The UCLA Bruins are wounded, and they’re licking those wounds with all the ferocity they can muster.
Humiliated by the Oregon Ducks in front of a national television audience, held to minus-9 rushing yards and blown out of the Top-10, UCLA is on damage control one week later.
Not a good time to meet a 3-0 Arizona State team.
“You can go from No. 6 in the nation to last in the Pac-10 real fast and that’s exactly what happened,” Bruins head coach Bob Toledo said. “[Arizona State’s] playing very well, they’re getting better and they have their passing game going now.”
But the Bruins have one weapon that they didn’t have against Oregon: Corey Paus. Paus, UCLA’s starting quarterback before he was injured against Alabama, will be healthy for Saturday’s game, and will start, according to Toledo.
The game will also mark the return of Arizona State’s top thrower, Ryan Kealy. The senior signal-caller is ranked in the top five all-time at Arizona State in passing yards, passes completed and passing touchdowns.
He returned from a two-game suspension against Utah State last week and went 4-of-9 passing for 89 yards, including a 43-yard touchdown strike to Todd Heap. Kealy is still listed as second on the Sun Devils’ depth chart behind redshirt freshman Jeff Krohn.
Saturday’s game is all about respect. The Bruins are looking to avoid the tailspins of 1999 and 1996, while the Sun Devils are looking to restore respect in a fading football program. Neither team is going to be happy with a loss.
“I’m looking forward to playing UCLA ­ a talented, strong team,” Arizona State head coach Bruce Snyder said. “We need to play a game like this now to really see where we are.”
The Sun Devils haven’t been truly tested, with unimpressive wins over San Diego State and Colorado State, and one blowout victory against Utah State. UCLA, meanwhile, already has three tough games under its belt.
Also, the Bruins play in the Rose Bowl after playing in a hostile Eugene environment last week. UCLA has now lost six straight road games, dating back to 1998.
The game will be a turning point for both programs. If UCLA can win, it will stay in the hunt for a Pacific-10 Conference title. If Arizona State wins, it will join a slate of evenly-matched Pac-10 teams, all in search of one prize: the Rose Bowl.