Quarterbacks: A+
So Brett Hundley’s left elbow appears to be fine. The redshirt junior quarterback threw for over 300 yards for a school-record 13th time in his career as part of a 18-23, 355-yard four-touchdown effort. Hundley delivered some picture-perfect throws, including a beautiful deep ball to Jordan Payton that the junior receiver then took to the end zone for an 80-yard score to start the second half. The gain was the longest completion of Hundley’s career and one of five completions of 40-plus yards. Hundley displayed no hesitancy, impressively – albeit dangerously – hurdling a Sun Devils defender on one of his eight runs. Hundley totaled 72 yards and a score on the ground, totaling 400 yards of total offense for the third time in his career. Simply put, Hundley needed a performance like this after exiting early in the Texas game with the injury. And he more than delivered.
Running Backs: A
Paul Perkins topped 100 yards for the second consecutive game, running for a career-best 137 yards on just 14 carries. The redshirt sophomore reeled off an 81-yard run midway through the fourth quarter and averaged 9.8 yards per rush. The ground game got a big boost from Hundley’s return, but also received contributions from redshirt senior Jordon James with five carries and 20 yards and freshman Nate Starks, who ran for his first career touchdown.
Receivers: A+
UCLA receivers got open early and often against an overwhelmed Arizona State secondary. Sophomore Y receiver Thomas Duarte – 4 receptions, 95 yards – made a living in the middle of the field and Eldridge Massington made his one-reception count. The redshirt freshman bounced off two defenders and turned a short third-down pass from Hundley into an 80-yard score. As for starting receiver Jordan Payton – he is emerging as a star. The junior turned in a career-best 151-yard performance on five catches and added two scores – one being the game-changing 80-yarder from Hundley to open the second half.
Offensive Line: A
The unit lost sophomore guard Alex Redmond early in the first quarter to injury, but redshirt freshman Kenny Lacy performed admirably in his stead. While the group allowed a sack, it was due to coverage more than anything else. The interior paved the way for the ground game and kept its injured signal caller upright for the better part of the night, giving him plenty of time to throw. After allowing nine sacks to Arizona State last November, this was an impressive performance.
Defensive Line: A
Defensive end Eddie Vanderdoes and nose tackle Kenny Clark are two sophomores who continue to make plays. Vanderdoes stripped Arizona State junior running back D.J. Foster in the first quarter to set up UCLA’s first score, while Clark recovered the Bruins’ second forced fumble of the day in the third. Though Arizona State did have a couple of runs up this group mostly kept the ground game in check, bottling up the dynamic Foster, who ran for just 30 yards on nine carries.
Linebackers: B+
Redshirt senior Eric Kendricks once again led the team in tackles – he finished tied with freshman safety Jaleel Wadood with 10 – big surprise there. Sophomore Deon Hollins continues to be a difference-maker rushing the edge, stripping Arizona State redshirt junior quarterback Mike Bercovici of the ball to set up Starks’ score in the third.
Secondary: A-
If the secondary is going to allow 488 yards through the air to a backup quarterback, then it better make some plays to garner a grade like this.
UCLA did.
Junior cornerback Ishamel Adams’ 95-yard interception return for a touchdown completely changed the game, giving UCLA momentum it never surrendered. Redshirt senior Anthony Jefferson moved down to cornerback from his usual safety position in order to matchup with the Sun Devils’ redshirt junior Jaelen Strong. Jefferson held his own against one of the best receivers in the nation and made an outstanding over-the-shoulder interception that he didn’t even see until it landed in his hands. And despite his 5-foot-10, 175-pound frame, Wadood is proving to be a force in the secondary, as the freshman collected a team-high ten tackles in his second career start.
Special Teams: A+
Adams better enjoy his 100-yard kickoff return touchdown while he can, as it’s unlikely teams will keep kicking to him. The junior – who totaled 201 yards on returns as part of his 296 all-purpose-yard effort – once again came up big in the return game. His third-quarter kickoff-return touchdown – UCLA’s first since 2007 – put the Bruins back up by three scores and effectively put the game away. Junior kicker Ka’imi Fairbairn was a perfect two-for-two in field goals, and had a number of touchbacks on kickoffs. Junior punter Matt Mengel and redshirt freshman punter Adam Searl each saw some reps at punter, and both had punts downed inside the Sun Devils’ 20-yard line.
Coaching: A
Yes, UCLA had just six points at the end of the first quarter, but this team came ready to play. It’s extremely difficult to go on the road and win a Pac-12 conference game, particularly against the reigning South division champions. UCLA embarrassed Arizona State on its own field in arguably the Sun Devils’ biggest home game of the season. Offensive coordinator Noel Mazzone called a great game as his offense totaled 580 yards on 58 plays. Though defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich’s group allowed 626 yards, it did so on 105 snaps – 5.96 yards per play. More importantly, this group played a better second half than first and picked up on what Arizona State was trying to do on offense. Not a perfect performance, but an extremely impressive one.
Compiled by Jordan Lee, Bruin Sports senior staff.