Sports360AZThe Arizona State Sun Devils can move one step closer to a Pac-12 South title Saturday with a win over UCLA at the Rose Bowl.
ASU (6-2, 4-1) would control their own destiny by beating the Bruins (4-4, 3-2) who sit one game behind the Devils in the South.
UCLA, coming off an impressive 31-14 victory over Cal last weekend, would not only pull even in the conference with a win this weekend, but hold the tie-breaker with ASU should the two teams finished tied in conference losses.
UCLA Hall of Fame coach Terry Donahue said Saturday is a trap game for Dennis Erickson’s team.
“I don’t think it will be easy for Arizona State to come over here (to Los Angeles) and beat UCLA,” Donahue explained to Brad Cesmat on “Big Guy on Sports” Thursday. “If Arizona State doesn’t come in and play really well, I think UCLA can beat them.”
The Devils and junior quarterback Brock Osweiler will look to expose UCLA’s defense which ranks 92nd in the country in points allowed at just under 32 per game.
Donahue knows much of the Devils success can be attributed to the maturation of Osweiler.
“He’s getting better and better,” Donahue told Cesmat. “He’s a big, mobile guy. I like him. He plays very competitively. Is he Andrew Luck? No. But he’s a very good player…I’m not sure there’s a whole lot of quarterbacks in this league that are any better than he is.”
Rick Neuheisel’s defense did force five turnovers in their win over the Golden Bears but have been exposed in lopsided losses to Texas, Stanford, and Arizona this season.
The Sun Devils are 22nd in the country in scoring (36 points per game), while Osweiler has averaged just under 300 yards a game through the air.
Kickoff is set for 4:30.
Terry Donahue on ‘Big Guy on Sports’
