Hey, Coach, that's the game you got to win,' so that's the game we got to win," Graham said of the Territorial Cup, per Doug Haller of AZCentral.com. "But this is the game that determines the (Pac-12 South) champion every year, so heck yeah, there's no doubt."
While both teams enter this year's affair limping, the future impact of the end result assures it will still be entertaining throughout.
At Home Without a Leader
The Sun Devils enter the most wounded, as senior quarterback Taylor Kelly will miss the contest after he suffered a foot injury against Colorado.
ESPN CollegeFootball noted the news:
Kelly is one of seven players in school history to surpass the 6,000-yard mark. To put the impact of his loss into perspective, here is a gander at his numbers over the course of his three years as a starter:
| 2014 | 42 | 68 | 61.8 | 625 | 6 | 0 |
| 2013 | 302 | 484 | 62.4 | 3635 | 28 | 12 |
| 2012 | 241 | 359 | 67.1 | 3039 | 29 | 9 |
Three of those scores this season came against Colorado before the foot injury.
Left to pick up the pieces in one of his team's biggest games of the year is junior Mike Bercovici, who has all of 24 career passing attempts to his name. To his credit, he seems undeterred in the face of large expectations, as captured by Tyler Lockman of FoxSports.com:
"I've been ready for this for a long time. I really do put the pressure and the constraint on myself that this is an opportunity I owe to my teammates. If I wasn't ready right now, it would be pretty obvious to the guys at practice. I think the guys felt confidence in me after this practice knowing there's no drop off.
"
The weapons are certainly in place for Bercovici to succeed.
Junior running back D.J. Foster averages a ridiculous 9.4 yards per carry this season thanks to 510 yards and five touchdowns on just 54 attempts. Junior receiver Jaelen Strong is a big-bodied target who already has 19 receptions for 266 yards and a pair of scores to his name.
Perhaps swinging the scales back to neutral a bit is the notion that UCLA quarterback Brett Hundley may not be at 100 percent, too. Still, there remains one rather large mountain to climb if the Sun Devils are to pull off the upset.
Unfulfilled Expectations
While it seems all gloom and doom for the hosts, it is not as if UCLA has lived up to its billing this season.
Sure, the team is 3-0. But a 28-20 victory over unranked Virginia to start the season—in which Hundley was held without a passing touchdown—seemed to signal a dismal forecast for what many thought would be one of college football's most dominant teams.
Memphis came to visit the week after, as in the Tigers from the AAC, a team that won all of three games last season. They gave UCLA all it could handle, as Hundley and Co. only escaped with a 42-35 win.
Then it was off to Texas, which saw the Bruins need 10 points in the final frame to emerge the winner against a reeling Longhorns team, 20-17.
Coach Jim Mora put it best after the win over Memphis, and it certainly still applies going into Thursday.
"Obviously, still a lot to work on," Mora said, per The Associated Press, via ESPN.com. "That's the game we play, though. We're happy to get a win, but there's no satisfaction yet in the way we're playing."
With UCLA's defense giving up entirely too many points, Thursday may not be the showdown most had envisioned between two great quarterbacks, but the propensity for the Bruins to make it interesting nonetheless is certainly present.
When: Thursday, September 25, 10 p.m. ET
Where: Sun Devil Stadium, Tempe, Arizona
Television: Fox Sports 1
Live Stream: Fox Sports Go
Betting Lines (via Odds Shark):
- Over/Under: N/A
- Spread: UCLA (-3)
Team Injury Reports
| Jake Brendel | C | 09/20/2014 | is questionable for Thursday's game against Arizona State | Questionable | knee |
| Randall Goforth | CB | 09/22/2014 | will miss the remainder of the season | Out | shoulder |
| Simon Goines | T | 08/08/2014 | is out indefinitely | Out | ankle |
| Brett Hundley | QB | 09/20/2014 | is questionable for Thursday's game against Arizona State | Questionable | elbow |
| John Johnson | DB | 08/03/2014 | will miss the entire season | Out | shoulder |
| Steven Manfro | RB | 09/03/2014 | will miss the remainder of the season | Out | knee |
| Eldridge Massington | WR | 09/20/2014 | is questionable for Thursday's game against Arizona State | Questionable | ankle |
| Conor McDermott | T | 09/20/2014 | is questionable for Thursday's game against Arizona State | Questionable | shoulder |
| Austin Roberts | WR | 08/15/2014 | will miss the entire season | Out | knee |
| Mike Bercovici | QB | 09/22/2014 | is expected to miss Thursday's game against UCLA | Out | undisclosed |
| Ezekiel Bishop | DB | 09/22/2014 | is questionable for Thursday's game against UCLA | Questionable | undisclosed |
| Taylor Kelly | QB | 09/15/2014 | is out indefinitely | Out | foot |
| Carlos Mendoza | LB | 08/14/2014 | is out indefinitely | Out | knee |
| Viliami (Laiu) Moeakiola | LB | 09/22/2014 | is questionable for Thursday's game against UCLA | Questionable | shoulder |
| Ismael Murphy-Richardson | LB | 09/20/2014 | is questionable for Thursday's game against UCLA | Questionable | eligibility |
| Corey Smith | DT | 09/05/2014 | will miss the entire season | Out | hip |
Injury reports via USA Today.
Prediction
UCLA has been a disappointment and Arizona State is without its best player, but this is still one fans need to see in what is a rather boring overall week of action, on paper at least.
Bruce Feldman of Fox Sports concurs:
Losing a starting quarterback is never easy to overcome, but there are two factors that help to mitigate the impact.
One is a home contest. Another is a home contest after a bye week. Finally, and most importantly, is a bevy of talented players insulating the position in what is a quarterback-friendly scheme.
The Bruins have had one too many issues on the defensive side of the ball against beatable opponents to inspire confidence in this showdown. Kelly would have put things over the top, but even without him the Sun Devils will come away with a close one as key contributors rally around their new leader under center.
Prediction: Sun Devils 34, Bruins 30
Statistics and info courtesy of ESPN unless otherwise specified.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
