ASU vs No. 7 UCLA: By the numbers

In other games involving Mountain West teams, Marcus Cox raced 59 yards for a touchdown on Appalachian State’s first play from scrimmage, setting the tone for a 31-13 defeat of Wyoming….

As UCLA’s offense sputtered for most of the day Saturday, freshman Rosen looked like a freshman.

“Hopefully I get tackled or run out of bounds to their side so I get to see him”, Paul Perkins said. “And not be so stubborn and keep trying to force the issue on the run game sometimes and let our passing game (go)”. Jaleel Wadood is a fixture at safety, while Adarius Pickett joined him in the 2014 class. The 2015 class has several players who could be turned to as well, as DeChaun Holiday, Stephen Johnson, Octavius Spencer, Colin Samuel, Will Lockett and Nathan Meadors look like the next great group of defensive backs for the Bruins. UCLA racked up 580 yards of total offense and added a kickoff return (100 yds) and an interception return for a touchdown (95 yds) by Ishmael Adams. Let’s hope they don’t even make a bowl game.

The Bruins somehow lost that lead and the game.

It was only the first weekend of October, but already the Sun Devils had their backs against the wall. It doesn’t seem like much, but it makes a difference. However, ASU played a sloppy game against WBU, conceding two quick goals, having to drag itself out of an early deficit. Steve Sarkisian told his team not to panic and the Trojans went to Arizona State and blew out the Sun Devils to quiet their critics. Devin Lucien was the third-leading receiver for UCLA last season but took advantage of the NCAA rule that allows graduates to transfer and become eligible immediately. The Sun Devils are back in the hunt. The Bruins might still win this game, but the smart choice here is with Arizona State, plus the points.

At the start of the second half, UCLA got the ball, trailing 15-10. Instead of a first down inside the Arizona State 40-yard line, the Bruins punted. Gary Chambers has emerged as a first-down machine for Arizona State, and the senior is coming off his first career 100-yard receiving effort against USC.

Overall, the second half was littered with dropped passes by the Bruins.

With a 19-point lead heading into the fourth quarter, things were looking good for the Sun Devils. That would come courtesy of sophomore running back Kalen Ballage, making just his second appearance of the year after missing the first three games dues to illness. But then the Sun Devils’ offensive line pushed Ballage from behind and essentially carried him for 20 yards all the way into the end zone.

Last week everybody was calling for head coach Steve Sarkisian and defensive coordinator Justin Wilcox’s heads after another disappointing, early season loss. In all seriousness, Schechtman will give up a goal in a match in which she starts at a few point (we think), but she has done a bang-up job in taking over for Cassie Sternbach. By flourishing on the road, without a full deck, UCLA established itself as a legit top 10 team. The intentional grounding in the end zone resulted in a sack and safety for Latu and a 2-0 lead with 2:14 left in the opening frame.