It’s excessively aboriginal to delegate a wide way to the Pac-12 South championship, but Saturday’s crippled betwixt UCLA and Arizona State astatine the Rose Bowl could spot the victor successful presumption to power their ain destiny.
Coach Chip Kelly isn’t consenting to marque the crippled immoderate bigger for UCLA than immoderate different league game. Coach Herm Edwards and his Sun Devils transportation the aforesaid mindset.
With respective Southern California players connected the ASU roster, Edwards believes it volition besides beryllium important for his squad to not let the game’s determination to overwrite the crippled program and preparation.
“We person to muster up our quality to enactment focused,” Edwards said. “We person a batch of players that travel from Los Angeles. … A batch of times (players) get excited astir going backmost location but they person to support their poise and marque definite this crippled doesn’t get distant from them.”
When UCLA has the football
The Bruins indispensable proceed what has worked best: moving the ball. UCLA (3-1, 1-0 Pac-12) has won games this play erstwhile Zach Charbonnet has rushed for 100 oregon much yards. Between Charbonnet and Brittain Brown, the duo whitethorn origin a occupation for an ASU defence that allows an mean of 123 rushing yards per game.
Edwards knows Kelly volition privation to tally the football, but is besides alert that the UCLA discourtesy is astir overmuch much than moving the ball.
“There’s a batch of oculus candy,” Edwards said. “You person to person cleanable eyes. If you play with soiled eyes, it turns retired to beryllium a atrocious play connected your part. They play with a batch of motions and a batch of shifts. They spell accelerated erstwhile they consciousness similar they got you disconnected balance.”
Once the Bruins person established the run, the passing crippled volition follow. Quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson threw 2 touchdown passes to receiver Kyle Philips successful their conference-opener triumph against Stanford past week. Philips became the 4th Bruin receiver since 1996 to tally aggregate 100-yard receiving games with 2 oregon much touchdowns successful a season.
Thompson-Robinson displayed his dual-threat ability, rushing for 2 touchdowns successful the victory.
“I don’t cognize if you halt (Thompson-Robinson),” Edwards said. “He’s a large athlete. You’re not going to halt the guy. You’re going to effort to incorporate him and clasp him to a minimum.”
When ASU has the football
UCLA’s defence forced Stanford to punt connected six of its archetypal 7 positions. Producing thing akin against ASU (3-1, 1-0) volition beryllium key. In bid for that to happen, the Bruins indispensable bounds what Sun Devils backmost Jayden Daniels (Cajon High) does erstwhile helium has the football.
The Bruins’ walk unreserved volition person to use unit and bring Daniels down earlier helium gets into an impromptu concern that works successful his favor.
“If the rushing lanes interruption down oregon the containment of the unreserved breaks down, past he’s truly dangerous,” Kelly said. “That’s wherever helium is astatine his champion due to the fact that helium is specified a prime athlete, that you person to cognize wherever helium is each the time.”
Arizona State volition besides diagnostic 2 moving backs successful the backfield with sophomore moving backmost Chip Trayanum expected to play this week.
“I deliberation Herm made a determination to tally the ball,” Kelly said. “I deliberation they are much multi-tight ends. I deliberation erstwhile helium archetypal got determination they were a dispersed offense. … That’s going to beryllium a existent trial for our beforehand seven.”
Running backmost Rachaad White (Mt. SAC) serves arsenic the Sun Devils featured runner with 262 yards and six touchdowns connected 55 carries this season.
UCLA’s unreserved defence is ranked 5th nationally, among 130 FBS programs, allowing an mean of 64 yards per crippled and conscionable 3 rushing touchdowns this season.
“They don’t let you to tally the shot astatine all,” Edwards said. “They are precise bully against the run.”
Daniels has dispersed the shot astir erstwhile it comes to the passing crippled and had 3 antithetic receivers with 70 oregon much yards against Colorado past week.
No. 20 UCLA (3-1, 1-0) vs. Arizona State (3-1, 1-0)
When: Saturday, 7:30 p.m.
Where: Rose Bowl Stadium
TV/radio: FS1 / 1150 AM