TEMPE, Ariz. “”mdash; After weeks of speculation, all discussion regarding UCLA’s bowl contention was put to rest ““ and decisively at that.
What was until the fourth quarter an arguably competitive game turned into a disheartening loss for the visiting Bruins and a definitive end to all hope of a postseason.
UCLA (4-7, 3-5 Pac-10) suffered another loss Friday night, this time to Arizona State (5-6, 4-4), by a score of 34-9 at Sun Devil Stadium.
The Bruins’ biggest opponents of the night, however, were themselves and the one thing that has been plaguing their offense all year: turnovers.
The Bruins gave up four touchdowns, all of them defensive, tying the NCAA record for most defensive touchdowns allowed in a game. Two of those four came within a span of 46 seconds.
With under 10 minutes to go in the game, UCLA was down 17-9 and had a first and goal at the ASU 6-yard line. But instead of a Bruin touchdown, redshirt junior quarterback Kevin Craft threw his second interception of the night.
Sun Devil senior free safety Troy Nolan tipped his pass in the Arizona State end zone and returned it 100 yards for a touchdown the other way.
“I thought we had a chance to hit (it),” coach Rick Neuheisel said of the intended corner route. “But (the ball was) slightly underthrown, and (Nolan) returned it for a back-breaking touchdown.”
Less than a minute later, Craft was intercepted again at the UCLA 45-yard line, this time by Arizona State junior linebacker Mike Nixon. Nixon also returned the ball for a touchdown.
But Craft’s struggles were not limited to the fourth quarter.
During the second quarter, he was hit from behind and the ball was knocked forward out of his hands, where it was recovered by freshman running back Derrick Coleman.
But then in a bizarre turn of events, thinking the play had been called, Coleman dropped the ball to the ground. Arizona State’s senior defensive lineman Paul “˜Unga scooped up the supposed dead ball and rushed to the end zone for a touchdown.
“Our players felt like they heard a whistle,” Neuheisel said. “I think even Derrick Coleman had the ball in his hands for a brief time and then just laid it on the ground, cause all the players on the field were stopped.”
Later in the quarter, Craft threw what would be his first interception of the evening to Arizona State’s junior linebacker Travis Goethel who ran 38 yards for the score.
Though the Bruin defense held the Sun Devils to 122 total offensive yards, it was Arizona State’s own defensive performance that compensated for the team’s unproductive offense.
UCLA outshined Arizona State in nearly every offensive category. The Bruins recorded 306 total offensive yards and 18 first downs.
Redshirt senior wide receiver Marcus Everett caught eight passes on the night for 75 yards.
Coleman led the Bruins’ weak rushing attack with 43 yards on three carries.
Craft went 24-for-39 and recorded 204 passing yards on the night.
Craft credited the Sun Devil defensive line and its tactics for effectively hindering the Bruin offense from capitalizing on their productivity.
“They run their base defense the whole time and they make you play into what they’re doing,” he said.
UCLA’s defense also had a good night, holding Arizona State’s offense to just two field goals.
“I thought our defense played valiantly,” Neuheisel said. “Most of the time they kept the Arizona State offense in check.”
Redshirt senior cornerback Michael Norris led the Bruins with six tackles. Junior cornerback Alterraun Verner and redshirt junior defensive end Korey Bosworth each recorded five.
Though the Bruins’ glimmer of hope of participating in a bowl game faded away with the loss, the team’s focus is on the future, not the past.
Redshirt junior linebacker Reggie Carter expressed his disappointment over the circumstances, but refuses to linger over the issue.
“I’m upset that we lost,” Carter said. “It’s the first time since I’m here we’re not going to a bowl game, but I really can’t pout about it.”
On Saturday, UCLA will host their last game of the season against cross-town rival USC at the Rose Bowl.
“It’s all about the next game,” Norris said. “The game we’re getting ready to play is the most important of the season, as is every week. We’ve got our sights set on it.”