UCLA vs. ASU: Score and Twitter Reaction

Many college football fans wondered when the real UCLA would finally show up. Thursday night, the No. 11 Bruins put together their best game of the 2014 season so far, recovering from a sluggish first quarter to beat the No. 15 Arizona State Sun Devils 62-27 in Tempe.

Coming into the game, UCLA quarterback Brett Hundley's health was an ongoing storyline. He was absent at the end of the Bruins' 20-17 win over Texas two weeks ago, with backup QB Jerry Neuheisel throwing the game-winning touchdown.

As a more mobile passer, Hundley opens himself up to further injury when he tucks the ball and runs. Bruins head coach Jim Mora admitted that if the junior was to play Thursday, any sort of restrictions on his touches were out of the question.

"It wouldn't be fair to him, it wouldn't be fair to our team, to ask him to go out there and be somebody that he's not," said Mora, per Chris Foster of the Los Angeles Times. "I don't think we can limit him that way. If he does play, he's got to be able to do everything."

Hundley showed few ill effects from his elbow injury, throwing for 355 yards and four touchdowns on 18-of-23 passing. He also carried the ball eight times for 72 yards.

Question marks also hovered around Arizona State quarterback Mike Bercovici, who replaced the injured Taylor Kelly and made his first collegiate start on Thursday.

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Bercovici performed admirably in Kelly's absence, completing 42 of 68 passes for 488 yards and three touchdowns. Turnovers were a big facet of the game, however, and the junior was culpable on three of them—two interceptions and one fumble.

Things started off well enough for Bercovici and the Sun Devils, as they carried a 10-6 lead into the second quarter. Kicker Zane Gonzalez began the proceedings with a field goal, and then Bercovici found tight end Kody Kohl for a five-yard touchdown pass (via Pac-12 Networks):

A little over 30 seconds into the second quarter, Bercovici picked up his second TD of the night, with wideout Cameron Smith on the receiving end of a 29-yard pass.

With 14:24 left in the first half, ASU had already jumped out to a quick 17-6 lead. Things were looking pretty good for the home side.

Hundley and the Bruins offense quickly stormed back. The Heisman Trophy candidate picked up two quick touchdowns, first hitting wide receiver Eldridge Massington for the first of his two 80-yard TD passes and then hooking up with Nate Iese near the goal line.

All of a sudden, UCLA was up 20-17 with 2:13 to go until halftime, and the worst was yet to come for Arizona State.

The game swung irrevocably toward the Bruins as halftime was mere seconds away. Bercovici led the Sun Devils all the way down to the Bruins' 15-yard line, and ASU looked poised to at the very least tie the game.

However, he made the worst mistake possible, throwing an interception to Bruins defensive back Ishmael Adams, who went 95 yards to the house for the touchdown, increasing UCLA's lead to 10 points, 27-17, with two seconds left in the first half.

Perhaps more impressive than the interception was how quickly Adams motored down the field:

Many Sun Devils fans were likely upset with Bercovici for the turnover, but NFL.com's Bucky Brooks laid much of the blame at Smith's feet:

You can't overstate the impact of that pick-six, which resulted in a 10-point and maybe even 14-point swing. UCLA also received the ball to start the second half, making matters even worse for the Sun Devils.

On the first play from scrimmage in the second half, Hundley connected with wide receiver Jordan Payton for an 80-yard touchdown, doubling up on Arizona State and giving the Bruins a 34-17 lead.

Athlon Sports tracked how quickly fortunes changed for both Arizona State and UCLA. Within the span of a few minutes of game time, the Bruins went from being down four points to up 17:

Former Sun Devils linebacker Vontaze Burfict was on hand for the game, which led USA Today's Paul Myerberg to joke that ASU might be debuting a new linebacker to help stem the tide:

Gonzalez hit a field goal on Arizona State's next possession, making it 34-20, but on the ensuing kickoff, Adams went 100 yards for the touchdown, immediately undoing all of the progress made by the Sun Devils' scoring drive:

As Doug Haller of AZCentral.com pointed out, Adams has become a major nuisance for ASU over the last two years:

On the very next play from scrimmage after Adams' touchdown return, Bercovici was hit in the pocket and fumbled. The ball was recovered by UCLA defensive lineman Kenny Clark at the ASU 23-yard line.

The Bruins quickly scored, increasing their lead to 28 points, 48-20, with 8:27 to play in the third, which all but signaled the end of any Arizona State comeback attempt.

One of the biggest reasons for UCLA's win was how well the Bruins shut down ASU running back D.J. Foster. The junior entered Thursday averaging 170 yards a game. UCLA held him to 30 yards on nine carries.

The more Foster struggled, the more pressure was placed on Bercovici as a result, and eventually, Bercovici wilted under that pressure.

This win came at a great time for UCLA. The Bruins play the 3-0 Utah Utes next Saturday, and the week after that, they get the No. 2 Oregon Ducks in the Rose Bowl.

Arizona State is only through the first stage of a three-game series against current Top 25 opponents. The Sun Devils travel to Los Angeles to meet No. 18 USC next Saturday. Two weeks later, they play No. 16 Stanford at home.