Following practice Monday night, Bruin defensive tackle Brigham Harwell offered a blunt description of the stakes surrounding the UCLA football team’s Friday night game against Arizona State.
“My thoughts is do-or-die,” Harwell said of the nationally televised game on ESPN2.
That is the situation the Bruins (4-6, 3-4 Pac-10) find themselves in heading into their game on the road against the Sun Devils (4-6, 3-4).
Win, and keep their slim bowl aspirations alive going into the final game of the season against USC.
Lose, and end the season with a game against their crosstown rivals with pride the only thing at stake.
“Every week is a do-or-die situation, but this week it’s more on the line,” Harwell said. “So far, I think this is the biggest game of our year.”
A Bruin season that began with an upset victory over a ranked Tennessee team, but has turned into one marred by injuries, poor play and disappointment, could come to an end on Friday. While the team is guaranteed one more game, the Bruins’ chance to make it to a bowl game for the seventh consecutive season would be dashed.
The same can be said of Arizona State. With four wins and two games left to get the required six for a bowl invitation, the Sun Devils find themselves in an identical position, making Friday night’s contest all the more intriguing.
“It’s a huge game for us, and certainly a huge game for them,” coach Rick Neuheisel said. “The winner has still an opportunity to get to postseason. The winner has the momentum of a winning streak ““ they’re currently on a two-game winning streak, this would give us our second win in a row.”
Arizona State is coming off two wins ““ a 39-19 win at Washington and a 31-0 win at home against Washington State ““ that ended a seven-game losing streak. The Bruins also defeated Washington on the road 27-7 two weeks ago.
Bruin junior wide receiver Terrence Austin termed Friday’s game the “Survival Bowl,” only emphasizing the incredible importance the game holds for both teams.
With such a crucial game being played on such a grand stage, it would seem plausible for the players to become distracted. Yet junior cornerback Alterraun Verner said that is what teammates are for: to calm each other down.
“Just keep each other level, grounded and just know that this is a big thing,” Verner said. “But it’s nothing that we haven’t done before. We can do this; we’ve been through a lot of things. We’ve been challenged, so it’s time to step up and go ahead and play a good game.”
For the Bruins to be successful, the team will need to build upon its performance from its win against the Huskies. Most notable in the team’s first road victory of the season was the play of the defense, which allowed just seven points and a total of 135 yards.
The Bruins will need to come with that same high level of play against a Sun Devil team led by veteran quarterback Rudy Carpenter. The graduate student from Westlake has started all 10 games for the Sun Devils, completing 63.6 percent of his passes and throwing for 2,268 yards, 15 touchdowns and seven interceptions.
Neuheisel spoke highly of Carpenter at his weekly press conference on Monday, noting that Carpenter possesses a great touch on his passes.
“I think he’s well thought of amongst his teammates and the coaching staff,” Neuheisel said. “He’s a leader. I know they’re disappointed with the season given all the preseason predictions and so forth, but I think Rudy will have a chance to play on Sundays.”
Heading into such a high-stakes game, Verner believes the team’s road victory against Washington will be very beneficial for its performance.
“We know how that felt, we know how that tasted, and we just got to keep on tasting the goodness,” Verner said. “It’s not going to be too hard. We got a lot of motivation, we’re playing for each other. … We can still do things and make this season special.”
For one night, the seasons of the Bruins and the Sun Devils rest on one game, with each team facing elimination from bowl contention. Despite the numerous similarities that exist between the two teams, Verner said that thought is not a major concern for the Bruin squad.
“It’s going to be kind of consciously in both our minds, but overall, we both teams want to win, so that’s first and foremost,” Verner said. “Regardless of records or situations, we both want to win, and we’re going to go out there and do everything we can.”