Arizona State vs. UCLA: Score, Highlights and Twitter Reaction

Arizona State was embarrassed by a ranked team from Southern California last week, but the Sun Devils (3-2) refused to relive that sloppy showing Saturday night against the No. 7 UCLA Bruins (4-1). 

Seven days after getting trounced 42-14 by USC, Arizona State rebounded with a 38-23 victory over the Bruins at the Rose Bowl. According to CBS Sports' Jon Solomon, ASU head coach Todd Graham is now 7-1 following losses of 28 points or more. 

While the Cody Kessler-led Trojans shredded Arizona State's secondary in Tempe, UCLA freshman phenom Josh Rosen didn't experience similar success Saturday night. Rosen completed 22 of 40 passes for 280 yards, two touchdowns and an interception in the loss. UCLA's offense couldn't reach maximum efficiency due to the absence of a reliable rushing attack. 

Arizona State entered the evening with the FBS' 85th-ranked run defense, one that was allowing 180.5 yards per game. However, UCLA mustered a meager 62 rushing yards and a paltry 2.2 yards per carry as the Sun Devils locked down up front and forced Rosen to try to mount a comeback with his arm. 

With the ground game neutralized, Arizona State's defensive linemen were able to pin their ears back and rush Rosen with relentless pressure. That wasn't exactly a surprise to UCLA head coach Jim Mora, who told reporters earlier in the week that he expected to see waves of rushers try to disrupt Rosen. 

"They are going to come after him, but we've had that a lot already this year," Mora said, according to the Los Angeles Times' Chris Foster. "With a freshman quarterback, we have seen pressure every week."

3TV's Brad Denny observed an uptick in intensity as Arizona State's lead grew throughout the second half: 

However, Rosen was impressive, particularly with his back against the wall. Two fourth-quarter touchdown drives cut Arizona State's lead to six, and the true freshman's poise in the face of adversity was arguably the most stunning piece of his performance. 

NFL Network's Albert Breer said it all with one succinct tweet:

Conversely, ASU signal-caller Mike Bercovici completed 27 of 44 passes for 273 yards and two scores. He also rushed for a 34-yard third-quarter touchdown that put the Sun Devils up, 22-10, per Fox Sports:

Bercovici padded Arizona State's lead with an 11-yard touchdown strike to D.J. Foster, and Graham's squad outscored the Bruins, 14-0, in the third quarter.   

A year after Bercovici threw 68 times in the Sun Devils' 62-27 loss to UCLA, Arizona State was able to keep the Bruins honest with steady doses of running back Demario Richard. The sophomore finished with 79 yards on 23 carries.  

Tailback Kalen Ballage iced things with the most outrageous run of the NCAA season to date, per Pac-12 Networks:

For the Sun Devils, Saturday was an encouraging display of character. While it would have been easy to fold against the seventh-ranked Bruins with a six-point lead, the defense picked up crucial stops and the offense controlled the clock when it mattered most.

As for UCLA, it wasn't all bad. Although the loss may very well drop the Bruins out of the Top 10 in next week's Associated Press Top 25 poll, Rosen flashed glimpses of the fourth-quarter player he may soon develop into. 

If he can develop the mental fortitude necessary to complement his Heisman-worthy skill set in the pocket, UCLA will be a force to be reckoned with for years to come. 

Post-Game Reaction

Mora kept things short and sweet following the loss, per Fox Sports' Lindsey Thiry: 

The UCLA boss also expressed his displeasure with the short weeks his team's set to work with against Stanford and California, according to the Orange County Register's Ryan Kartje: 

Meanwhile, Ballage told reporters that the team believed it had a shot of downing UCLA all along, while safety Jordan Simone reiterated that ASU will look to build on the victory moving forward, per Sun Devils Football: