The No. 9 California Bruins take on the Arizona State Sun Devils this week in a game that will feature the Pac-12’s second-leading rusher, Paul Perkins (514 yards, 6 TDs), and third-leading passer, Mike Bercovici (1,071 yards, 7 TDs). Coming into the game, the Bruins are 4-0 while the Sun Devils are 2-2. The game will begin Saturday, Oct 3 at 8:00 p.m. ET.
In last week’s matchup, UCLA dominated Arizona 56-30. Jordan Payton had a great game in the victory, pulling in seven receptions for 136 yards and one TD. Josh Rosen had a great game as well, adding 284 yards and two TDs through the air. Arizona State struggled mightily against USC 42-14 in its matchup. Demario Richard had a huge game running the ball for the Sun Devils, dashing 14 times for 131 yards and two TDs. Gary Chambers also had a great game with 103 receiving yards on five catches.
This week’s matchup between the Bruins and the Sun Devils has even odds and the Over/Under (O/U) is currently not available.
Sitting at 4-0 Straight Up (SU) and 3-1 Against The Spread (ATS), the Bruins will look to improve heading into Week 5. A focal point of UCLA’s offense is the running game, which ranks 22nd in the country with 233.5 rushing yards per game. Crossing over to the defensive side of the ball, the Bruins look to have a distinct advantage in certain spots. There are very few in the country better than the Bruins at defending the pass. UCLA only allows 9.8 yards per pass to its opponents. The Bruins will need to strip the football against the Sun Devils. They are one of the worst in the nation in fumbles lost with 1.3 per game. In the third quarter, UCLA is a tough test, putting up 11.2 points during the third frame.
In the other locker room, the Sun Devils are a terrible bet ATS with a perfect record of 0-4 to go along with a 2-2 SU record. Arizona State’s passing defense, only allowing 48.6% of passes to be completed, has a good chance of shutting down its competitor’s aerial attack. The Sun Devils defense might be able to pick off a few throws as the Bruins rank 106th in interceptions with 1.5 thrown per game. Few teams have been worse than UCLA when it comes to penalties. This season, the Bruins have earned 76 penalty yards per game.
Predictions: SU Winner – California, ATS Winner – California
Notes
UCLA is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of UCLA’s last 7 games.
UCLA is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games at home.
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of UCLA’s last 5 games at home.
UCLA is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing Arizona State.
The total has gone OVER in 5 of UCLA’s last 5 games when playing Arizona State.
UCLA is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games when playing at home against Arizona State.
The total has gone OVER in 6 of UCLA’s last 9 games when playing at home against Arizona State.
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Arizona State’s last 9 games when playing on the road against UCLA.
Arizona State is 1-0 SU when leading at the start of the 4th quarter this season. UCLA is 3-0 SU when leading at the end of the third quarter.
The UCLA passing attack is ranked only 50th in the nation, while the Arizona State pass defense is ranked ninth. The Sun Devils passing game is ranked just 38th, compared to the 23rd-ranked pass defense of the Bruins.
The UCLA rushing attack is ranked 22nd in the nation, while the Arizona State run defense is only ranked 108th. The Sun Devils rushing game is ranked 88th, compared to the 97th-ranked run defense of the Bruins.
Arizona State has given up 27.8 points per game this year, which is ranked 83rd in the nation. UCLA has put up 37.8 points per game this year and is ranked 25th in FBS.
