The Arizona State Sun Devils (3-7, 2-5 Pac-12) clinched their third win of the season at the Rose Bowl against UCLA (6-4, 3-4 Pac-12) 17-7.
The Bruins struggled to get past the Sun Devils’ defense all night until the fourth quarter, even though they had reached the red zone two times before.
Arizona State welcomed redshirt junior quarterback Trenton Bourguet back to the field on Saturday night after he went down with an injury the week before against Utah. With passing help from junior running back Cam Skattebo and redshirt junior Jalin Conyers, Bourguet came back ready to win with the Sun Devils.
ASU head coach Kenny Dillingham said he wanted to protect Bourguet from any further injuries this game, which meant using unique plays against the Bruins. Bourguet went with this plan without question, according to Dillingham.
“You’re not going to rattle Trenton. You could spin Trenton around, make him dizzy, throw him out there, and he’s going to find a way to do what he’s supposed to do and regain his balance,” Dillingham said. “I told Trenton earlier in the week, ‘ Hey, bud. This is going to be unique, but we can’t put you back there for 65 snaps.’”
The uniqueness of the Sun Devils offense paid off. 176 total passing yards between Bourguet, Skattebo and Conyers compared to 117 for UCLA’s redshirt junior quarterback Collin Schlee was enough to secure the win.
The emphasis on keeping Bourguet healthy meant using Skattebo and Conyers in crucial moments for the Sun Devils.
Skattebo only completed one pass on three attempts. However, that pass was a crucial play for the Sun Devils as it was a 25-yard reception to redshirt junior wide receiver Elijhah Badger for a touchdown, giving them a 10-0 lead in the third quarter.
This wasn’t the only touchdown for Skattebo Saturday night as he rushed 17 yards for ASU’s game-sealing score in the fourth quarter.
Even though the Sun Devils were able to put 17 points on the board against the Bruins, it wasn’t an easy fight, as UCLA’s defense is in the top five in the country for sacks. A powerful group that ASU’s Dillingham called “fire-breathing dragons.”
ASU had the opportunity for more points early in the game, but UCLA’s defense found ways to hold the Sun Devils back.
With 59 total tackles and two sacks, the Bruins put pressure on the Sun Devils offense, especially with an interception by UCLA redshirt senior defensive back Kenny Churchwell III in the first half.
“In the first half, we essentially got a touchdown called back, and then we threw an interception inside the 20,” Dillingham said. “I mean, we should’ve had another 13 points…10 points on the board in the football game versus a really, really good defense.”
UCLA’s defense was not the only powerful force at the Rose Bowl, as ASU’s defense held the Bruins offense to just one touchdown.
One shining star for the Sun Devils was graduate student defensive lineman Deshaun Mallory. With nine total tackles, he had the most tackles for ASU and in the game itself. Mallory was everywhere against the Bruins.
Dillingham said their defense performed well because first, they had a good plan, and second, they had Mallory.
“Coming to Arizona State has changed [Mallory’s] life,” Dillingham said. “It really has. He didn’t play at Michigan State. They didn’t really want him, and he transfers to Arizona State; nobody knows who he is, and literally, he’s going to get drafted.”
UCLA was 3-11 on third downs and 0-4 on fourth downs. The Bruins had 15 first downs compared to ASU’s 21.
Defensive coordinator Brian Ward, fresh off his new extension, rallied his defense after an abysmal performance last weekend.
The Sun Devils have struggled with third-down conversions all year. Going into the game they were at a 33% conversion rate, the lowest in the Pac-12. Despite this, ASU had a more sound game plan and converted a key fourth down conversion even.
The importance of seizing the moment in a football game is something Dillingham has tried to achieve with the ASU program, especially when that moment is a fourth down.
“Great teams win moments. Good teams win moments. Right?” Dillingham said. “You have to win plays. Every play matters, but there’s going to be moments in a game that separate winners from losers. Fourth downs are those moments. We converted our fourth and five with the game on the line. If we didn’t cover that, guess what every question here would be right now. ‘Why didn’t you kick the field goal to go up six?’ Well, why the heck would you want to go up six.”
These moments are something the Sun Devils hope to take into their last two games of the season at home as they continue to be strong competitors, according to Dillingham.
Arizona State will play its second-to-last game against the No. 6 Oregon Ducks (9-1, 6-1 Pac-12) on Nov. 18. Kickoff is set for 2 p.m. MST at Mountain America Stadium.
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