Records were set the last time UCLA and Arizona State took the football field.
Unfortunately for the Bruins, it brings back bad memories.
“It’s a hard film to watch,” said coach Rick Neuheisel after Wednesday’s practice.
The Bruins were in a generous mood during Thanksgiving weekend last November, and the Sun Devils happily accepted their offer, tying the NCAA record with four defensive touchdowns on their way to a 34-9 victory in Tempe, Ariz.
UCLA’s defense was impressive too, surrendering only 122 yards of offense ““ the lowest amount in nearly 20 years. But the turnovers were too much to overcome, as the loss eliminated whatever chance UCLA had of gaining bowl eligibility.
“The defenses certainly had their way a year ago,” Neuheisel said.
Redshirt senior Kevin Craft, then the starter, had one of the worst nights a quarterback can have. He threw three interceptions, all of which were returned the other way for touchdowns.
Arizona State’s Paul “˜Unga also recovered a Derrick Coleman fumble and returned it for another score in what turned out to be a forgettable night for the Bruins.
“Hopefully we will create some better tape this time,” Neuheisel said.
Doing so won’t be an easy task. The Sun Devils head into Saturday’s contest ranked No. 15 nationally in total defense, allowing just more than 300 yards per game.
Arizona State ranks 14th in the country with 24 takeaways. UCLA is a few spots behind with 21.
Redshirt senior tight end Logan Paulsen clearly remembers Arizona State’s defensive unit, which returned six starters from last season.
“Their defense is fantastic,” Paulsen said. “We have to handle them this week if we’re going to be successful.”
Offensively, the Bruins present an almost entirely different look with redshirt freshman Kevin Prince at quarterback.
Prince showed no signs of any concussion symptoms last weekend in UCLA’s 43-7 win at Washington State. Prince suffered the concussion the previous week in the Bruins’ 24-23 victory over Washington.
“It’s pretty evident that the team has gotten better,” Prince said.
Stopping the Sun Devils’ stellar defensive front will be one of the keys to Saturday’s game. Arizona State allows just more than 100 yards rushing per game on average.
“We’re expecting them to give a good challenge to the run game and get a lot of pass pressure when (I) go back to throw,” Prince said.
Four Bruins named semifinalists
Senior Alterraun Verner, juniors Brian Price and Kai Forbath, and redshirt freshman Jeff Locke were all named semifinalists to their respective national positional awards.
Verner earned recognition as a semifinalist for the Thorpe Award, the annual award for college football’s best defensive back. He has three interceptions and 60 tackles on the season.
Price remains in the running for the Bednarik Award, given to the nation’s top defensive player. Price leads the Pac-10 in tackles for loss per game, 1.65. He also has five sacks.
Already an All-American in 2008, Forbath moved ahead in the voting for the Lou Groza Award, given to the nation’s top place kicker. Forbath has made 23 of his 25 field-goal attempts and is 19-for-20 in extra point tries.
Locke, the conference’s leading punter, is a semifinalist for the Ray Guy Award. Locke, the only freshman on the list, has pinned 15 of his 48 punts inside the 20-yard line.
Along with sophomore safety Rahim Moore and redshirt senior linebacker Reggie Carter, Verner, Forbath, Price and Locke were all nominated for All-American honors.
With reports by Farzad Mashhood and Matt Stevens, Bruin Sports senior staff.