The No. 7 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). The Bruins have gone 4-0 thus far, while the Sun Devils are 2-2. The game starts at 7:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, Oct 3 and will be available on FOX.
In last week’s matchup, UCLA easily got past Arizona 56-30. Jordan Payton had a great game in the victory, grabbing 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 is hoping for a different outcome after losing big against USC 42-14. Demario Richard had a huge game running the ball for the Sun Devils, rushing 14 times for 131 yards and two TDs. Gary Chambers also had a great game with 103 receiving yards on five catches.
UCLA is a 13-point favorite against the Sun Devils.
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. As for the UCLA defense, a few key matchups could decide this game. 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. There will be plenty of opportunities for the Bruins to steal the ball from Arizona State. The Sun Devils currently rank 104th in turnovers given up with 2.2 per game. In the third quarter, UCLA is a tough test, putting up 11.2 points during the third frame.
Over on the other sideline, 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 game plan centers around passing the football. The Sun Devils pass 39.2 times per game. Moving on to the Arizona State defense, there are certain areas where it measures up well against the Bruins. Arizona State’s passing defense, only allowing 51.9% of passes to be completed, has a good chance of shutting down its competitor’s aerial attack. The Sun Devils should look out for bad throws against the Bruins, who rank 106th in the country in interceptions thrown with 1.5 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.
Arizona State is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games when playing on the road against UCLA.
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 carrying a lead into the fourth quarter.
The UCLA offensive passing attack is ranked only 50th in the country, while the Arizona State pass defense is ranked 47th. The Sun Devils passing game is ranked just 38th, compared to the 22nd-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 84th. The Sun Devils rushing game is ranked 80th, compared to the 98th-ranked run defense of the Bruins.
Arizona State has allowed 27.8 points per game this year, which is ranked 82nd in the nation. UCLA has scored 37.8 points per game this year and is ranked 25th overall.
