Arizona State Football: 5 Things the Sun Devils Must Do to Beat UCLA

The Arizona State Sun Devils will be back on the road this week. After defeating the Colorado Buffaloes in Week 9, the Sun Devils climbed three spots to No. 18 in the BCS standings. While the UCLA Bruins offer the Sun Devils a chance to increase their overall and Pac-12 records, no game is ever easy at the Rose Bowl.

On the road this season, the Sun Devils are 1-2. They had losses to the Illinois Fighting Illini in Week 3 and a heftier defeat against the Oregon Ducks in Week 7. Those were also the only two losses the Sun Devils have had this season. Their other road matchup was against Utah, where they easily handed the Utes a loss.

The Sun Devils will need to rely on their past play and overall athletic advantage going into Saturday's matchup.

Here are five things the Sun Devils must do to beat UCLA and continue to climb the BCS ranks.

Keep the Passing Game Alive

In the Sun Devils' last two games, quarterback Brock Osweiler seems to disappear after the first quarter.

In both games, Osweiler started out the game with two touchdowns but failed to keep that momentum going in the quarters that followed.

Osweiler does a great job of passing the ball and keeping the Sun Devils offense churning downfield, but he needs to be able to score through the air more. He has a big arm and has many options at wide receiver.

Against a team like the Stanford Cardinal or Oregon Ducks, the Sun Devils are going to have to rely on more then just their rushing attack; they will need to keep the passing game going. From what they have been able to accomplish in the first quarter, it is evident that this offense can create opportunities through the air.

The opportunity obviously needs to present itself, but ultimately the Sun Devils need Osweiler to score more.

Vontaze Burfict Needs to Get Aggressive

Arizona State's top defensive player, junior linebacker Vontaze Burfict, needs to get aggressive. He had nine tackles against Colorado, but then again, that was Colorado. Burfict has all the tools to be a great player, but it often appears that out of fear of being penalized he holds back when he could make a big play.

This is understandable, as he has put the Sun Devils in bad positions many times. Against these garbage teams, though, he needs to practice this aggressiveness. The Sun Devils should win, and have been winning, these games easily.

Now is the time to tweak things. That way he will be ready when he needs to be the one to stop a guy like LaMichael James or Andrew Luck.

Stop the Run

The UCLA Bruins have a very good running back tandem in Johnathan Franklin and Derrick Coleman. Combined, the two have rushed for 12 touchdowns and 988 yards this season.

The Sun Devils have struggled in the past to stop the run. Both Oregon and USC had a lot of success moving the ball against them, and it is important that the Sun Devils stop UCLA here.

The Bruins pass offense isn't all that impressive, so the Sun Devils defensive backs should have no trouble stopping that attack. The ground game is what is strong in UCLA's offense, so it is a must to focus on stopping that.

Figure out the Receiver Situation

While Arizona State's receiver by committee method has worked so far, it is possible it is the reason for the dip in the success of the passing game towards the end of the game.

Each game it changes. Who is it going to be, Aaron Pflugrad, Jamal Miles, Mike Willie, George Bell or Gerell Robinson? Nobody can ever really be sure.

The Sun Devils need to figure out which of these guys is going to be their go-to guy in every situation. They have a lot of weapons in the passing game, but they need to decide who is going to be getting passes thrown their way late in games.

Often the Sun Devils go to Miles, but his size and strength have proven in the past that he just isn't the best option when you need to score late in the game.

Don't Get Lost in the Crowd

The Arizona State Sun Devils will be playing the UCLA Bruins at the Rose Bowl in a night game. That is not an easy environment to win in.

The Bruins are a much easier opponent then the Oregon Ducks, but the Sun Devils can't let UCLA's 12th man shake them up.

The Sun Devils need to keep their composure throughout the game, and if they make mistakes or get caught up in turnovers, they can't let the fans take them out of the game.

If things go the way they should, the Sun Devils should be walking out of the Rose Bowl amidst a disappointed UCLA Bruins crowd.