Conference championship races aren’t normally settled until November, when the leaves are dead, the air is cold and the football decidedly more tense. But, if history holds true, the Pac-12 South division may be decided by Thursday night.
No. 11 UCLA (3-0, 0-0) opens conference play on the road against arguably its greatest competition out of the Pac-12 South since the division’s inception three years ago, No.15 Arizona State (3-0, 1-0).
And while the victor will add only another mark in the win column – and the loser its first blemish of the season – this game might also go a long way in determining much more than that.
The winner between Arizona State-UCLA has gone on to win the South division each of the last three years. The Sun Devils avenged their 2012 loss with a 38-33 victory at the Rose Bowl a year ago, ruining the Bruins’ quest for a third straight division championship. It’s a loss not easily forgotten by UCLA.
“I think about that game a lot … that was a hard game to swallow, especially with the seniors and everything. It was tough,” said sophomore linebacker Myles Jack. “(Winning that game) could’ve changed a lot of things around here.”
Something coach Jim Mora would like to change about that game is how he used his star outside linebacker. Jack lined up exclusively at running back a year ago and saw no snaps on defense. It’s a decision Mora called “a pretty stupid tactical error” in hindsight.
But the issue now isn’t who will be lining up at running back for Bruins, but quarterback.
Mora has been tight-lipped about the status of quarterback Brett Hundley since the redshirt junior sustained a left elbow injury in UCLA’s win over Texas. Mora said that Hundley has been “limited” in practice and will play if he is cleared by team doctors.
Arizona State, however, will definitely be without its own three-year starting quarterback, Taylor Kelly. The redshirt senior injured his right foot in Arizona State’s 38-24 victory over Colorado on Sept. 13, and has been ruled out for Thursday’s game.
In his stead will be redshirt junior Mike Bercovici, who has thrown just 24 passes during his college career. Despite Bercovici’s relative inexperience, the Bruins aren’t expecting a drop-off from a Sun Devils offense that has put up 47 points per game this season.
“I think they have a ton of confidence in (Bercovici),” said defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich. “He’s a very effective quarterback, quick release, very active, great thrower, crafty athlete, so he’s very similar (to Kelly).”
While UCLA catches somewhat of a break by missing Kelly, who has compiled over 600 yards of total offense and six scores in his two career starts against the Bruins, there will be no avoiding the Sun Devils’ pair of talented playmakers, wide receiver Jaelen Strong and running back D.J. Foster.
Foster is a true dual-threat, proving to be an explosive runner with excellent receiving skills, and is downright lethal in space. The junior is No. 8 in the country with 510 yards rushing and ranks second on the team behind Strong with 11 receptions for 139 yards. The tailback has caught the attention of the UCLA defense, as Ulbrich has said his group must stay “extremely disciplined” if it hopes to contain the potent running back.
Strong meanwhile, is arguably one of the top receivers in the nation. The 6-foot-3-inch, 215-pound redshirt junior could prove troublesome for a UCLA secondary that lost junior safety Randall Goforth for the year and could be without redshirt senior safety Anthony Jefferson, who Mora said would be a game day decision with an ankle injury.
Still, no matter who lines up for either squad, the expectation of each team is clear: after high-scoring, down-to-the-wire affairs over the past two years, both squads are anticipating more of the same in the rubber match.
“I think that they know what we do and they know what we do, (so) you’re probably not going to trick anybody in the game,” said Arizona State coach Todd Graham in a press conference with reporters Monday. “It’s the team that physically dominates the game and the team that wins the explosive plays and turnover battle (that will win).”